Photos by Stacie Joy
The Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that it has completed its redesign of Avenue B, including changes to traffic patterns, expanded pedestrian space and new cycling connections.
The project covers Avenue B from Fourth Street to 14th Street, with the most noticeable changes along the three blocks between Seventh and 10th Streets next to Tompkins Square Park.
As EVG reported in August, the work was part of the city's plan to create a bike boulevard along the existing Avenue B Open Street.
The redesign includes converting vehicle traffic to one-way northbound between Seventh and 10th streets while allowing cyclists to travel in both directions.
The DOT also redesigned intersections along the corridor, adding pedestrian curb extensions protected by planters, bike corrals, granite blocks and other barriers.
The changes are intended to shorten pedestrian crossings and improve visibility. New planters also line the Tompkins Square Park side of Avenue B...
Don't get too attached to the current greenery, though. According to Parks employees, the plants and flowers can't withstand the colder weather and will be removed in a few weeks. In their place: mini-Christmas trees.
The city has also added new loading zones at the beginning and end of each block to accommodate deliveries and reduce truck traffic.
According to DOT officials, the revised traffic patterns are intended to discourage through traffic while maintaining access for local vehicles, deliveries and emergency services.
The Avenue B Open Street hours remain unchanged, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn joined local officials and community representatives on Tuesday at Avenue B and Eighth Street to mark the project's completion.
The redesign builds on the Avenue B Open Street, which began during the pandemic and has since become a regular feature along the eastern edge of Tompkins Square Park.
Previously on EV Grieve:
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