Mayor Eric Adams on Sunday announced a new vision for Fifth Avenue that caters to pedestrians.
Seventeen blocks along Fifth Avenue — from Bryant Park at 42nd Street to Central Park at 59th Street — will be recreated to be a “safer, less congested, pedestrian-centered boulevard that also prioritizes cyclists, mass transit, and the public realm,” the mayor said in a news release.
The city will look into early action improvements in 2023, with other parts of the vision plan to be finished within two years.
“Fifth Avenue is an iconic corridor and an engine of our Midtown economy. But it is also an unmissable opportunity to show the city and the country how world-class public space can help create vibrant central business districts,” Adams said in a statement.
This morning, I experienced the vibrancy of Midtown Manhattan and the possibilities we have to create a “New” New York City.
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) December 18, 2022
We are reinventing Fifth Avenue as a pedestrian boulevard and world-class public space for New Yorkers and visitors alike. pic.twitter.com/SC3gvOPQgm
Adams announced in November that eleven blocks from Fifth Avenue — from West 48th to West 57th streets — would be closed off to traffic for three Sundays in December.
Adams said his key goals for Fifth Avenue are:
To transform the avenue between Bryant Park and Central Park into an innovative pedestrian-focused space, which would include an expanded green space, new tree plantings and enhanced lighting.
To prioritize feasible ways of transportation, including speeding up bus travel.
To significantly increase pedestrian space throughout the avenue, such as expanding sidewalks and prioritizing accessibility and pedestrian mobility.