The maddening rush around Penn Station may ease up just a little bit now that the city’s Department of Transportation has introduced plans to widen sidewalks on Seventh Avenue between 34th and 42nd Streets, StreetsBlog NYC reports.
The agency presented the plan to Manhattan Community Board 5 Tuesday night, and the latter backed the DOT’s efforts. In addition to the measures on Seventh Avenue, DOT is also planning to introduce car-free zones on Broadway between 36th and 37th Streets and between 39th and 40th Streets, as part of a summer trial effort.
On Seventh Avenue, the agency is proposing sidewalk extensions and bus boarding islands like so:
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As for Broadway, the areas under consideration will get food vendors, temporary furniture, and planters, all part of a partnership with the Garment District Alliance. The latter initially wanted five car-free blocks, but a lack of funding prevented that effort from moving forward for now.
Tuesday night’s approval was only granted by the community board’s transportation committee. The full board will vote on the matter on June 8, after which the DOT will be able to move forward with its plans. Penn Station has been facing its own nightmares as of late, but some improvements above ground will at least work towards reducing some of the congestion in the area.