by Laura Ratliff

Canal Street, long a chaotic conveyor belt of cars, trucks and bargain-hunters, is finally getting a glow-up—and this time, it’s pedestrians who come first. The NYC Department of Transportation has unveiled a sweeping redesign that will transform the six-lane thoroughfare from West Street to the Bowery into something safer, saner and dare we say… strollable.

The centerpiece of the plan? “Super sidewalks.” These painted sidewalk extensions will run the length of entire blocks in Chinatown and Soho, creating breathing room where tourists, vendors and locals currently elbow for space. The DOT also plans full-block sidewalk expansions at 14 locations and high-visibility crosswalks at intersections that have long felt like Frogger IRL.

If you’re on two wheels, the makeover is just as sweet. A new two-way protected bike lane will stitch together the Hudson River Greenway, the Bowery and the Manhattan Bridge. It’ll finally offer cyclists a safe crosstown connection instead of forcing them to joust with delivery trucks on Grand Street.

Walker Street, the awkward slip lane funneling Holland Tunnel traffic into Chinatown, is getting the axe. In its place will be an expanded plaza anchored by the Chinatown Information Kiosk. Think more public space, fewer honking horns. Curb management is also getting smarter, with deliveries shifted onto nearby side streets and space carved out for designated loading zones and microhubs.

To read the entire article: https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/canal-street-is-getting-a-much-needed-pedestrian-makeover-with-super-sized-sidewalks-092225

Photo credit: m01229, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons