NYC unveils plan to transform iconic Fifth Avenue by expanding sidewalks

By Jesse Zanger

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    NEW YORK (WCBS, WLNY) — Big changes are coming to New York City’s iconic Fifth Avenue.

The city plans to transform the stretch between Bryant Park at 42nd Street and Central Park at 59th Street into a “pedestrian-centered boulevard.”

The vision includes widening sidewalks, and cutting traffic lanes from from five to three. Crosswalks would also be shortened, and more greenspace would be added.

Mayor Eric Adams and the Future of Fifth Partnership unveiled new renderings of what the revised streets would look like.

The amount of sidewalk space would increase nearly 50%. The city says the project will pay for itself through property and sales taxes in the area.

“New Yorkers deserve an iconic boulevard that will rival the rest of the world — and together with the Future of Fifth Partnership, we’re going to deliver just that,” Adams said. “This is a huge win for New York City.”

Adams said some 23,000 people use Fifth Avenue sidewalks per hour during the holiday season, “cramming like sardines into constrained sidewalks. That makes no sense.”

“People across the globe identify Fifth Avenue as a premier destination for strolling and shopping. But its larger-than-life reputation means that its sidewalks have reached their capacity, hosting more people per hour in peak seasons than Madison Square Garden,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi.

“Reversing the century-old trend of putting cars first, this visionary design will transform our overcrowded avenue into a spacious and green corridor for shoppers and workers, visitors and New Yorkers, and everyone on Fifth,” said Madelyn Wils of the Fifth Avenue Association.

The design, study and schematic design of the plan is set to be complete by next summer.

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