Park Row, Closed Since 9/11, To Reopen As Link From City Hall To Chinatown

CHINATOWN, NY — A stretch of road shut off to traffic since 9/11 will be reopened to pedestrians and bike, city officials announced Thursday.

Park Row, which connects Downtown Manhattan near City Hall to Chinatown, has been closed to traffic for 16 year because it runs directly the NYPD's headquarters at 1 Police Plaza.

Chinatown residents and community stakeholders have long complained that the closure of the street — which led directly into the neighborhood's Chatham Square — has slowed foot traffic, hurt business and made the area hard to access by car or foot from Lower Manhattan.

U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez, a Democrat who represents the Lower East Side in Congress, has long advocated for finding a way to re-open the corridor.

"Today has been a long time coming," Velázquez said in a statement. "Since 9/11, the restrictions at Park Row have placed significant burdens on the neighborhood and local businesses and created substantial traffic issues."

There are no immediate plans to add car traffic back to Park Row. MTA buses and emergency vehicles will be allowed to travel along the roadway – they were the only vehicles allowed previously.

The city plans to begin construction in the area this fall after working with local community boards and other neighborhood groups on the design of bike lanes and pedestrian walkways. The project is expected to be finished in spring 2018.

"Chinatown and its surrounding neighborhoods have long suffered from the closure of Park Row, an important thoroughfare in lower Manhattan," said Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou, who represents the neighborhood in Albany.

"Since 9/11, small businesses have struggled to bounce back from the diminishing clientele brought on by this closure, and the steps being taken today can help alleviate some of these impacts. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Rendering courtesy of NYC Department of Transportation.