NYC begins redesign of Ninth Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen
Images courtesy of NYC DOT
Ninth Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen will join a growing number of Manhattan corridors slated for redesigns, the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) announced Thursday. The project will immediately begin along a stretch from West 34th to West 50th Streets, where pedestrian space will be expanded, the protected bike lane widened, and the bus lane extended and repainted to 50th Street. The improvements are expected to be completed ahead of the FIFA World Cup this summer, when sidewalk overcrowding in the area is expected to increase.
The section of Ninth Avenue is notoriously congested and has been designated a Vision Zero priority corridor due to high rates of traffic deaths and serious injuries. Between 2021 and 2025, the corridor saw 37 people killed or seriously injured, including one pedestrian fatality.
Sidewalks are often overcrowded, and persistent vehicle traffic, compounded by congestion from vehicles entering the Lincoln Tunnel, contributes to slower bus speeds.
The plan, detailed in a presentation to Manhattan Community Board 4 on Wednesday evening, calls for a permanent redesign of the street that would create nine additional feet of pedestrian space, known as a “super sidewalk,” along with new pedestrian islands at corners. The existing protected bike lane would also be widened from five to nine feet.
Roughly half a mile of curbside bus lane on the avenue’s west side will be painted red for the first time, allowing for more active enforcement of bus lane violations. The bus lane will operate seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The current timeline for the project is as follows: from now through mid-June, Ninth Avenue will be repaved, concrete islands will be constructed, and all lane markings will be painted. During the World Cup, from mid-June to mid-July, additional lane marking work will continue on non-game days. The project is slated for completion in late summer or early fall.
“Ninth Avenue will be a hub of activity during this summer’s World Cup, with visitors from around the world and increased traffic at the Lincoln Tunnel and the Port Authority Bus Terminal,” DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn said.
“Mayor Mamdani has told us to think big, so in order to be a welcoming and safer place for tourists and New Yorkers alike, we will immediately work to have Ninth Avenue better accommodate the vast majority of the street’s users who are on two feet, two wheels, or who are riding the bus.”
Ninth Avenue will join a growing list of Manhattan corridors receiving upgrades. Earlier this month, the DOT announced that public outreach will begin for the redesign of 14th Street, which is expected to include expanded pedestrian space, parks and plazas, landscaping, and other safety improvements intended to build on the success of the 14th Street busway.
DOT is currently conducting a $3 million, two-year study, first introduced by former Mayor Eric Adams last summer, to develop ways to enhance the experience of pedestrians and commuters on 14th Street, as 6sqft previously reported.
Other ongoing projects to improve street safety include the long-delayed redesign of bus lanes on Madison Avenue, revived plans for a bike lane redesign along Astoria’s 31st Street, and upgrades to Greenpoint’s McGuinness Boulevard, long considered one of the borough’s most dangerous corridors.
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