14th Street busway will be a ‘template,’ says DOT commissioner

Are more busways on the horizon for NYC?

The 18-month busway pilot on 14th Street rolled out last week to commuters and transportation advocates singing its praises. A nearly car-free corridor cleared the way for speedy bus commutes and calmed the hectic thoroughfare, and has yet to inundate side streets with diverted traffic—as city transportation officials projected.

Now that, as Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg puts it, 14th Street “hasn’t turned into the apocalyptic hellscape that critics predicted,” Trottenberg hopes the busway pilot will “be a template for other parts of the city,” she said at Transportation Alternatives’ Vision Zero Cities conference on Thursday, Streetsblog reports.

“Where might we go next? Stay tuned,” Trottenberg said. “We’re thinking about that next.” Might we suggest Fulton Street in Brooklyn? Or how about the nightmare that is 42nd Street? The possibilities are endless.

Independent review of East Side Costal Resiliency project lands

After a month of review, Dutch environmental consulting group Deltares has crafted an independent report on the city’s East Side Costal Resiliency project. The 68-page document of recommendations and technical review was compiled at the behest of Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and City Council member Carlina Rivera after the de Blasio administration’s sudden overhaul of a $1.45 billion plan to reshape part of Manhattan’s east side with flood protections.

Among the reports findings are a greater need for transparency, a need for interim flood protection measures to defend the area from major storms during construction, and calls for the city to release the analysis underlying the project’s Final Environmental Impact Statement. The full report can be read here.

And in other news…

• Billionaire financier Ken Griffin, who bought the country’s most expensive home at 220 Central Park South in January, just dropped $4 million more on two new unit for “staff or guests.” What a world.
• New York developers are venturing farther from train and rail stations in search of untapped markets.
• Some Harlem residents fear that a rezoning plan could mean the end of an iconic apartment complex.
• An Opportunity Zone credit is boosting interest in a worn-down Port Morris factory building. Some worry the Bronx property may be an example of how the newly-launched program could accelerate gentrification.
• And finally, take a peek at the stunning views from the new 102nd-floor observation deck at the Empire State Building, which opens Saturday: