A busy Chinatown intersection where seven different streets meet would be overhauled to ease traffic and add pedestrian space under a proposal rolled out by the city transportation department Tuesday.
Currently, the pedestrians, cyclists and drivers are all forced to navigate a maze of turns at Chatham Square near the foot of the Bowery. The intersection is so confusing that the city regularly deploys traffic cops to keep cars flowing.
The DOT said it aims to reconfigure the square, which houses the Kimlau War Memorial and Lin Ze Xu Monument at the western end of East Broadway, and expand the plaza into the middle of Bowery. The redesign would convert the square from a five-point to a four-point intersection.
“I was just walking here and there’s a car coming super fast trying to turn right and I honestly felt like he was going to clip me,” said 27-year-old Mitchell Gunter, who works in Chinatown. “It doesn’t feel super safe.”
The DOT said the project is being funded by a $55 million program designed to redevelop Lower Manhattan following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This redesign is not just about improving traffic flow — it’s about honoring the cultural legacy of this neighborhood, creating more green and public space for residents and visitors, and strengthening the economic vitality of the community,” Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement.
DOT officials said they hope to begin work on the overhaul in 2027. But with Adams leaving office at the end of this year, it’ll be up to the next mayor to decide whether to proceed with the project.
Renderings of the redesign show a wide plaza filled with trees and other greenery. The city said it intends to use the square as a community meeting ground for public events like Lunar New Year and the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Data shared by the transportation department shows nearly 10,000 pedestrians passed through the intersection during peak afternoon and evening hours. DOT officials said the existing intersection requires pedestrians to walk long distances to cross the street while cars turn into the road.