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Manhattan's Canal Street is getting a face-lift, but it'll take a while
By
Willow Higgins
Published Nov 10, 2026 at 6:30 a.m. ET
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Department of Transportation
By
Willow Higgins
Published Nov 10, 2026 at 6:30 a.m. ET
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There’s a long road ahead for Canal Street in Manhattan.
The downtown thoroughfare, known for its mercilessly crammed sidewalks and vendors hawking designer-ish handbags, watches and other goods, is getting a much-anticipated face-lift, but it isn’t going to happen quickly.
The Department of Transportation told a local community board committee meeting that much of the construction it planned for the west side of Canal Street will be delayed until 2027.
“Anything involving concrete work is going to be pushed to the next year,” said Lauren Rennée, a deputy commissioner for the Department of Transportation.
“We would have loved to do more,” she added.
The Department of Transportation has split the Reimagining Canal Street project into two phases. The first phase, which was scheduled for this fall, entails improving west Canal Street, where, according to the transportation department, vehicle traffic is the biggest concern.
Plans for Canal Street include widening the sidewalk, essentially creating a pedestrian walkway, and adding planters to protect pedestrians from the road.
Department of Transportation
The second phase targets east Canal Street, where concerns about walkability are paramount. Specific plans for improvements to the eastern side of the street have yet to be announced, but that work is scheduled for 2027.
East Canal, where most of the vendors are stationed, is where collisions happen the most. According to data from the department, 190 people were injured on East Canal St. between 2020 and 2024, and two were killed in a car crash. New Yorkers have been anticipating wider sidewalks for decades.
The west side improvements include adding new crosswalks, two-lane bike lanes, pedestrian areas lined with planters and concrete blocks, and painted curb extensions from the West Side Highway to Broadway.
Canal Street in Manhattan.
Willow Higgins/Gothamist
The only undertaking that has been executed this fall is painted curb extensions — essentially extending the pedestrian area into the shoulder — at five different sites near west Canal, Rennée told the community board meeting.
Signs about the construction project are plastered across the area, but there is little sign of any major work.
Plans for Canal Street include widening the sidewalk, essentially creating a pedestrian walkway, and adding planters to protect pedestrians from the road.
Department of Transportation
The transportation department contends that the project is still on schedule, and that more work will be done in the coming weeks, including the installation of planters. Any remaining work, Renée said, will be picked up next year.
The project is an important step in making sure New Yorkers have safe streets, said Mona Bruno, a spokesperson for the transportation department, in a statement.
“We began installing Canal Street West this fall as promised and substantial progress has been made as we work around the clock to deliver these upgrades to enhance safety," Bruno said in a statement.
Tagged
Race And Justice Unit
economy
manhattan
transportation
Willow Higgins
Willow Higgins covers changes in New York City neighborhoods for WNYC and Gothamist. She has previously reported on wrongful convictions, corruption in district attorney offices and Texas' child welfare system.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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