MAYOR ADAMS, DOT COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ KICK OFF NEW PHASE OF “BROADWAY VISION” PLAN TO CREATE NEW PUBLIC SPACES, ENHANCE STREET SAFETY FROM MADISON SQUARE TO HERALD SQUARE

 

Work Beginning This Week Will Create Two New Plazas, Shared Streets, and Two-Way Bike Lane on Broadway Between West 25^th Street and West 32^nd Street

 

Project Delivers on Commitments in Mayor Adams’ State of the City Address and “Making New York Work for Everyone” Action Plan

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez today kicked off construction on a new phase of the administration’s “Broadway Vision” plan, which will create new public spaces and make streets safer between Madison Square and Herald Square in Manhattan. This phase of the plan will deliver two new plazas, shared streets, and a two-way bike lane on Broadway from West 25^th Street to West 32^nd Street. The subsequent phase will deliver permanent capital improvements along Broadway from West 21^st Street to West 33^rd Street.

 

The work beginning this week marks a new phase in the Adams administration’s comprehensive Broadway Vision plan to create safe, vibrant public spaces along Broadway from Union Square to Columbus Circle. This phase of the project delivers on a portion of the $375 million commitment to create new public spaces from Mayor Adams’ State of the City address less than two months ago and follows an initiative in Mayor Adams and New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s “New New York” action plan.

 

“Two years ago, the pandemic devastated Midtown and our business districts, but it gave us the opportunity to reimagine our public spaces,” said Mayor Adams. “Beginning this week, our Broadway Vision will come to life with vibrant, new public spaces and safer streets from Madison Square to Herald Square. Midtown is back, and New York City is back.”

 

“Broadway Vision is one of the most significant public space transformations in the heart of Manhattan. It will improve quality of life and traffic safety, while boosting foot traffic, which is key to our city’s economic recovery,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. “I thank the creative and hardworking team at DOT for turning this ‘vision’ into a concrete reality.”

 

“I am excited that work is getting underway to give more space along this iconic corridor to pedestrians and cyclists,” said DOT Commissioner Rodriguez. “Through our Broadway Vision plan, DOT is creating a people-first Broadway, connecting from Union Square to Columbus Circle, and we look forward to redesigning the next section between Madison Square and Herald Square. This effort will not only further reduce reliance on vehicles and support safe, sustainable transportation, but will also improve our quality of life, bolster our economy, and protect our environment.”

Map of work beginning this week from Madison Square to Herald Square. Credit: New York City Department of Transportation

 

Rendering of Greeley Square after capital construction work is completed. Credit: “New” New York Panel

 Once repaved, the street will include several traffic-calming treatments and public space enhancements, including:

• Plazas between 25^th Street and 26^th Street and between 26^th Street and 27^th Street;
• Curb extensions and narrower turns to calm traffic;
• Shortened crossings and wider crosswalks to enhance pedestrian safety;
• Two-way bike boulevard treatments, along with related signage and signals;
• Reconfigured curb lanes to facilitate loading and pickups/drop offs; and
• Additional public space and cycling amenities like seating, planters, new Citi Bike docks, and additional bike parking.

 In partnership with the Flatiron NoMad Partnership, the city will permit outdoor dining at restaurants in the plaza areas between 25^th Street and 27^th Street.

 Milling and paving work will take place over the coming several months with markings, signage installation, and signal work, as well as the addition of planters and street furniture. The project is expected to be completed this summer, with capital improvements to follow. Emergency access will be maintained throughout the corridor during the entire duration of the project and after it is completed.

 “Public spaces are vital to New Yorkers’ quality of life and our city’s economic vitality, and the Broadway Vision plan is another key element of the public realm strategy called for in the ‘New’ New York plan,” said New York City Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Andrew Kimball. “Broadway Vision will catalyze the effort to revitalize Midtown as a thriving live, work, and play district, and I look forward to working with the mayor, the Department of Transportation, and the community to make this vision a reality.”

 “‘Making New York Work for Everyone’ recommended creating a world-class network of public space in Midtown, as part of reimagining New York City’s business districts as vibrant, 24/7 live-work-play destinations,” said “New” New York Panel Executive Director Julie Stein. “The dramatic improvements of the Broadway Vision plan will transform this critical corridor into a grand promenade connecting Madison Square to Herald Square. It will help make the district more attractive as a residential neighborhood, safer and more inviting for commuters, and more functional for workers who highly value open area spaces in their office neighborhoods.”