May 4, 2017
What’s Happening on Broadway
If you’ve been anywhere along the west side of Madison Square Park recently, you’ve noticed that there’s been quite a bit of deconstruction and road work going on.
THE PLAN:
The Department of Transportation (DOT) is aiming to make pedestrian circulation in the area safer and clearer, while maintaining vehicular access. Plans have been reviewed with the Madison Square Park Conservancy (MSPC) and the Flatiron BID, and the area involved includes Worth Square, the Flatiron North Public Plaza and the ‘Pork Chop’ area; the string of plazas running up Broadway just above the Flatiron building.
WHAT’S HAPPENING:
The entire roadbed of Broadway and 5th from 23rd-25th Streets is being temporarily repaved with new striping and gravel to give it a fresh look. This is requiring overnight work, as well as moving planters, granite and furniture. You may have seen all the orange barrels marking the area under construction.
The overall aim is to reverse the direction of traffic on Broadway from 24th-25th Streets along Worth Square and turn that block into a street shared by pedestrians and slow-moving vehicles. That block would be paved with gravel, similar to what is on the plazas today.
SCHEDULE:
The work is currently scheduled to be completed by May 8th . . . just in time for one of the area’s most popular events, Madison Square Eats.
NEXT STEPS:
After this reconfiguration is implemented, the DOT will monitor and evaluate the effectiveness over the Spring and Summer. If results are positive, a permanent redesign and reconstruction will be considered, including the long-discussed renewal of Worth Square and its memorial — the actual gravesite of General William Worth, an American war hero for whom Fort Worth, Texas was named.
All very exciting steps toward making this a world-class plaza for decades to come.