New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez recently released a request for proposal to redesign Park Avenue between East 46th and East 57th Streets in Midtown East, Manhattan. The plan aims to create a more pedestrian-friendly space by adding greenery, seating, concessions, and safer crossings.
The project will coincide with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s rehabilitation of the Grand Central Terminal Train Shed, which runs beneath Park Avenue. As the MTA completes its work, the city will restore Park Avenue with an expanded median featuring landscaping and seating. The Department of Transportation has released a request for proposals for a design team to develop concepts for the wider median, which will include cycling lanes and pedestrian walkways.
Park Avenue & East 46th Street, via Google Maps
Funding for the RFP has been provided through the East Midtown Governing Group, created as part of the 2017 Greater East Midtown Rezoning. The rezoning requires new office developments and the sale of development rights to contribute to public realm improvements.
The Park Avenue redesign is part of a larger effort to create a network of public spaces in Midtown, as recommended by the “New” New York Panel to rebuild the city’s economy. Other initiatives include the expansion of the Broadway Vision Plan, the launch of the Fifth Avenue redesign, and the opening of Plaza33 at Penn Station.
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Why reimagine it? Just find the old blueprints and restore the original design. Start tomorrow.
If we do that then how will the ongoing consultant grift continue? I honestly believe the City of New York props up the entire “streetscape consultant” industry with all these dumb RFPs.
lmaooo dude what? Which original design? 1900, 1914? anything before 1923? In what world are we getting old blueprints of things 100 years ago and building? As far as I can tell the original malls were bare of anything, just a cap over the railroad. They added walking paths in the middle, which were very basic and did not last long. Real work needs to go into infrastructure design and then there’s landscaping. It takes so much work, time, money and community input.
Huh?
All they need to do is rebuild what was once there c.1920. Do you seriously not think original design documents aren’t in existence? You’d be surprised.
“Real work needs to go into infrastructure design and then there’s landscaping.”
How are you saying anything profound here, and how is it different than what I said?
“It takes so much work, time, money and community input.”
No sh*t. Also, enough “community input”. What are they going to suggest that the city shouldn’t already know they should do? All these ridiculous endless community meetings do is drag a project timeline out by years unnecessarily. City of NY, grow a spine and just build sh*t instead of making everything up for debate for the love of god.
Wendell Cox?
wrong thread
We are almost at the centennial of when Park Ave. lost much of its “park” and the serpentine pedestrian walkway in 1927. With far less traffic in earlier times, lingering on benches there would have been far more pleasant than today.
I was thinking “Seating? Who wants to sit there? Amidst the loud traffic and buses? Yeah. Charming.”
A bike lane would be great though. Fifth is a nightmare and you gotta go all the way to 1st and 2nd to travel north and south on the east side.
The idea is a good one. This will help humanize the space, hopefully.
Stop this anti car proposal for Park Avenue.
NY is a great city because of its free flow of ideas and free flow of people. One of the great innovations is the personal use of the automobile and its impact on distribution of goods and people. Look at Brooklyn downtown — its auto traffic flow is completely stifled and so is the economic activity.
Look at La Defense in Paris, completely dead compared to Paris proper.
NYC needs to get back to a robust creative city for growth and entrepreneurship and to do that it needs robust flow of people movement including the flexible movement by automobile for people and goods. People need choice freedom of choice to create.
You’ve left me speechless. Are you seriously suggesting that Park Av will grind to a halt by taking away a single lane in each direction and thus destroy it’s economic vitality? Are you Joel Kotkin?
Wendell Cox?
Richard, 200% agree with your comment, Sir.
Downtown Brooklyn is one of the healthiest retail corridors in all of New York City. Deprioritizing autos hasn’t hurt the area a bit.
I hope your commute goes up half an hour each way.
Simply a great idea. My only question is what are you gonna do with all the cars and continually clog those roads? Not going to go away.
Actually they will. We need to reverse induced demand and removed lanes. Removing lanes removed traffic
I have never seen a ton of traffic on Park Avenue, especially compared to any other nearby avenue. Traffic levels increases a bit near GC as drives cut-over to use the bypass, but a single lane in each direction plus turning lanes could easily handle the current traffic level.
Park Avenue never seems to get the type of traffic as farther west. Work from home has also cut back on traffic. I work on 6th Ave and they removed a traffic lane during the pandemic to add a protected bike lane. Traffic is no worse than before, but the bike lane gets a huge amount of traffic now with food deliveries for the lazy.
Love your final comment… “…food deliveries for the lazy”. So true. Why live in a major metropolis if you’re not going take advantage of the fact that you can walk out the door to a wide range of dining options.
They have to rip up the entire platform as part of the train shed project. They are effectively asking “what is the best way to put it back in the year 2024” (or whenever).
Those opposed to this said the same thing about the Traffic Circle that was installed at Columbus Circle. “It will be a Bottleneck !”, “It will bring traffic to a standstill !!”. If anything, the Traffic Circle has brought a calming presence to Columbus Circle. If vehicles are encouraged off Park Avenue, pedestrians, trees and plantings will all benefit. Not to fear — there’s more to come.
Why can’t they do this all the way up Park Avenue. I want to bike but I don’t bike because it is so dangerous. We need protected bike lanes!
I’m sure that’s on the longer-term menu.
My ultimate dream would be to see a steel structure built above the tracks on the Park Ave viaduct and have a linear High Line style park/promenade/bikeway all the way to the Harlem River continuing from the Park Av median ending at 97 St.
The car haters are at it again, I bet. Less car lanes, dedicated bike lanes with barriers. Each time a delivery takes place, which is very often in NYC, or a moving truck is being used, there’s only one car lane left for all drivers. The honking capital of America.
I am going to ram you off the road with a garbage truck.