Mayor Mamdani Monday announced plans to close the southern edge of Grand Army Plaza to cars, connecting the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Arch directly to Prospect Park.
That stretch, near the main entrance to Prospect Park, is currently a chaotic and dreaded crossing for many of the thousands who visit every day. Under the new plan, only pedestrians and bikes will be allowed along that stretch, and cars will loop around a new one-way, horseshoe-shaped route.
“Grand Army Plaza is the gateway to Brooklyn’s backyard, Prospect Park — and it should welcome New Yorkers with street design that puts safety first,” Mamdani said in a statement.
“Anyone who’s tried to cross here knows how dangerous and chaotic the streets can be. This redesign is long overdue and will provide a sense of ease and enjoyment to one of Brooklyn’s most important public spaces.”
The revamp also includes new bike lanes and a refresh for pedestrian paths. It’s slated to add three-quarters of an acre of public space to the plaza. It was unclear Monday when the project is supposed to be finished or how much it will cost.
NYC DOT
Left, the current traffic pattern at Grand Army Plaza, and right, a proposed redesign that would ban cars from the south end of the plaza. (NYC DOT)
The announcement builds on efforts that began but then stalled under the Adams administration starting in 2022.
The city had previously been considering two options for the redesign; Mamdani’s administration is the more drastic of the two.
The city’s Department of Transportation will begin to hold public workshops starting later this month to finalize the design, and New Yorkers will be able to weigh in virtually with a feedback survey available through May.
“Under Mayor Mamdani, we are focused on making our streets the envy of the world — and Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn presents a perfect opportunity to do so,” DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn said. “Every time NYC DOT has provided more space to pedestrians at the park, it’s been an instant success, and it becomes impossible to think of how the space could have functioned before.”