NYC Now Has 45+ Miles of Open Streets, The Most In The U.S.

In his press conference this morning, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the city is adding 13 more miles of open streets, bringing the total across the boroughs to 45 miles and exceeding his goal of opening 40 miles by the end of May. After stating that this is the largest amount of protected streets in the nation, he assured New Yorkers that “it won’t stop there.” When the mayor first announced the program, he committed to opening 100 miles of streets throughout the pandemic. The latest batch will open tomorrow and includes tons of park-adjacent streets across Queens and the first open streets in Greenwich Village and Red Hoo

“Now that we have sufficient enforcement capacity,” said de Blasio, referring to the fact that most city agencies including the NYPD are back up to their pre-coronavirus levels of personnel, the city has found “that sweet spot where we can do the open streets, keep them safe, make sure there’s enforcement when needed, and allow people to enjoy it, especially in strategic locations where it’s going to help avoid crowding–parks and other areas.”

The first set of open streets opened in early May. They dealt with 4.5 miles inside parks and 2.7 miles adjacent to parks. The second set, 1.9 miles, was opened in collaboration with Business Improvement Districts (BIDs). The third set, announced last week, includes some streets managed by BIDs (1.3 miles), as well as some overseen by local police precincts (7.6 miles) and more adjacent to parks (2.8 miles). The latest group sees the same combination: 1.8 miles will be managed by BIDs, 2.7 miles will be adjacent to parks, and 8.8 miles by local precincts.

Here is the full list of open streets; those bolded will open tomorrow.

Manhattan

  • 114th Street: Manhattan Avenue to Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Harlem)

  • 115th Street: Park Avenue to Third Avenue (Harlem)

  • 117th Street (Harlem)

  • 138th Street (Harlem)

  • West End Avenue: 87th Street to 96th Street (Upper West Side)

  • 75th Street: Broadway to Riverside Drive (Upper West Side)

  • 51st Street (Hell’s Kitchen)

  • Broadway (Times Square)

  • Broadway: West 36th Street to West 41st Street

  • Broadway: West 25th Street to West 28th Street

  • Broadway: East 21st Street to East 23rd Street

  • 2nd Avenue Service Road (Kips Bay)

  • Hudson Yards, Hudson Boulevard East & West: 35th Street to 36th Street

  • 17th Street: 8th Avenue to 10th Avenue (Meatpacking District)

  • 13th Street and Little West 12th Street: Ninth Avenue to Washington Street (Meatpacking District)

  • Greenwich Street (Hudson Square)

  • Doyers Street (Chinatown)

  • Ludlow Street: Delancey Street to Houston Street (Lower East Side)

  • Orchard Street: Delancey Street to Houston Street (Lower East Side)

  • Rivington Street: Allen Street to Essex Street (Lower East Side)

  • Stanton Street: Allen Street to Essex Street (Lower East Side)

  • University Place, MacDouglas Street (Greenwich Village)

  • Pearl Street (lower Manhattan)
    Adjacent to Parks

  • Lt. William Tighe Triangle: Dyckman Street from Broadway to Seaman Avenue

  • Stuyvesant Square Park

  • Carl Schurz Park: East End Avenue from East 83rd Street to East 89th Street

  • Highbridge Park: Laurel Hill Terrace from Amsterdam Avenue in Highbridge Park

  • Morningside Park

  • Charles Young Playground

  • Jackie Robinson Park: Edgecombe Avenue from St. Nicholas Place to 145th Street
    Inside Parks

  • Fort Tryon Park: Margaret Corbin Drive from Fort Washington Avenue to Cabrini Boulevard

Brooklyn

  • 1st Place: Smith Street to Henry Street (Carroll Gardens)

  • 2nd Place: Smith Street to Henry Street (Carroll Gardens)

  • 4th Place: Smith Street to Henry Street (Carroll Gardens)

  • 4th Street: 5th Avenue to 4th Avenue (Park Slope)

  • 6th Avenue: 44th Street to 51st Street (Sunset Park)

  • East 7th Street: Caton Avenue to Ditmas Avenue (Kensington)

  • 9th Street (Red Hook)

  • Arlington Place (Bed Stuy)

  • Berry Street: North 12th Street to Broadway (Williamsburg)

  • Grattan Street: Morgan Avenue to Bogart Street (Bushwick)

  • Hall Street: Park Avenue to Myrtle Avenue (Clinton Hill)

  • Joralemon Street: Hicks Street to Furman Street (Brooklyn Heights)

  • Lawrence Street: Fulton Street to Willoughby Street

  • Newkirk Avenue: Coney Island Avenue to East 17th Street (Midwood)

  • South Portland Avenue: South Elliot Street Dekalb Avenue (Fort Greene)

  • St. Marks Place: 3rd Avenue to 4th Avenue (Boerum Hill)

