New York City Mayor Eric Adams announces expansion to restrooms in public parks

NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced a new effort to expand access to public restrooms in city parks across all five boroughs.

As part of the 'Ur in Luck' plan, 82 new facilities will be built or remodeled in city parks in the next few years.

Over the next five years, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation will build 46 new restrooms and renovate 36 existing restrooms, adding to New York City's nearly 1,000 existing public restrooms.

Ten are slated to be placed in the Bronx, 23 in Brooklyn, 28 in Manhattan, 14 in Queens, and seven on Staten Island. The 36 existing restrooms being renovated will receive improvements ranging from additional stalls to accessibility upgrades and energy-efficient features.

"Part of making New York City a more livable city is tackling the little things- the things we don't think about until we need them," Mayor Adams said.

New Yorkers can activate a Google Maps layer on their phones to easily find the locations of every public restroom.

The Google Maps layer, which will be updated biannually, will include restrooms operated by NYC Parks, DOT, the Metropolitan Transit Authority, the city's 'privately-owned public spaces,' and all three of the city's library systems.

"By creatively bringing new and improved bathrooms to New Yorkers throughout the five boroughs, we're ensuring that visitors to our parks can access the amenities they need, when they need them," Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue said.

Last month, NYC Parks completed its expansion of new baby changing tables to all public restrooms in city parks.

"Investing in new restrooms and in public information so that New Yorkers are able to quickly find them is one of the many ways this administration is making the public realm better for people who live, work, and travel in New York City," said Chief Public Realm Officer Ya-Ting Liu.