6½ Avenue
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2d/Sixth_and_a_Half_Avenue_Looking_North_from_51st_Street.jpg/375px-Sixth_and_a_Half_Avenue_Looking_North_from_51st_Street.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Sixth_and_a_Half_Avenue_and_W_51_Street_in_Manhattan_New_York.jpg/200px-Sixth_and_a_Half_Avenue_and_W_51_Street_in_Manhattan_New_York.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Restaurant_on_6.5_Av_btw_54_%26_53_Sts_in_2021_jeh.jpg/220px-Restaurant_on_6.5_Av_btw_54_%26_53_Sts_in_2021_jeh.jpg)
6½ Avenue is a north-south pedestrian passageway[1][2] in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, running from West 51st to West 57th Streets between Sixth and Seventh Avenues.[3]
The pedestrian-only avenue is a one-quarter mile (400 m) corridor of privately owned public spaces, such as open-access lobbies and canopied space,[4] which are open during the day. There are stop signs and stop ahead signs at six crossings between 51st and 56th Streets. The mid-block crossing at 57th Street is equipped with a traffic light.[5] At the crosswalk areas, there are sidewalk pedestrian ramps with textured surface and flexible delineators to prevent vehicles parking in the areas.[6]
Each intersection along the thoroughfare has a street name sign that reads "6+1⁄2 AV" and the name of the cross street to officially mark the street name.[7] The mid-block stop signs are unusual for Manhattan, and the fractional avenue name is a new idea for the numbered street system of New York City.[4]
History
In 2011, the Friends of Privately Owned Public Spaces proposed the creation of a six-block pathway from 51st to 57th Streets that would be mid-block between Sixth and Seventh Avenues to ease pedestrian traffic. The proposal called for connecting public spaces in the area, that were not known to most pedestrians, into a pedestrian corridor and naming it Holly Whyte Way.[8] The idea was presented to the Community Board 5 Transportation Committee and the full Community Board 5, then the board sent a formal request to the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) in May 2011.[1]
In March 2012, NYCDOT announced the plan, with a list of improvements, to construct a new pedestrian-only avenue.[4] The Community Board 5 Transportation Committee unanimously voted in favor of a resolution to support the project as presented by NYCDOT on March 26, 2012.[9] The $60,000 project was completed in July 2012.[10]
Criticism
Drivers often fail to obey the avenue's stop signs presenting a public safety issue.[11]
References
- ^ a b Chaban, Matt (March 26, 2012). "Meet Me on 6½th Avenue: DOT Planning Public Promenade Through Middle of Midtown Towers". The New York Observer. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
- ^ "New York City Mulls '6 1/2 Avenue' Proposal, Linking Pedestrian Walkways In Midtown". CBS New York. March 30, 2012. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
- ^ "NYC DOT Announces Completion Of "6 ½ Avenue," Connecting Midtown Public Spaces With New, Safer Pedestrian Crossings" (press release). New York City Department of Transportation. September 6, 2012.
- ^ a b c Flegenheimer, Matt (March 29, 2012). "For Walkers, a Sixth-and-a-Half Ave. May Take Shape". The New York Times. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
- ^ Colvin, Jill (November 11, 2011). "City to Create New Mid-Block Crossing on West 57th Street". DNAInfo.com. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
- ^ "Midtown Mid-Block Crossings", New York City Department of Transportation (May 10, 2012). Accessed: July 12, 2012
- ^ Grynbaum, Michael M.; Flegenheimer, Matt (July 13, 2012). "City Room: Officially Marking a New Manhattan Avenue". The New York Times. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
- ^ Colvin, Jill (April 27, 2011). "Secret Midtown Passageways Seek More Exposure". DNAInfo.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
- ^ Johnson, Mary (March 27, 2012). "Avenue of Midtown Plazas Could Be Connected by the Summer". DNAInfo. Archived from the original on January 11, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
- ^ Johnson, Mary (July 12, 2012). "New Crosswalks Connect to Form '6 1/2 Avenue' in Midtown". DNAInfo.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012.
- ^ "Stop Signs Along Midtown's 6 1/2 Avenue Catching Drivers By Surprise", CBS New York (July 19, 2012). Accessed: July 30, 2012
External links
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