[EVG photo from September]
There is improved pedestrian access now on the south side of 14th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue, the main construction zone leading up to, and during, the L-train rehab.
As the above photo from September shows, access to the five businesses west of Avenue A was limited to two feet-plus of unappealing sidewalk space that came to a dead end outside the Domino's Pizza outpost.
Meanwhile, most of the pedestrian traffic was diverted to the temporary sidewalk passage set up between the active construction site for creating entrances and exits for the L train at Avenue A and the two lanes of 14th Street.
[EVG photo from June]
The past week, however, the sidewalk situation was reconfigured on the south side of 14th Street... where pedestrians can now walk along the storefronts and away from traffic...
The sidewalk is now a little wider ...
... and you can still walk on it to First Avenue and beyond...
A positive step, though it may be too late — five businesses have already closed between Avenue A and First Avenue... while other retailers and restaurants report a decrease in revenue.
Per an article from The Villager on Nov. 15:
The employees at the Red Apple Barbershop, west of the string of shuttered shops, fear the 10-year-old shop could be next.
“Most of the foot traffic is on the road,” said Michael Vostok, the shop’s manager. The street pattern for construction sends passersby into a pathway in the streets and makes it difficult for Stuyvesant Town residents — critical clientele for the retailers — to both see and reach the shop.
The work here on this part of 14th Street started in July 2017 ahead of the L-train closure between Bedford Avenue and Eighth Avenue that starts on April 27, 2019.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Nightmare scenario for residents who learn that 14th Street and Avenue A will be the main staging area for the L-train reconstruction
Renderings reveal the MTA's plans for the Avenue A L station; why does everyone look so happy?
A look at the new L-train renderings along 14th Street