New York City Mayor Eric Adams along with the Future of Fifth Partnership announced the city's plans to transform the street into a world-class, pedestrian-centered boulevard.
The design includes expanding sidewalks by 46%, shortening crosswalks making for safer crossings, reducing the number of traffic lanes from five to three and adding plantings and lighting for aesthetics and safety.
Right now, 70 percent of the people on Fifth Avenue are pedestrians, but they can only utilize less than half the space," said Adams. "On the holidays, that's 23,000 people every hour - 4,000 more than a packed MSG - cramming like sardines into constrained sidewalks. That makes no sense - so we're going to flip the script."
Fifth Avenue currently is 100 feet wide and comprised of five lanes of vehicular traffic and two 23-foot sidewalks. The new design nearly doubles the width of the sidewalks to 33.5 feet each, and expands unobstructed walking space to 25 feet on each side while adding another 8.5-foot-wide section for trees.
"By dramatically widening the sidewalks of Fifth Avenue, we'll be creating a much more welcoming and comfortable pedestrian experience along this iconic corridor," added New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez.
The plan -- expected to cost over $350 million -- also marks the first time in the avenue's 200-year history it will have a major redesign.
Once completed, the project is expected to pay for itself in less than five years through increased property and sales tax revenue. It's expected to be completed by 2028.
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