This NYC Avenue To Get A $400M Pedestrian-Centric Makeover

MIDTOWN, NY — A stretch of Fifth Avenue between Bryant Park and Central Park will be getting a major $400 million pedestrian-friendly revamp in 2028, Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday.

The new design of the street will feature widened sidewalks, fewer vehicle lanes, and more greenery, Adams said.

“Fifth Avenue is a bustling boulevard of shopping, restaurants, businesses, and tourism, with more people walking down the street every hour than fill Madison Square Garden during a sold-out Knicks game," Adams said.

"Thanks to hundreds of millions of new dollars we are infusing into Fifth, we are finally making what has been called ‘America’s Street of Dreams’ a pedestrian paradise by making it more walkable, greener, and safer."

As it exists now, Fifth Avenue has five traffic lanes and two 23-foot sidewalks.

The new design will cut out two traffic lanes, widen sidewalks to 33.5 feet on each side, and add pedestrian crossing islands to shorten crosswalk lengths by one third, city planners said.

The redesign will also add more than 230 trees, 20,000 square feet of planters, as well as more benches and better lighting.

"Hundreds of thousands of people come to Fifth Avenue every day — and most of them are pedestrians," Madelyn Wils, the CEO of the Fifth Avenue Association, said.

"This visionary plan will rebalance and reinvigorate Fifth Avenue to better serve both New Yorkers and tourists alike. I applaud Mayor Adams for his leadership in advancing this bold vision for Fifth Avenue and look forward to partnering with the city on turning it into a reality."

To fund the project, Adams committed $250 million in his proposed city budget for the 2026 fiscal year. An additional $152 million was set aside in 2024, completing the $402 million budget.

Adams said Wednesday that the investments made in the corridor would pay for themselves within five years of completion, thanks to increased property and sales tax revenue.

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