NYC officials envision turning Fifth Avenue into a grand boulevard

A major redesign has been proposed for Manhattan’s famed luxury store row Fifth Avenue. New York City officials unveiled a plan this week to transform a central portion of the thoroughfare between Bryant Park and Central Park into a more pedestrian-centered boulevard. They propose doubling the size of sidewalks, reducing traffic lanes from five to three, as well as adding seating areas and hundreds of trees and planters, among other improvements. The vision is to emulate strolling and shopping boulevards like the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Officials said the project represents the avenue’s first major redesign in its 200-year history.