Grand Plans for Brooklyn’s Iconic Public Space

In all of the uproar over DOT’s various transportation proposals for Park Slope last month (One Way? No Way! and 9th Street) this Grand Army Plaza project managed to slip beneath the radar. That’s too bad because it’s a really thoughtful and detailed piece of planning work that will help connect neighborhoods and improve the pedestrian and cyclist experience of Brooklyn’s most iconic public space (see slides 9 and 10 for a quick overview). And while DOT is, unfortunately, loath to acknowledge that it is actually responding to a community, this plan seems to do a really good job of answering many of the concerns raised by the Grand Army Plaza Coalition community planning process (see the StreetFilm). Grand Army Plaza still has a long way to go but this is a nice start.

The DOT plan highlights include:

  • Closing unused roads during weekend hours
  • 2,300 square feet of new landscaping
  • Removing a travel lane on Eastern Parkway
  • Providing a Class 1 bike facility through Grand Army Plaza
  • Five new crosswalks providing access to Prospect Park and the Arch
  • Eliminating one auto lane east of the arch

DOT presented this plan to Community Board 6 in March. They voted unanimously to support it.

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DOT Minds the GAP

By Aaron Naparstek |
With city workers pouring concrete in the background (and StreetFilms’ cameras rolling), New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan announced pedestrian and cyclist improvements for Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza yesterday. The plan calls for 11,000 square feet of new, landscaped pedestrian islands, a separated bike path, new crosswalks and pedestrian signals. The redesign […]

Pedestrian and Bike Improvements Coming to Grand Army Plaza

By Sarah Goodyear |
Current configuration Proposed changes Here’s a look at the proposal the DOT gave to Brooklyn’s Community Board 6 on March 29th regarding safety improvements at Grand Army Plaza. The plan’s highlights include: Three new concrete islands (5,900 square feet) 2,300 square feet of new landscaping Removing a travel lane on Eastern Parkway Providing a Class […]

Streetfilms: The Transformation of Grand Army Plaza

By Ben Fried |
In the second installment of his "Street Transformations" series (here’s the first), Clarence Eckerson shows the progress underway at Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza. The package of pedestrian and bicycle improvements you see in the video was first unveiled by DOT last spring. Says Clarence: As one gentleman said to me while admiring the new greenery […]

DOT’s Grand Army Plaza Plan: Bold, Exciting, Crowd-Pleasing

By Ben Fried |
At last night’s presentation to a joint meeting of three Brooklyn community boards, DOT assistant commissioner Ryan Russo unveiled what he called "a pretty dramatic and bold, exciting plan" for Grand Army Plaza. The proposal lived up to the billing. Lots of asphalt will be reclaimed for walking and biking. Getting to the central plaza […]

Tonight: Weigh In on What’s Next for Park Circle Improvements

By Ben Fried |
Back in February, Brooklyn CB7 hosted a public workshop where DOT and the Department of City Planning explored ways to make Brooklyn’s Park Circle a more appealing gateway to Prospect Park — and a less terrifying traffic vortex for everyone outside of a car to navigate. Participants floated a number of ideas to mark off […]