2013-dot-sustainable-streets-lowres

WORLD CLASS STREETS2008 TEST CASESBROADWAY BOULEVARDBroadway’s unique diagonal coursethrough the Midtown street gridcreates the particular intersectionsand shapes that make up well–known spaces such as Madison andTimes Squares. The traffic tie–upsthat these three–way junctionsengendered also meant thatportions of Broadway saw relativelyless traffic than other Midtownavenues. That was the case in themid–2000s in between Timesand Herald Squares. In July andAugust 2008, NYCDOT applied its“overnight plaza” approach to thethen–unique setting of linear trafficlanes not needed for vehicularmovement along the seven–blockstretch of Broadway between35th to 42nd Streets. The projectfeatured a protected bicycle lanealong the western curb, defined by“floating” vehicle parking and publicseating in plazas that were definedwith rapidly–deployed planters andepoxy gravel surfaces. Vehicularlanes were reduced from four to two.The project spanned threebusiness improvement districts, the34th Street Partnership, the FashionCenter BID and the Times SquareAlliance. Each organization has takena hand in maintaining its parts ofBroadway Boulevard.Like other plaza projects, thenew public seating quickly drew aheavy base of users, which persistedinto the winter months. The projectinitially created over 22,000 feet ofnew public space. A 2013 redesignof the bicycle lane through this area,which sees even less traffic sincethe closures to traffic of Times andHerald Squares in 2009, addedeven more space to the public andpedestrian areas.134Chapter 10: Broadway