NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Fifth Avenue is celebrating 200 years as one of New York City’s most iconic destinations with a grand pedestrian event that will include road closures on Sunday.
The avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic on Dec. 8 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., between 48th and 55th Streets, allowing visitors to enjoy festive attractions, pop-up shops, live music, and art installations. There will also be a ceremonial cake cutting for the celebration.
This year’s celebration launches a year of events under the theme “You’ve Arrived on Fifth: 200 Years of Icons and Dreams,” according to Fifth Avenue’s website.
“There’s no better way to celebrate the holidays and the 200th birthday of Fifth Avenue than pedestrian-packed streets,” Ya-Ting Liu, chief public realm officer for New York City, in an official statement. Liu added that plans are underway to “redesign and rebalance the iconic street into a world-class, tree-lined, pedestrian boulevard.”
New York City officials unveiled a plan in October to transform Fifth Avenue by widening sidewalks and cutting traffic lanes—a makeover they called “the first major redesign in the avenue’s 200-year history.”
Mayor Eric Adams and the Future of Fifth Partnership said the proposed redesign will create a “world-class, pedestrian-centered boulevard” along a dozen blocks between Bryant Park and Central Park. The announcement coincides with the bicentennial of Fifth Avenue, which was established in 1824.
Fifth Avenue is currently 100 feet wide, comprised of five lanes of vehicular traffic and two 23-foot sidewalks, officials said, noting that only 15 feet is used for walking due to infrastructure like street signs and trash bins.
The new plan would have three lanes of vehicular traffic and two 33.5 feet sidewalks. Widening the sidewalks by 46% will reduce the lengths of crosswalks by a third, making them safer, officials said.
The city expects the project to pay for itself through property and sales taxes in the district. “New Yorkers deserve an iconic boulevard that will rival the rest of the world — and together with the Future of Fifth Partnership, we’re going to deliver just that. This is a huge win for New York City,” Adams said in a statement in October.