UWS Adds Another 'Open Street' Section To Help Restaurants

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — An additional block of the Upper West Side will get traffic-free outdoor dining as part of the city's plan to help restaurants serve more customers while restrictions remain in place on indoor dining.

The new Upper West Side Open Street will be on Amsterdam Avenue from West 110th to West 111th Streets. It is an extension of the Open Street section that already exists from West 97th to West 110th Streets on Amsterdam.

However, the two sections are blocked off to vehicle traffic for slightly different hours during the weekends.

The new one-block Open Street section hours are 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays, and 12 p.m. to 11 pm. on Saturdays and Sundays. The longer stretch of Open Streets on Amsterdam Avenue is blocked off from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

The new Open Street on Amsterdam Avenue was added in partnership with the West 111th Street Block Association.

“Outdoor dining has kept New Yorkers safe and healthy and supported the restaurants that keep our city vibrant. And the Open Streets: Restaurants program has reimagined our urban landscape and drawn on our greatest resources: creativity and resilience,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio, in a news release. “I’m proud to offer even more options for New Yorkers to enjoy a meal outdoors, and I look forward to expanding the program further.”

Open Streets allow no vehicle traffic through the area, and restaurants can set up extended outdoor dining in the streets and serve more customers.