Draft:Austin Street
A commercial street/thorough fare in Forest Hills, Queens
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Austin Street is a street in Queens that runs from Eliot Avenue in Rego Park to 127th Street in Kew Gardens. The commercial heart of Forest Hills is located on Austin Street, in the three-quarters of a mile stretch from Yellowstone Boulevard and Ascan Avenue.[1]
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|
 A corridor of commercial located on Austin Street, Forest Hills | |
| Owner | City of New York |
|---|---|
| Maintained by | NYCDOT |
| Location | Rego Park - Kew Gardens, Queens, New York |
| West end | Eliot Avenue in Rego Park |
| Major junctions | 63rd Drive in Rego Park
Yellowstone Boulevard in Forest Hills |
| East end | 127th Street in Kew Gardens |
Route description
Austin Street parallels the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) tracks for much of its length and passes through Forest Hills, where the commercial corridor between Yellowstone Boulevard and Ascan Avenue serves as the neighborhood’s shopping and cultural heart.
Austin Street begins at Eliot Avenue, near a junction with Woodhaven Boulevard, heading east-southeast. Major intersections along the street include 63rd Drive in Rego Park, Yellowstone Boulevard, 71st/Continental Avenue near the Forest Hills LIRR station[2], and Ascan Avenue, in Forest Hills.
East of Ascan Avenue, Austin Street continues southeast toward Kew Gardens. Austin Street underpasses Union Turnpike, where it briefly splits into multiple lanes, then Lefferts Boulevard near the Kew Gardens LIRR Station[3], before ending at 127th Street near Metropolitan Avenue.
History
1900s-1920s: Residential development
The first part of Austin Street, from Whitepot Road (now Yellowstone Boulevard) to Union Avenue (now Union Turnpike),[4] was built c. 1906-1907.[5][6] In 1907, a grocery and butcher shop opened on Austin Street.[6]
By the late 1920s, settlers from nearby towns had moved in and residential buildings were built on Austin Street.[7] Around 1930, Austin Street was expanded east towards Kew Gardens, and Kew Forest School was built on the corner of Austin Street and Kew Forest Lane.[8]
1930s-1960s: New subway and commercial corridor
In 1936,[9] the IND Queens Boulevard Line was extended to Forest Hills at 71st (Continental) Avenue. The new subway allowed for major development and led commercial expansion. By the 1940s, most of the street's houses in the stretch from Yellowstone Boulevard to Ascan Avenue were torn down and replaced with commercial.[10][11]
By the late 50s and 60s, Austin Street had become home to the main commercial corridor of Forest Hills. Plenty of shops stood right where residential buildings were years prior.[10][11]
1970s-2000s: Commercial expansion and cultural change
In the 1970s, the traditional four-block corridor from 70th Road to Ascan Avenue started expanding west towards Yellowstone Boulevard.[12] A new wave of residents came into Forest Hills from several different countries, allowing for new culture and cuisine in shops and restaurants.[11]
By 1998, the commercial strip was being compared to Madison Avenue given how busy it was.[1] In the early 2000s, the commercial corridor was still expanding, with new stores moving in every now and then.[13]
2010s-now: Parking and pedestrian safety concerns
By the 2010s, the Austin Street commercial area had grown so much that there were concerns about pedestrian safety.[14][15] NYCDOT announced that the intersection of Yellowstone Boulevard and Austin Street would be getting a make-over in 2017 due to the 16 accidents that occurred between the four years of 2010 and 2014.[16]
By 2018, the commercial industry had grown so much that there was nowhere to park during rush hour, and pedestrian conditions were very unsafe. NYPD Open Data reported 71 crashes on Austin Street between Yellowstone Boulevard and Ascan Avenue from January 2018 to November 2022, while Crash Mapper reported 356 crashes.[17][18]
NYCDOT surveyed the public and business owners on how they felt about Austin Street. The DOT then announced that they were going to change parking areas and added several crosswalks throughout Austin Street on April 11th, 2018. They implemented the changes sometime in Spring 2018.[15]
Several community members signed a petition to make Austin Street more pedestrian-friendly. Pedro Rodriguez, who moved from Astoria to Forest Hills in 2019, created the petition to pedestrianize Austin Street. As of March 2, 2023, the petition had 277 handwritten signatures and 390 digital signatures.[17]
Transportation
Austin Street serves several bus, subway, and train lines.
It is served by the following subway lines: The E, F, <F>, M, and R (IND Queens Boulevard Line) at 71st Avenue and Queens Boulevard. Though it may not directly run on Austin Street, it is within one block of the street.[2][19]
It is also served by the following bus routes: Q10, Q37, Q38, Q80, QM18.[19][20] Services for the Q23, QM12, and QM42 were discontinued in the Queens bus network redesign June 29, 2025 for the Q23 and June 30, 2025 for the QM buses respectively to remove congestion from Austin Street.[21][22][23]
Austin Street is also served by the Forest Hills LIRR Station.[2]
Notable events
The Forest Hills Festival takes place on Austin Street, every year on June 11th from 10AM to 6PM. Diverse foods and high-quality merchandise is sold between 69th and 72nd Roads.[24]