Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bicycle Infrastructure

Eyes on the Street: New and Improved Allen Street Bikeway and Plazas

Photo: Ben Fried

The construction barriers are down and the tables and chairs are out on Allen Street in Chinatown. While there's still some planting and other work left to be done, the public spaces are already magnets for people. The median bikeway on the three-block stretch between Hester and Delancey is also open and rideable again.

The Allen Street capital project -- an upgrade to a 2009 DOT redesign which itself followed years of grassroots community activism -- has been in the works since last year. (Another upgrade to the same corridor, on Pike Street, is still fenced off.) Pedestrian injuries fell 60 percent where the initial 2009 project reclaimed space from motorized vehicles, according to DOT.

The finished median has replaced low-cost surfaces like gravel and paint with nicely-textured pavers for pedestrian spaces, sidewalk-grade bikeways, and new plantings. Chairs in the two plazas, at Broome and Hester, have been packed each time I've passed through around dusk. Since parks and public space are so scarce in Chinatown, these plazas are precious stuff.

With the bikeway open for business, a gap in the downtown bike network that lasted more than a year has now been mended. Reader @J_uptown got the first picture of the newly useable median and bikeway:

Photo: @J_Uptown

It's not a space for fast biking, and where the bikeway crosses the plazas, pedestrians and cyclists have to do some negotiating. It does feel like a very safe place to ride.

More photos after the jump...

The plaza at Allen and Broome. Photo: Ben Fried
Photo: Ben Fried

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Monday’s Headlines: Presidents Day Edition

We'll take the day off for the holiday, but we'll still give you a full roundup of news.

February 17, 2025

State DOT Finally Offers Up Proposal To Repair the Cross Bronx Without Expanding It

An option that doesn't involve a parallel road that carries highway traffic but still creates a new east-west connection, had not initially been on the table.

February 17, 2025

U.S. DOT Moves to Rescind Billions for ‘Woke’ Transportation on Feb. 18 — So Advocates Must Speak Up Now

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has promised to call on Congress to slash vast funding for climate and DEIA.

February 14, 2025

Friday Video: Catch the Green Wave

Even the Times loves it.

February 14, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Pressure on City Hall Edition

The MTA needs more and more money from the city — is Mayor Adams too distracted to ensure New York City gets bang for its buck? Plus more news.

February 14, 2025
See all posts