Third Avenue Redesign Plan Revealed

A New York City street that some call “an inhospitable and dangerous traffic sewer” will soon be reimagined as a multimodal corridor, per a Streetsblog NYC article by Julianne Cuba.

After months of advocacy from local pols and activists — and a shiny spread in New York Magazine showcasing what a reimagined current seven-lane Third Avenue could be — the Department of Transportation on Wednesday night unveiled its plans to a Manhattan Community Board 8 panel to take away two lanes of moving traffic in order to make room for a protected bike lane and designated bus lane on the corridor between E. 59th and E. 96th streets.

According to Cuba, “The plan, which also includes taking away parking spaces near intersections to allow for pedestrian islands and shorter crossing times, will not only help cyclists, but also pedestrians and the more than 50,000 bus riders daily, who currently suffer from exhaustingly slow commutes on the more than 150 buses that traverse the thoroughfare.”

While approving of the new changes, some advocates want the city to install additional protective bike infrastructure and wider sidewalks, with the article indicating that “it’s well documented that the existing protected bike lanes on First and Second avenues are already overcrowded and in need of widening.”

Cuba notes that the project is expected to break ground next year, and plans for the rest of Third Avenue are yet to be finalized.