MAYOR ADAMS, DOT COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ OPEN LATEST PHASE OF “BROADWAY VISION,” CREATING IMPROVED PUBLIC SPACES AND STREET SAFETY FROM MADISON SQUARE TO HERALD SQUARE

 

Work Completed This Week Adds Two New Plazas, Shared Streets, and Two-Way Bike Connections Along Broadway, From West 25^th Street to West 32^nd Street

 

Next Phase of Broadway Vision Will Deliver Permanent Capital Improvements, From West 21^st Street to West 33^rd Street

 

Project Delivers on Commitments in Mayor Adams’ “Working People’s Agenda” and “New” New York Action Plan

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez celebrated the completion of a new phase of the Adams administration’s “Broadway Vision” plan, which has created vibrant, new public spaces and improved street safety between Madison Square and Herald Square in Manhattan. Kicked off in March, this phase of the plan delivered two new plazas, two new blocks of shared streets, and a two-way bike connection along Broadway, from West 25^th Street to West 32^nd Street.

 

“We are delivering major improvements along seven blocks of Broadway, reclaiming space for people to enjoy, and showing the world that New York City is back,” said Mayor Adams. “People have talked about this project for years, and our administration got this work done in a few short months — ready for New Yorkers to enjoy this summer. And we are moving forward with even more permanent improvements to make an even larger stretch of this iconic street available to the public going forward. That’s what we call promises made, promises kept.”

 

“In a mere three months, DOT delivered a transformative project — enhancing pedestrian and cyclist access, while driving foot traffic to support local businesses,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. “The Broadway Vision project exemplifies the Adams administration’s dedication to building new public spaces as quickly as possible to create a more vibrant and people-centered city.”

 

“This is what reimagining public space looks like,” said DOT Commissioner Rodriguez. “What was once a multi-lane roadway is now a bustling, vibrant corridor of plazas and shared streets, where crowds of New Yorkers and visitors are dining out, enjoying this iconic corridor by foot or by bike. We thank Mayor Adams for his vision and support and look forward to seeing this beautiful public space improved on even further with permanent materials.”

The view north from West 25^th Street and Broadway after public space and street safety improvements under the Adams administration’s Broadway Vision plan. Credit: New York City Department of Transportation

  

The view north from West 25^th Street and Broadway before public space and street safety improvements under the Adams administration’s Broadway Vision plan. Credit: New York City Department of Transportation

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

 

This completed section of Broadway is the latest piece of the Adams administration’s comprehensive Broadway Vision plan to create safe, vibrant public spaces along Broadway, from Union Square to Columbus Circle. The stretch of Broadway now includes several traffic-calming treatments and public space enhancements:

• Plazas between West 25^th Street and West 26^th Street and between West 26^th Street and West 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, increased Citi Bike capacity, and additional bike parking.

 

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

 

With the completion today of the redesign — done within months using in-house resources — DOT is continuing to develop a plan for permanent capital improvements from West 21^st Street to West 33^rd Street.

 

The completion of this project marks 15 blocks along Broadway that have been transformed into plazas or shared/slow streets through the Broadway Vision plan — creating 111,200 new square feet of pedestrian space between Union Square and Columbus Circle, as well as 49,400 square feet of new shared space. Shared streets — also known as “pedestrian-priority” streets — are roadways designed for slow travel speeds where pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists all share the right of way. Typically used on low vehicle-volume or high pedestrian-volume streets, vehicles are advised to drive five miles per hour.

 

The completed project also delivers on a key commitment in Mayor Adams’ “Working People’s Agenda,” which included a $375 million investment to create extraordinary new public spaces across the city. The administration has marked milestones in other major public space projects through that investment this year, including Broadway Junction in Brooklyn and the Arches in Lower Manhattan. This phase of Broadway Vision also builds on “Making New York Work for Everyone,” the action plan put together by the “New” New York panel that Mayor Adams and New York Governor Kathy Hochul convened in 2022.