Broadway Gets Surprise Remodel

Without fanfare or press conferences, two lanes of Broadway from 42nd Street south to Herald Square have been permanently closed for the construction of a 7 block-long public esplanade to be outfitted with planters, seating, and a bike lane.

In a surprising reshaping of the urban landscape, the city is creating a public esplanade along a portion of one of its most prominent streets, Broadway in Midtown, setting aside the east side of the roadway for a bicycle lane and a pedestrian walkway with cafe tables, chairs, umbrellas and flower-filled planters. The esplanade, which the city is calling Broadway Boulevard, will run
from 42nd Street to Herald Square. Scheduled to open in mid-August, it will change that section of Broadway from a four-lane to a two-lane street.

I'd rather have seen this done through Times Square, but I guess that wouldn't work.

(Via - Father Tony)