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After deadly Chinatown crash, NYC makes long-sought safety upgrades on Canal Street
By
Liam Quigley
Published Aug 7, 2025
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Liam Quigley / Gothamist
By
Liam Quigley
Published Aug 7, 2025
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City transportation officials are fast-tracking street redesigns to a dangerous intersection in Manhattan’s Chinatown where two people were killed by a speeding driver last month.
Prosecutors charged Autumn Romero with vehicular homicide in the two deaths. Cops say she barreled off the Manhattan Bridge on July 19 and smashed into a bicyclist and pedestrian, killing them both. Romero was allegedly drunk and speeding at 109 miles per hour before she lost control of her Chevy Malibu, according to police officials.
The city transportation department will install new physical barriers in the coming weeks to protect pedestrians from runaway drivers at Bowery and Canal Street, officials said.
The transportation department also announced it’s starting a process to lower the speed limit for drivers coming off the bridge into Manhattan from 35 mph to 20 mph. The agency also plans to narrow some Manhattan-bound lanes on the bridge to further discourage speeding.
“As we mourn the loss of the victims of this horrific crash, we are taking immediate steps to fortify this intersection while developing a long-term safety redesign for the entire Canal Street corridor,” Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said.
On Thursday, police officers were parked near the spot where Romero crashed last month, pointing a radar gun at vehicles flowing off the Manhattan Bridge.
Seven people have been killed in crashes on Canal Street between the West Side Highway and Manhattan Bridge exit since 2011, according to city data.
Ben Furnas, executive director of the street safety advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, welcomed the announcement, but said more should be done to prevent deadly crashes in the area.
“Canal Street is only as safe as its most dangerous block, and even after these changes, the vast majority of the corridor will remain deadly,” Furnas said in a statement.
The transportation department was already planning to hold community feedback sessions about redesigns to Canal Street in the fall. Rodriguez said they’re being moved up to later this month as a result of the crash.
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manhattan
new york city
public safety
transportation
Liam Quigley
Liam Quigley is a reporter covering parks & sanitation for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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