Administration Working With Local Partners to Immediately Expand Open Streets Program, Protect Pedestrians
Proposed Reimagination and Redesign Will Go to Community for Review, Would Prioritize Pedestrians, Create More Shared Space, Calm Traffic Between West 25th and 32nd Streets
City Moving Forward With Reimagining of Broadway to Prioritize Safety, Reclaim Public Space for Pedestrians Between Union Square and Columbus Circle
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez today unveiled a two-pronged street safety strategy with immediate measures to expand pedestrian space and a proposal to reimagine and redesign Broadway between West 25th and 32nd Streets. The proposal seeks to prioritize pedestrians, create more shared public space, and calm traffic on Broadway between West 25th and West 32nd Streets. Public engagement on the redesign proposal will begin this evening with a Manhattan Community Board 5 Transportation and Environment Committee meeting, which DOT and the community board jointly agreed to hold earlier than originally scheduled to address this urgent issue. The new steps are part of the city’s “Broadway Vision” plan to reclaim public street space for pedestrians in much of the corridor between Union Square and Columbus Circle.
“There is no more iconic street in this city than Broadway — both our small and large businesses sit on it, our tourism and entertainment hubs move through it, and millions of pedestrians walk on it every day, so I completely reject the idea that people will inevitably be injured or killed by vehicles on this very street,” said Mayor Adams. “Traffic violence is preventable, and I will do everything in my power to prevent another crash when we already have the tools in our toolbox to prevent it. I want to thank our partners in the community who are helping to craft and execute this plan; we look forward to working with them and others on other similar projects in the future.”
A pop-up plaza on Broadway between 25th and 27th Street. Credit: Flatiron NoMad Partnership
“The ‘Broadway Vision’ proposal is a great reimagining of some of our busiest corridors to make them more livable,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. “Thanks to DOT, we can create public spaces that support a wide variety of mobility and are safer, cleaner, and more vibrant for all.”
“Reclaiming space from vehicles on Broadway will allow us to create welcoming plazas and promote safe, efficient transportation options that link together some of the most beloved parks in the heart of Manhattan,” said DOT Commissioner Rodriguez. “We are thrilled to begin outreach on this next section of our ‘Broadway Vision’ plan, and we remain committed to delivering these transformative redesigns throughout the entire corridor between Union Square and Columbus Circle.”
In the near term, DOT is working with the Flatiron NoMad Partnership to extend the current Open Street at this location two blocks north by the end of June. The Open Street currently spans Broadway from 25th Street to 27th Street and will expand to include the area up to 29th Street.
DOT will also begin public engagement this evening with the Community Board 5 committee meeting on the next phase of “Broadway Vision,” which focuses on the span from 25th Street to 32nd Street, Madison Square to Herald Square. The proposal for this span would add new pedestrian space and loading zones, while formalizing two-way cycling. Among the proposed changes is a plan to convert Broadway between 28th Street and 29th Street into a shared street to calm traffic and add new pedestrian space protected by physical additions like planters and granite blocks.
Phase one of the proposal would reimagine Broadway from 25th Street to 29th Street as follows:
- Broadway from 25th Street to 26th Street would become a plaza block with additional public space, a two-way bike connection, and support for outdoor dining.
- Broadway from 26th Street to 27th Street would become a plaza block with additional public space, a two-way bike connection, and support for outdoor dining.
- Broadway from 27th Street to 28th Street would become a shared block with additional public space, shortened pedestrian crossings, a two-way bike connection, and curb access for loading.
- Broadway from 28th Street to 29th Street would become a shared block with additional public space, shortened pedestrian crossings, other traffic calming measures, a two-way bike connection, and curb access for loading.
DOT’s public engagement will include presentations of the proposal to Community Board 5, as well as public surveys along the corridor on Friday, June 24 and Tuesday, June 28. Meetings with the community board will start immediately, with additional meetings to be scheduled for the summer.
“Broadway Vision” is the city’s blueprint to prioritize pedestrians and cyclists across more than 40 city blocks along Broadway — improving traffic safety, accessibility, and quality of life. The vision deploys a mix of pedestrianized streets and car-light designs to completely prohibit — or dramatically reduce the presence of — personal vehicles. The blueprint promotes safe designs and behavior to maintain access for local delivery drivers while dramatically reducing speeds on blocks accessible to vehicles for local deliveries.
Working in close collaboration with neighboring business improvement districts (BIDs), DOT has already successfully transformed sections of Broadway — including between 21st Street and 23rd Street in Flatiron, 38th Street to 40th Street in the Garment District, and 48th Street to 50th Street in Times Square.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
It is nice to know that things like this can be done in less than one week in Manhattan, but in the outer boroughs it can take years. Good going Mayor Adams to bad most of us don't live in Manhattan, and are still too afraid to ride your subways.
