Pedestrian-Friendly 'Shared Streets' Coming To Midtown East

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — For several hours Friday, a one-block stretch of East 43rd Street in Midtown Manhattan was turned into a pedestrian oasis. Area workers ate lunch on the sidewalks, the sound of a jazz trio filled the air and passersby stopped to play games of oversized Jenga and Connect 4.

But most importantly: Nobody had to be worried about getting hit by a car.

East 43rd Street between Lexington and Third Avenues was shut down to vehicle traffic Friday to give area residents and workers a "flavor for what's to come" when the recently-passed East Midtown rezoning plan takes full effect, Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen said during a press conference. Glen was joined by city Department of Transportation officials, City Councilman Daniel Garodnick and developer Rob Speyer, who all committed to area pedestrian safety improvements as part of the rezoning.

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While much of the focus of the East Midtown rezoning plan was upgrading the neighborhood's aging office building stock, nearly $1 billion will be invested into public improvements above and below the ground, City Councilman Garodnick said Friday.

"We want to play on our strengths, which include being right next to our most important transit hub in Grand Central," Garodnick said. "And we want the pedestrian experience to be as significant as the class A office building experience, that is why we wanted to have a grand entranceway to Grand Central."

East 43rd Street between Lexington and Third avenues is expected to become a completed "shared street," — pedestrian focused with no or minimal vehicle traffic — by the end of 2018. Temporary work to extend the sidewalks, install plantings and make room for tables and chairs will begin in spring 2018, according to a Department of Transportation press release.

Eventually, pedestrian-dominated streets will surround the entirety of Grand Central. The One Vanderbilt development on the west side of the terminal will feature a large public plaza and plazas will be built on the north and south ends of Pershing Square, officials said Friday.

"Our newest Shared Street, steps away from Grand Central Station, will be an amazing public space in the heart of one of the densest parts of New York City," DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said in a statement. "In a part of Midtown where pedestrians can outnumber cars by as much as 16 to 1, we will strike a better balance."

Photos by Patch