New pedestrian plazas are heralded for busy stretch of Broadway
The city is taking steps to make a busy stretch of Broadway more pedestrian friendly, Mayor Adams announced Sunday.
Construction on two “pedestrian plazas” and other changes to Broadway from Madison Square to Herald Square begins Monday, he said.
It’s the latest stage in the mayor’s $375 million plan to make city streets safer.
“Reclaiming space for people to enjoy the greatest city in the world — you really appreciate this city when you’re able to walk through it, ride through it, skateboard through it and really engage in all that the city has to offer,” Adams said at a Sunday press conference.
One pedestrian plaza will run a block up from W. 25th St. and the other will span a block starting at W. 26th St. That means no cars along those stretches of Broadway, though they’ll still be able to traverse W. 26th St. Greenery and other beautification steps are also in the works.
Broadway from W. 27th St. to W. 32nd St. will still be open to cars, but they’ll have to make room for bike traffic in two directions under Adams’ plan.
The mayor pointed to a tragic June accident, in which a taxi driver hit a cyclist and pedestrians on Broadway at W. 29th St., as a reason to change the streets.
“The accident was a major, major reason that we knew that it was time to really continue to push forward on this issue,” Adams said.
He plans to keep the effort going on Broadway up to Columbus Circle and in the outer boroughs. Previous mayors launched similar projects, Adams noted.
“We’re going to expand this throughout the entire city,” he said.
Under the city’s existing “open streets” program, Broadway from W. 21st to W. 23rd Sts. and from W. 25th to W. 28th Sts. is already closed to vehicles for part of the day.
Adams said he wants to build on that to bring more outdoor dining, a program launched during the pandemic, to the new pedestrian-friendly zones. He recently appointed a “public spaces czar” to oversee efforts to help make outdoor dining permanent.
The city has already made changes to Broadway under the mayor’s “Broadway Vision” plan. Those include a number of blocks with extra space for bikes and several new plazas.
People should think about ditching cars as the city attempts to make Broadway and other busy streets more pedestrian-friendly, Adams said.
“I am encouraging people to get out of their cars,” he said. “Let’s get on our bikes, let’s walk, let’s skateboard. I’m hoping that people realize that vehicles are not the only way to get around.”
Painting and similar changes to Broadway from W. 25th to W. 32nd Sts. is expected to be completed around the summer.
There’s not yet an end date set for the heavier-duty work, like laying concrete for the pedestrian plazas.