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Coming Soon: A Pedestrian Plaza for Penn Station

We’ve been focused lately on the future of train operations beneath Penn Station here at MTR. Now we’re shifting our attention to what’s happening on the streets around Penn Station.

As part of an effort to transform the neighborhood of North America’s busiest rail depot, Vornado Realty Trust — which owns over nine million square feet of office space around Penn Station — has made a major investment in converting half of 33rd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues into a pedestrian plaza. The project also includes an expanded pedestrian space on 32nd Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. Here’s a look at the progress so far:

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32nd Street at 7th Avenue, with a striped sidewalk expansion on the north side and a neckdown made with planters and flexible delineators on the south side.

The plaza, which will help alleviate what Vornado Senior VP of Development Marc Ricks calls the “collision of humanity” around Penn Station, will be in place for at least three months, but could lead to a permanent pedestrian-only space.

This isn’t the only location around Penn Station that could benefit from some pedestrian improvements. Take a look at the intersection at the opposite corner of Penn Station, Eighth Avenue and 31st Street. The problems you might find at any midtown intersection are amplified here, thanks to the presence of not only Moynihan Station construction and a left turn lane funneling cars to the Lincoln Tunnel, but also a parking lot whose operators use the sidewalk to store and move vehicles. (Tri-State’s Manhattan headquarters is on this block, and nobody on staff can claim they haven’t had a close call here).

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[…] Tri-State Has Photos of New Pedestrian Plaza Coming to 33rd Street (MTR) […]

Andy Stone
Andy Stone
9 years ago

Kudos to all involved with the modest but very effective pedestrian improvements to 32nd Street between 6th and 7th Avenues. These make a big difference in improving a formerly horrid pedestrian experience during rush hours.

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[…] While inaction plagues its underground operations, Penn Station just got a bit more human-friendly above ground. The temporary pedestrian plaza, Plaza33, on 33rd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues is officially open. […]

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[…] it appears to be a bit further along here in mid-July than it was last year in early August, we can’t help but wonder why Plaza 33 can’t open even earlier. Last year, the plaza […]

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