Hudson Street Gets A Makeover: New Green Space And Bike Lanes

HUDSON SQUARE, NY — A $13 million project to transform a portion of Hudson Street in Lower Manhattan from a car-focused thoroughfare to a haven for pedestrians and cyclists came to an end Tuesday after years of work, the city announced.

The new Hudson Street streetscape, which is located between Canal and West Houston Streets, brings a slew of upgrades to the neighborhood including a protected bike lane and 500 retrofitted trees, according to the Mayor's office.

Mayor Eric Adams, a former transit cop for the area, said the project was $13 million well spent.

“For far too long, our cities have been just basically vehicle-focused,” Adams said. “We are taking the dream of a livable, sustainable, and beautiful city and turning into a reality block by block.”

Additional improvements to the street include:

• A dedicated, parking-protected bike lane;
• 70 new bike parking spaces;
• Over 8,000 square feet of newly planted areas filled with various trees, shrubs, and perennials;
• New, modern benches providing approximately 170 additional seats; and
• Over 2,000 square feet for sidewalk cafes.

Here's what a portion of Hudson Street looked like before the work.

And here's what the same block looked like after, with an added bike lane and a place for people to sit.

Organizers — who include the city and Hudson Square Business Improvement District — boasted that the years-long project was completed on budget and on time.

This upgrade is just the first step in the city's plan to revitalize the area.

A future project will build a bridge over the highway that would open up new access to Hudson Park for pedestrians as far east as the Bowery without disrupting regional traffic along Route 9A for $40 million.

“The renovations to Hudson Street between Houston and Canal create a reimagined boulevard with lush plantings, unique park-like spaces, more Hudson Square standard trees, modern benches, sidewalk cafe space and wider sidewalks for strolling,” said Hudson Square BID Executive Director Samara Karasyk.

“The improvements you see today showcase our ongoing efforts to create a people focused neighborhood for all who work, visit and live here."

This represents the first renovation of Spring Street Park since it was opened in the 1970s.

Freeman Plaza East has free Wi-Fi access and new furnishings; Freeman Plaza West has a solar-powered phone charging station, a turf lawn, a free library, board games and a custom ping-pong table; and Hudson Square Canvas now has an urban art gallery on Varick Street.

“Our work doesn't stop here,” said Karasyk. “Today marks the completion of our first 10-year plan and the beginning of our second one, which builds on what we've accomplished and focuses on seamlessly connecting Hudson Square into our surrounding neighborhoods in Hudson River Park.”

Karasyk hopes that the changes being made at Hudson Square, which used the design-build concept, a process that streamlines capital projects, will be a model for other neighborhoods.

The city DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said the redesign also meant that the project created a better condition for the business sector, which includes Google, Viacom, New York Public Radio, Disney, Horizon Media, Edelman and the New York Genome Center, just to name a few.

“This is the future in New York City,” said Rodriguez. “Weeks after weeks, months after months, years after year, we will see how we will transform our streets in order to make more space for bikes, for cyclists, for pedestrians, for the business community. Also to the world.

Liz Arnaiz, vice president of Capital for the city Economic Development Corporation said that 90 percent of the project was made possible via minority- and women-owned businesses.

Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine said the project was not easy, but is possible for the rest of the city.

“You see the life,” said Levine. “It wasn't easy. It took an incredible collaboration … And we know it took money. This was not cheap. But it is worth every penny. This is the model of what we can do and what we must do all over New York City.”

Patch editor Gus Saltonstall — who covers the West Village, Upper West Side and Washington Heights — contributed to this report.