NEW YORK – Could a Brooklyn foot traffic hub go car-free in the near future? The idea pitched for the Grand Army Plaza area has reportedly been reviewed by the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT).
The plan currently under consideration would connect the plaza to the open streets of Vanderbilt and Underhill Avenues, Gothamist reported. The DOT is gathering feedback in the coming days “for the long-term asset view” of the area.
“We want to take it to the next level and not just rely on people moving barriers at certain times of the day, but these become more coherent and better designed public spaces,” DOT Deputy Commissioner Eric Beaton told the outlet. . “I’d say we’re not taking anything off the table right now.”
DOT workers will perform at Grand Army Plaza on Saturday before holding a virtual online seminar on Wednesday.
Funding for the square’s redevelopment could come from Mayor Eric Adams’ $904 million allocated for road safety improvements, the deputy commissioner said.
The security of the square already has the attention of some elected leaders. City council members Crystal Hudson and Shahana Hanif wrote to DOT in May, asking for safety improvements.
“Notably, the site has seen numerous pedestrian injuries and incidents in recent years, including a 2021 incident in which a woman and her 1-year-old son were hit by a car at the intersection of Plaza Street West and Berkeley Place. In the past five years, 89 people have been injured at Grand Army Plaza, including 19 cyclists and 12 pedestrians,” they wrote.
Those chosen urged the agency commissioner to seek further improvements for broken benches and fences, empty tree grates and crumbling sidewalks.
A timeline for implementing a pedestrian zone around Grand Army Plaza isn’t clear, but Beaton told Gothamist the department should have plans soon.
“We’re not sitting, we’re moving it fast,” he told them.
