Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
DOT

Big Sidewalk Extensions Coming to Bowling Green

Proposed sidewalk extensions along Whitehall Street would keep pedestrians out of auto traffic. Image: NYC DOT

Pedestrians at the southern-most tip of Manhattan are getting a lot more space to walk, thanks to a DOT proposal [PDF] first reported by DNAinfo last week.

New sidewalk extensions along Whitehall Street, as well as a new plaza at the famous statue of the bull at Bowling Green, will make conditions safer for people walking to the subway, the Staten Island Ferry, or the Battery.

Right now, there's just not enough room for all the pedestrian activity in Lower Manhattan. Along one block of Whitehall, for example, 390 pedestrians walk in the roadway during a single peak hour, according to DOT. Existing sidewalks can't handle the capacity.

Under the DOT plan, sidewalks on both sides of Whitehall would be extended into the street between Broadway and Pearl Street. The extensions would be even larger at intersections in order to shorten crosswalk distances. The effect is a sizable expansion of the pedestrian realm.

The redesign would use paint and flexible delineators, and could be put into effect in as little as two weeks.

DOT also proposes using the same materials to extend the plaza on which the bull stands all the way back to Morris Street, providing space for tourists who currently crowd onto a striped median in the street to take pictures of the statue.

The pedestrian improvements were unanimously approved by Community Board 1's Financial District Committee, according to DNAinfo. Said committee chair Ro Sheffe: "What's not to like?"

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

SEE IT: Cops Violently Arrest Teen Riding Citi Bike in Alphabet City

Three cops slammed a teenager to the ground, pulled his hair and knelt on his head — for allegedly riding a Citi Bike "in a reckless manner."

August 29, 2025

‘Pedestrianize’ the Financial District, Lower Manhattan Council Member Says

Downtown Council Member Chris Marte says the city refuses to launch a $500K downtown pedestrianization study funded by his predecessor.

August 29, 2025

Friday Video: The Problem With … ‘Friday Video’?!

The urbanism YouTube sphere is thriving — but who's getting the views?

August 29, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Parking Madness Edition

A single new block of green-painted bike lane makes illegal parking by cops from the 114th Precinct even more illegal. Plus more news.

August 29, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: The Menace of Prosperity

Daniel Wortel-London on his new book, "The Menace of Prosperity: New York City and the Struggle for Economic Development, 1875–1981."

August 28, 2025

MONEY TALKS: Business Interests Call the Shots in Eric Adams’s New York

Forget the bribery charges — you don't have to break the law to buy influence in the Big Apple.

August 28, 2025
See all posts