By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
A bustling part of Broadway may soon be nearly free of cars, providing more space for pedestrian plazas and two-way bike lanes on the world-famous southbound street, according to a redesign plan from the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT).
Vehicular traffic would no longer be permitted in Manhattan’s Garment District from 39th to 40th Streets along the busy corridor, as stated in the DOT’s Broadway Vision plan to implement what the agency calls a “people- and bike-centered redesign” of the 13-mile thoroughfare that runs through the entire borough.
The block, poised to be vehicle-free, will have two-way bike lanes, greenery and spaces for art. Bikes would travel north and southbound in lanes next to each other, separated by street paint.
The DOT, which is working with the city’s Department of Design and Construction (DDC) on the project, also plans to install crash-rated steel bollards at 40th and 39th Streets to prevent cars from entering the block.
Not only would cars be eliminated from that one block, but from 38th to 39th Streets, Broadway would also become a shared corridor for pedestrians, bikes and vehicles. Bikes would travel in both directions in north and south lanes next to each other.
“NYC DOT’s Broadway Vision is transforming a traffic-clogged street into a world-class public space right in the center of Manhattan,” a spokesperson for the DOT said. “Through our great partnership with the Garment District Alliance, this proposal will take our current, people-centered design to the next level, upgrading painted cycling space and plazas with more permanent features, including trees and greenery, public seating, bollards and more.”
The DOT has been working on Broadway Vision since 2021, when it applied street paint to designate areas for pedestrians and cyclists. The plan upgrades include permanent barriers, including steel bollards, along 38th and 39th streets that are more protective against cars.
Construction on the project is scheduled to start in September 2026 and will progress for two years.
Concerns around a shared car, bike and pedestrian corridor
The DOT and DDC presented Broadway Vision to the neighborhood’s Manhattan Community Board 5’s Nov. 25 meeting. Casey Gorell of the DOT’s public realm team explained that the plan is part of the agency’s larger vision to put in harder, more permanent infrastructure in place of painted designs along Broadway from Times Square to Union Square.
“For this vision for the Garment District, we’re really looking to create a premier public space in the district,” Gorell said.“We are looking to enhance pedestrian access to the critical subway entrances for the N, Q, R and W trains. We’ll also be looking to retain the building access for loading and deliveries while creating a slow shared street that prioritizes pedestrians.”
While DOT officials explained that the new plan would calm bike and vehicle traffic on the two blocks, New Yorkers expressed concerns around the shared corridor and skepticism on whether e-vehicle riders would actually slow down.
“We’re finding that the shared space without really protected lanes is not working. It’s endangering pedestrians, the bikes are all over the place in every which way,” one meeting attendee said. “They really need to have much greater design that shows them what direction to go in. Painted lanes do not work.”
Gorell said the plan aims to clearly distinguish between Broadway-goers using the roadway in vehicles or as cyclists and pedestrians.
“We’re using a lot of planters as edges, there will be bollards surrounding the shared street area from the roadway or the shared street to the sidewalk,” he said. “And we’re really looking to make clear pathways so that when cyclists are going through this space, they are doing so where they should be.”
Joel Maxman, a member of the community board, highlighted the importance of keeping pedestrians safe from speeding e-vehicles. He also expressed concern about creating a two-way bike lane on the blocks.
“We’ve objected to two-way bike lanes in the past every time it’s come before us. We voted against every two-way bike lane. You’ve put some in without asking us, which I think don’t work,” Maxman told the DOT.
DOT said the two-way bike lanes will likely slow bicycle traffic because riders “won’t feel comfortable” going fast amid a sea of other bikers.
Some meeting attendees supported the plan, while others said it “doesn’t make sense.” The community board also supports it but said concerns around pedestrian safety need to be addressed.
Other design changes on Broadway
Meanwhile, the DOT completed another phase of Broadway Vision at Union Square in September.
Here, the DOT installed a new pedestrian plaza, two-way bike lanes separated only by paint, and other features designed to be bike- and pedestrian-friendly between E. 17th and E. 21st Streets.
“Through Broadway Vision we are transforming streets that were once choked with vehicle traffic into calm, welcoming places for New Yorkers and visitors to relax, dine out, shop, and meet one another,” DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said in September. “This latest phase dramatically expands pedestrian space just north of Union Square, with public seating, improved pedestrian crossings, and two-way bike connections. These changes make our streets safer, support businesses, and bring New Yorkers together.”
Both the Union Square and Garment District redesigns are part of the city’s ongoing Broadway Vision to slow traffic and be more welcoming for bikes and pedestrians from Union Square north to Columbus Circle.
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