  • Willoughby Street: Pearl Street to Lawrence Street
    Adjacent to Parks

  • Prospect Park: Parkside Avenue from Park Circle to Ocean Avenue

  • Prospect Park: Prospect Park West from 3rd Street to Garfield Place

  • McGolrick Park

  • McCarren Park: Nassau Street

  • Maria Hernandez Park: Suydam Street

  • Cooper Park: Sharon Street

  • Sternberg Park: Leonard Street

  • Korean War Veterans Plaza: Cadman Plaza East

  • Dome Playground: 38th Street

  • Cobble Hill Park: Congress Street

  • Nicholas Naquan Heyward Jr. Park

  • Carroll Park

  • Green Central Knoll Park

  • Betsy Head ParkInside Parks

  • Callahan-Kelly Park: Sackman Street from Truxton Street to Fulton Street

Bronx

  • 140th Street: Brooke Avenue to Willis Avenue (Mott Haven)

  • East 148th Street: Willis Avenue to Bergen Avenue

  • West 238th Street: Tibbett Avenue to Irwin Avenue

  • Creston Avenue: Fordham Road to Kingsbridge Road

  • Pugsley Avenue (Castle Hill)

  • Rhinelander Avenue from Williamsbridge Road to Bronxdale Avenue (Morris Park)

  • Willis Avenue: East 147th Street to East 148th Street
    Adjacent to Parks

  • Williamsbridge Oval: Reservoir Oval East/West at Bainbridge Avenue

  • Quarry Ballfields/Belmont: Oak Tree Place from Hughes Avenue to Quarry Place

  • River Park: Boston Road from 180th Street to Bronx Park South

  • River Park: Bronx Park South from Boston Road to Bryant Avenue

  • St. Mary’s Park: Jackson Avenue from 143rd to 147th Streets

  • Claremont Park: Clay Avenue from 173rd Street to Claremont ParkwayInside Parks

  • Grant Park: Grant Avenue from 170th Street to 169th Street Full Block

Queens

  • 27th Street: Hunter Street to Queens Plaza South (Long Island City)

  • 5th Street: 46th Avenue to 49th Avenue (Long Island City)

  • 34th Avenue: 69th Street to 77th Street (Jackson Heights)

  • 34th Avenue: 78th Street to Junction Boulevard (Jackson Heights)

  • 39th Avenue: Woodside Avenue to Barnett Avenue (Sunnyside)

  • 46th Street: Queens Boulevard to Greenpoint Avenue (Sunnyside)

  • 50th Avenue (Sunnyside)

  • Skillman Avenue: 39th Place to 43rd Street (Sunnyside)

  • 60th Street (Maspeth)

  • 66th Road (Forest Hills)

  • Ascan Avenue (Forest Hills)

  • 99th Street (Rego Park)

  • Peck Avenue: 137th Street to Main Street (Flushing)

  • Roosevelt Avenue: 155th Street to Northern Boulevard (Flushing)

  • 107th Avenue (Jamaica)

  • 108th Avenue (Jamaica)

  • 109th Avenue (Jamaica)

  • 159th Street (Jamaica)
    Adjacent to Parks

  • Astoria Park: Shore Boulevard from Ditmars Boulevard to Astoria Park South

  • Court Square Park: Court Square West from Jackson Avenue to Dead End

  • Hunters Point Park

  • Gorman Playground

  • Painters Playground

  • Plaut Triangle

  • Yellowstone Park

  • Baisley Pond Park
    Inside Parks

  • Forest Park: East Main Drive from Metropolitan Avenue to Overlook Parking Lot

  • Forest Park: Freedom Drive from Park Lane to South Myrtle Avenue

  • Forest Park: West Main Drive from Band Shell Lot to Golf Course Lot

  • Flushing Meadows-Corona Park: Meadow Lake Drive from Model Airplane Field to Meadow Lake Bridge Parking Lot

Staten Island

  • Adjacent to Stapleton Waterfront Park: Front Street from Canal Street to Edgewater Street

  • Inside Silver Lake Park: Silver Lake Park Road from Forest Avenue to Victory Boulevard

  • Adjacent to North Shore Esplanade Park: Bank Street

As the Department of Transportation details on its website:

Open Streets are available daily, 8 am to 8 pm (unless otherwise noted) for pedestrians and cyclists to use the roadbed of the street while maintaining at least six feet of distance from others. Opening hours may vary by location due to NYPD staffing.

You can find out specific details of a given street closure here. If you’d like to have a street considered for the program, you can fill out this survey.

As for the protected bike lanes that will open throughout May, they are as follows:

Manhattan

  • Broadway: Barclay Street to Morris Street (Financial District)

  • 38th and 39th Streets: 1st Avenue to 11th Avenue (Midtown)

Brooklyn

  • 4th Avenue: 1st Street to Flatbush Avenue (Boerum Hill)

  • Ashland Place/Navy Street: Hanson Place to Sands Street (Clinton Hill)

  • Flatbush Avenue: Grand Army Plaza to Ocean Avenue (Prospect Park)

Queens

  • Crescent Street: Queens Plaza North to Hoyt Avenue North (Astoria/Long Island City)

Your new home awaits.