By: chabadinfo reporter

The city’s Department of Transportation is considering making Grand Army Plaza car-free and connecting it to the Open Streets on Vanderbilt and Underhill Avenues, officials said this week. The department is soliciting feedback from the public about improvements to the area, but DOT deputy commissioner Eric Beaton said the agency is ready to take bold steps.

The area in and around Grand Army Plaza is known by pedestrians and drivers alike to be hectic, marred by heavy traffic, deteriorating sidewalks, overflowing waste bins, broken benches, and more.

Short traffic light times force pedestrians to stand on small islands that are frequently overcrowded, bringing them within a distance of heavy traffic that is too close for comfort.

“We want to take it to the next level and not just have it be reliant on people moving barriers at certain times of day, but having these turn into more consistent and better designed public spaces,” said Beaton. “I would say at the moment we’re not taking anything off of the table.”