After 28-year-old nurse Jiaya Zheng was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver as she was crossing Third Avenue in Sunset Park on Aug. 29, Brooklyn lawmakers have renewed their calls for traffic safety improvements on the two-mile stretch of the avenue under the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway without delay.
Zheng was heading home from a night shift at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn and when she was struck by the driver of a 2014 Cadillac as she crossed the avenue at 55th Street. She suffered severe head and body trauma and was rushed to her workplace, where she was later pronounced dead.
In a joint statement on Sept. 1, State Senator Andrew Gounardes, State Assembly Member Marcela Mitaynes, and City Council Member Alexa Avilés urged the Department of Transportation to take immediate action to make the corridor safer.
For years, officials and Sunset Park residents have been raising the alarm about the unsafe road conditions of the two-mile stretch of Third Avenue under the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, calling for safety improvements to the dangerous thoroughfare, where 11 pedestrians and cyclists have been killed since 2014.
Just over a year ago, 23-year-old driver Juventino Anastacio Florentino blew through a red light, killing two pedestrians, 59-year-old Faqui Lin and 80-year-old Kex Un Chen, as they were crossing the intersection at 52nd Street and Third Avenue. In 2020, NYU Langone-Brooklyn nurse Clara Kang was killed in a collision with a motorcycle on Third Avenue and 56th Street — just a block from where Zheng was killed — while biking home from work.
The legislators pointed to the DOT’s proposed safety overhaul of the avenue in 2023, which was approved by Community Board 7.
However, in April 2025, under then-mayor Eric Adams, the DOT delayed the plan, which included safer pedestrian crossings, parking-protected bike lanes, a traffic-calming road diet, and additional infrastructure upgrades.
Gounardes at a 2025 rally demanding action on Third Avenue after two pedestrians were killed in a hit-and-run. File photo by Gabriele Holtermann
Gounardes, Mitaynes, and Avilés also highlighted that the original plan lacked “meaningful” improvements to the stretch of Third Avenue between 54th and 62nd streets where vehicular violence and complaints are most frequent.
“It is our understanding that the Adams administration put a hold on further exploring and fleshing out the concepts of a plan, and the community has been in limbo ever since. There has been no engagement from DOT with the community to explain the delay, or to propose other ideas so that our residents do not continue being mowed down by reckless cars speeding on unsafe roadways,” the statement reads, noting that while communication has now resumed under the Mamdani administration, this weekend’s tragedy underscored the urgency of DOT engaging with the community and taking immediate action.
“DOT must come back to the community with an actual plan, not concepts, as soon as possible. This plan must cover the areas between 65th Street through Prospect Avenue.”
They also invited DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn to join them on a walkthrough of the Third Avenue corridor so he can witness firsthand the danger the thoroughfare poses to pedestrians and cyclists, stating that each month the project was delayed posed a risk to the community members who live, work, and attend school in the area.
The pols said the human cost of further delaying the project is ‘unacceptable.’ File photo by Gabriele Holtermann
“The human cost of further delay is unacceptable,” the lawmakers stated. “We urge you and the department to re-engage with the community and commit to a road redesign and safety action plan that will keep pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists safe. We understand that the geometry of this road is challenging and that there are some jurisdictional concerns with the New York State DOT. However, Third Avenue is a major thoroughfare and we can no longer excuse inaction.”
When asked for comment, City Hall referred Brooklyn Paper to the $4 billion BQE rehabilitation plan Mayor Zohran Mamadani announced last week, which includes a traffic safety redesign of Third Avenue.
Zheng was the ninth person killed in a hit-and-run in August alone, and at least the third Brooklynite. Paulina Tec Choc was fatally struck while riding her bike in Cypress Hills on Aug. 18, and Mamadou Diallo was killed by a BMW driver in Flatlands just days later.
Locals urged DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn (left) to visit the avenue and see what conditions are like. File photo courtesy of NYC Mayor’s Office
“These tragic deaths underscore exactly why I support Vision Zero and any effort to prevent deadly crashes across our city. Whether you’re walking, biking, driving or riding public transit, you deserve to get where you’re going safely,” Mamdani said in a statement. “Traffic deaths are at historic lows, but one death is still one too many. No New Yorker should fear walking to school, biking to work or driving to visit a loved one, and we will keep doing everything we can to make our streets safer for everyone.”
DOT Spokesperson Vincent Barone told Brooklyn Paper the agency will share more information on a redesign in the coming months.
“This was a horrific tragedy and our thoughts are with Jiayi Zheng’s family and loved ones,” he said. “No loss of life is acceptable on our streets, and that is why the Mamdani Administration is committed to advancing a redesign of Brooklyn’s Third Avenue that will reflect the needs of the community and enhance safety for everyone.”