Broadway to Become Pedestrian Mall Near Times Square, NYT Says

Feb. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Broadway, the world-famous boulevard that meanders the length of Manhattan, will become a pedestrian mall around Times Square as the city tries to ease congestion in the theater district, the New York Times reported.

Cars and trucks will be banned on Broadway from 47th to 42nd streets under the plan, and the avenue given over to chairs, benches and café tables with umbrellas, the Times said, citing unidentified sources who were briefed on the plan. Mayor Michael Bloomberg will announce the plan today, and it will take effect as soon as May, the newspaper said.

Side streets crossing Broadway would remain open, the Times said. Broadway crosses most of New York’s main north-south avenues at an angle, creating congestion at those intersections, and the new plan, which would also close several blocks around Herald Square, from 35th to 33rd streets, aims to alleviate that traffic, the report said.

The mayor is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.

To contact the reporter on this story: Peter S. Green in New York at psgreen@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Schoifet at mschoifet@bloomberg.net.