Upper West Side Streets To Open For Social Distancing

UPPER WEST SIDE, MANHATTAN — Upper West Siders will have a few more blocks of space to move around starting Thursday when the next phase of the mayor's "Open Streets" plan is brought to the neighborhood.

A little more than a half-mile of roadway spread across West End Avenue and West 75th Street will be closed to cars and open to foot and bike traffic starting May 14 as part of Mayor Bill de Blasio's Open Streets plan to create more space for social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Upper West Side blocks are among 12 new miles of Open Streets that will become available across the five boroughs this week.

"Now that warmer weather has arrived, New Yorkers will need more options to enjoy the outdoors at a safe, social distance," said Mayor de Blasio. "We're grateful to all our local partners, and we believe new bike lanes will lay the groundwork for a cycling surge in the months and years to come."

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The new open streets are part of the city's goal of eventually opening 100 miles of streets to give New Yorkers social distance-friendly outdoor spaces to roam. The 12 new miles opening this week will bring New York City's total to about 30 miles.

So far in Manhattan, open streets include sections of Broadway and several spots Uptown.

The streets in the Upper West Side are among seven miles that will be controlled by local NYPD precincts.

Here's where they are:

• West End Avenue from West 87th Street to West 96th Street, about .44 miles
• West 75th Street from Broadway to Riverside Drive, about .2 miles

Streets opening up Thursday in Manhattan also include a block on Hudson Boulevard East and Hudson Boulevard West, about a half mile in the Meatpacking District and a small stretch of 114th Street in Harlem.

City Hall first reached its agreement with City Council — which was pushing a plan to force the city to pedestrianize streets — in late April.

It came after a bill introduced by the City Council during the body's first remote meeting proposed opening up 75 miles of city streets for pedestrian use. Other elected officials have proposed opening 16 streets on Manhattan's west side and opening up Broadway from Union Square to Central Park.

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