NYC Mayor Adams announces Fifth Avenue redesign plan is getting a major funding boost
Fifth Avenue, one of New York City's most iconic streets, is getting a $400 million makeover.
Wednesday morning, Mayor Eric Adams announced a major funding boost to transform Fifth Avenue into a pedestrian boulevard between Bryant Park and Central Park.
Adams said he hopes Fifth Avenue will rival the world's most beautiful pedestrian boulevards, like the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
The project is called "The Future of Fifth." Adams said it will transform Fifth Avenue from Bryant Park to Central Park into a world-class, walkable boulevard. The historic stretch runs past landmarks like Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick's Cathedral.
Adams announced an additional $250 million in his proposed fiscal year 2026 budget, on top of the $152.7 million committed in 2024. The city estimates the investment will pay for itself in less than five years through rising property and sales tax revenue.
Construction isn't slated to begin until 2028.
"We're making Fifth Avenue more walkable, greener and safer. The stretch of real estate that we enjoy walking all the time from Bryant Park to Central Park, we're going to double the sidewalk space, shorten the crosswalks so that the avenue is safer to cross, green the avenue with more than 230 tree planters," Adams said.
Adams said the project builds on the street's long legacy.
"The city began building Fifth Avenue in 1824, starting at Washington Square Park," Madelyn Wils, CEO of the Fifth Avenue Association, said. "After 100 years with no public investment, the time has come to reinvest in public realm of Fifth Avenue and return it to its former glory."
"Fifth Avenue is a heartbeat of Manhattan," City Councilmember Keith Powers said. "Essential to the economy. When you walk up and down here when it's a regular day, like today, or during holidays, parades, or any other day, you can feel congestion on the sidewalks."
"It's going to be better for tourists, for us. Because we're going to walk by in a beautiful place, take more pictures," one tourist said.
"I like the idea. More space to walk is always nice," another person said.
The plan will feature widened sidewalks, more green space, but also fewer vehicle lanes and no lanes for cyclists, which not everyone is thrilled about.
"We don't want to encourage people using Fifth Avenue as a thruway," Wils said.
"I think that'll make more traffic," one person said.
"Traffic is crazy. You've got to solve that and then you're good to go," said another.
Adams hopes it will do the opposite.
"More room for opportunity, less traffic, less noise," Adams said. "This investment will pay for itself within five years of completion from increasing tax revenue along the avenue."
"To live in the greatest city in the world, we should have a boulevard of dreams," First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro said.
"We look forward to reviewing the City's draft plan and collaborating on the best way to serve more than 110,000 daily Fifth Avenue bus riders, and as this transformation plan becomes more fully developed, the MTA will seek to ensure that safe and reliable access to buses is maintained from the curb," Chris Pangilinan of NYC Transit said
