During his March 3 State of the Borough address, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine renewed his call for two Lower Manhattan initiatives that could transform the local streetscape. “It’s hard to think of any stretch of roadway throughout New York City that needs an update more than Route 9A, also known as the West Side Highway,” Mr. Levine said. “And I am thrilled that this week, following our two-year advocacy campaign, the State has announced they’re beginning to study potential enhancements of Route 9A, to better serve everyone, including pedestrians and cyclists.”
Indeed, the State Department of Transportation (DOT) has begun formal consideration of upgrades and redesigns for Route 9A, as proliferating development and amenities flanking it (such as Gansevoort Peninsula and Little Island, within the Hudson River Park) have brought numerous new users to the thoroughfare.
This follows the August 2022 launch by Mr. Levine of an advocacy campaign to push City and State transportation officials to look into the feasibility of creating a two-way protected bike lane on Route 9A by removing a vehicle lane between Chambers and West 57th Streets. “Recognizing the complexity of this proposal,” he said at the time, “I suggest taking a phased approach by immediately developing plans for implementation between Chambers Street and 57th Street (Phase I) and developing plans north of 57th Street shortly thereafter (Phase II). Additionally, the City should study how best to connect the Hudson River Greenway to the Brooklyn Bridge so that inter-borough travel is safe and convenient.”
The Borough President notes that the surging popularity of cycling has left the Hudson River Greenway bike path (which parallels West Street) chronically congested. His plan would also create a legal space for electric bikes and delivery wagons.
“We have a chance to do something spectacular on the East Side as well in Lower Manhattan,” Mr. Levine continued at his March 3 address, “around the Seaport, if we tear down the FDR Drive south of the Brooklyn Bridge. Yes, you heard that right: The extension Robert Moses built south of the bridge in the 1950s is the least heavily used part of the FDR and it has created a noisy uglier barrier between the people of Lower Manhattan and their waterfront. It’s also nearing the end of its useful life. So now is the time to tear down the FDR south of the Brooklyn Bridge in its place let’s build a grand, green multi-use boulevard.”
This builds on Mr. Levine’s 2023 proposal to replace the viaduct with a grade-level thoroughfare featuring new park space and multi-use lanes for cyclists and pedestrians.
He noted that while versions of this proposal have been in circulation for decades, the timing may be propitious to resurrect the idea because the Financial District and Seaport Climate Resilience Master Plan—currently in the preliminary design phase—envisions creating massive new infrastructure along the East River waterfront to safeguard the community against storm surge, sea-level rise, and other effects of climate change.
“To do these two projects together makes so much sense,” Mr. Levine said. “There’s so much potential synergy.”