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

What Happened to the Pedestrian Islands on Ninth Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen?

Photo: Kurt Cavanaugh

A few readers have written in asking about the disappearing pedestrian islands on Ninth Avenue in Hell's Kitchen. The concrete islands next to the bike lane shorten crossing distances and slow drivers turning onto Ninth Avenue. A few weeks ago, the city started tearing them out.

What's the deal? We checked in with the Department of Design and Construction to find out.

The good news is that the pedestrian islands are not gone forever. The bad news is that they might not be back for at least four years:

Traffic islands on Ninth Avenue from West 51st Street to West 59th Street are being temporarily removed so that new water mains can be installed. Currently, islands have been removed from West 51st Street to West 55th Street. The remaining will be removed within the next month. Construction will be completed in 2021.

DDC says the bike lane will be maintained in some form during construction.

As complex as NYC's subsurface infrastructure may be, four years seems like an awfully long time to replace water mains on ten city blocks -- and that's if DDC stays on schedule, which is rare.

The islands at 53rd and Ninth in their natural state.
The islands at 53rd and Ninth in their natural state.
The islands at 53rd and Ninth in their natural state.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Streetsies 2024: Vote For This Year’s Biggest Failures

Overall, it was a pretty sad year. But what was the city and state's worst failures? You get to vote!

December 26, 2024

Streetsies 2024: Vote for this Year’s Best Livable Streets Projects

This year had some bright spots for livable streets projects. Here are the ones that stood out.

December 26, 2024

Thursday’s Headlines: Christmukkah Edition

We took yesterday off to celebrate the many holidays and to see the new Bob Dylan movie. But there was lots of news.

December 26, 2024

On Christmas, Let’s Consider the Successes of the Livable Streets Movement

Here's a short, heartwarming film about the successes experienced this year by the livable streets movement.

December 25, 2024

And the Winners Are…: It’s Time for the 2024 Streetsie Awards!

Let's start our annual year in review series with a broad roundup of the heroes, scoundrels and debacles of 2024.

December 24, 2024
See all posts