MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND CONGRESSMAN OWENS ANNOUNCE THE RECONSTRUCTION OF EASTERN PARKWAY BETWEEN WASHINGTON AVENUE AND GRAND ARMY PLAZA
$5.9 Million Project to Improve Pedestrian Safety and add Landscaping, Lighting, and Benches
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Congressman Major R. Owens today joined Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, Transportation Commissioner Iris Weinshall, Prospect Park Alliance President Tupper Thomas and Robert Witherwax of the Eastern Parkway Cultural Row Neighborhood to announce a $5.9 million reconstruction of Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway, between Washington Avenue and Grand Army Plaza. The reconstruction plan, developed with the Prospect Park Alliance, will restore Frederick Law Olmsted’s and Calvert Vaux’s vision of a beautifully landscaped median along the Parkway and Prospect Park that affords vistas of Grand Army Plaza.
"The reconstruction of this important stretch of Eastern Parkway will make it significantly safer for pedestrians and motorists and more attractive for residents and visitors alike," said Mayor Bloomberg. "After years of discussion and planning, funding is now in place to begin the process of narrowing some of the roadway and creating a more spacious, beautiful and accessible pedestrian space. I want to especially thank Congressman Major Owens and Tupper Thomas for their commitment and dedication to this important project."
"The proposed renovation will improve the safety and accessibility for pedestrians and bicyclists to three of the most magnificent institutions in Brooklyn: the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Brooklyn Public’s Central Library," said Congressman Owens. "Supporting pedestrian and vehicular safety is crucial for these institutions that are witnessing a renaissance in Brooklyn."
The reconstruction plan is the product of over five years of
discussions between the Prospect Park Alliance and the community, and
will return approximately 1,700 linear feet of landscaped median to
public use to make the area safer for pedestrians. The project is being
funded with $4 million from the Mayor’s Executive Budget and $1.9
million dollars of federal transportation funds allocated by
Congressman Owens. It is scheduled to begin in fall 2007 and will be
completed in 2009. New street trees, lighting, signage and benches will
be installed to the medians and Parkway. The median runs past
Brooklyn’s major cultural institutions, the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn
Botanic Garden and Brooklyn Public Library, and was narrowed and
partially removed years ago.
The Prospect Park Alliance is currently working with the DOT on a
number of modifications to the traffic flow on Eastern Parkway and its
cross streets to improve pedestrian, vehicle and bicycle safety.
Currently, this section of Eastern Parkway consists of two wide
roadways (a service road and a main road). When the reconstruction is
completed the service road will be narrowed and the pedestrian mall
widened to make the Parkway more pedestrian friendly and to reduce
speeds on the service road. On the main road, traffic moving in
opposing directions will be more significantly separated by removing a
lane for westbound traffic. At Washington Avenue, the slip ramp between
the main road and service road will be removed and replaced with an
extended mall, slowing traffic and greatly enhancing the pedestrian
connection between the adjacent neighborhoods and the Brooklyn Museum.
Finally, a key feature of the plan is the connection between the
existing bicycle path on the Parkway east of Washington Avenue and
Grand Army Plaza and Prospect Park.
"Not only was Eastern Parkway the country’s first parkway, it was also
one of America’s first greenways, opening up a grand new thoroughfare
for recreation in Brooklyn," said Commissioner Benepe. "Olmsted’s and
Vaux’s design for the parkway, like so much of their work, laid the
foundation for the development of parks and green thoroughfares in
cities across the country and around the world."
"After working together with the community we now have the funding
necessary to get started on the transformation of Eastern Parkway,"
said Commissioner Weinshall. "This project will dramatically improve
conditions for all of the Parkway’s users by expanding pedestrian
space, calming traffic, and filling a key gap in the City’s growing
network of walking and cycling trails and paths."
"This part of Eastern Parkway is the front door to the Brooklyn Museum,
Botanic Garden, Public Library and Prospect Park," said Prospect Park
Alliance President Tupper Thomas. "We are so pleased that a restored
Eastern Parkway will enhance the visitors experience to these great
institutions."
"The project was initiated by residents of Eastern Parkway who were
concerned about the deterioration of the median and the dangerous
traffic flow," explains Robert Witherwax of the Eastern Parkway
Cultural Row Neighborhood Association. "The Prospect Park Alliance
partnered closely with us in the design process, and the community
lobbied year after year for funding. This is a wonderful example of how
neighbors can come together to make their little part of the City
better."
Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux are heralded as the creators of
America’s most celebrated parks, including Brooklyn’s Prospect Park and
Manhattan’s Central Park. Less well known is that the two men also
designed Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway, constructed between 1870 and 1874,
which is considered America’s first parkway. The term parkway was
coined by Olmsted and Vaux to describe the landscaped road for
"pleasure-riding and driving" they designed to provide scenic access to
Prospect Park. Eastern Parkway was designated a National Scenic
Landmark in 1978 by the United States Secretary of the Interior.
Some of Eastern Parkway’s lesser-known features are bronze plaques set
in the sidewalk to memorialize Brooklyn residents who died in WWI. The
plaques, placed at the foot of trees planted after the war, are today
nearly illegible due to years of foot traffic, past sidewalk repairs
and grime. The plaques will be restored and reset as part of the
reconstruction plan.
The Prospect Park Alliance, in partnership with the City of New York
and the community, restores, develops, and operates the Park for the
enjoyment of all New Yorkers. The Alliance is dedicated to serving
visitors through its facilities and programs, caring for the Park’s
natural environment, and preserving its historic design. Prospect
Park’s 585 acres of meadows, waterfalls, forest, lakes, and athletic
facilities comprise a masterwork of urban green space