Upper West Side Block Set For Transformation Amid Open Street Redesign

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — A longtime Upper West Side Open Street will soon be transformed as the NYC Department of Transportation is beginning work this month to redesign the space.

The DOT will work on the Open Street that runs from Riverside Drive to Amsterdam Avenue on West 103rd Street to better prioritize pedestrians and cyclists, expand public space, add public space amenities, and improve safety.

The city agency will do this, in part, by adding a midblock painted pedestrian space to calm traffic and implementing gateway treatments to calm traffic as it enters the corridor.

As it currently stands, the Upper West Side Open Street is blocked off to traffic at points, but there are no amenities within the area for pedestrians to enjoy the space.

The redesign will look to fix this by adding things like chairs, tables, and umbrellas to the space.

The DOT did not specify where the extra ammentities would be placed between Riverside and Amsterdam, and also did not say if the hours would change because of the additions.

This month, NYC DOT will begin work on the W. 103rd St Open Street (Riverside Dr to Amsterdam Ave) in #Manhattan. This work will:
🚴‍♀️Prioritize pedestrians and cyclists
🚶Expand public space
🚶‍♀️Add public space amenities
🚶‍♂️Improve safety pic.twitter.com/8qjWoeFTSv
— NYC DOT (@NYC_DOT) September 21, 2022

"Very exciting!" Mike Lyndon, one of the creators of the Open Street program wrote on Twitter about the Upper West Side redesign. "After two years of community organizing, design work, and activations, the Park to Park phase 1 interim design project is coming to fruition."

"Kudos to DOT for upgrading this vital segment so quickly," he added.

The Open Street on West 103rd Street has limited local access all week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and is run by the W103 Open Streets Community Coalition.