The 71st Street approaches at 71st Street and Yale Avenue have been widened to six lanes, which has resulted in improved traffic flow at the intersection. The lanes, which were added in 1996 during the widening of 71st Street to six lanes between Harvard and Yale avenues, were built by removing the extra-wide medians and replacing them with standard medians. The former left-turn lanes on 71st Street now are part of the third through-traffic lanes for both directions, and the remaining median sections were replaced with the corresponding third through lane and a new left-turn lane with the narrow median. New traffic signals with longer mast arms also were installed for 71st Street. In 1990, city crews returned the restricted left-turn signal to the intersection, and this configuration remains today. In the background, work is under way on widening 71st Street to six lanes between Lewis and Harvard avenues. That project tentatively is scheduled for completion in late 1998. Photo taken June 1997.
