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Public space reopens beneath Brooklyn Bridge, giving Chinatown a bit more room to breathe
By
Liam Quigley
Published Nov 17, 2024
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Courtesy NYC Department of Transportation
By
Liam Quigley
Published Nov 17, 2024
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A public space in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge near Chinatown is reopening on Monday, roughly 15 years after it was closed off and used as a construction site.
The reopening is the latest phase in the transportation department’s push to renew an area called “The Arches,” which closed down around 2010 for use as a staging area for contractors and work to restore the Brooklyn Bridge to its original color after years of grime buildup.
The city opened a larger section of the area last year that features basketball, pickleball and shuffleboard courts. Monday’s opening adds another 15,000 square feet of space in one of the city’s most densely packed areas. The area has been fitted with new benches and green space, which Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said will give locals more space to breathe.
“In Lower Manhattan, 15,000 square feet is an enormous amount of precious space,” Rodriguez said
The area was closed in 2009 to accommodate work on the Brooklyn Bridge and was turned into a work zone. For years, crews used it as a staging area for their work to scrub dirt and grime off the Brooklyn Bridge to maintain its original gray color.
The space has more than a dozen oaks, elms and Japanese pagoda trees.
The opening is part a larger project to improve pedestrian access between Chinatown and Lower Manhattan — but much of the work hinges on a potential federal grant the city has applied for under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, according to transportation department officials.
The space abuts Rose Street and a section of Park Row that has been closed to private car traffic since 9/11. Last year, city officials said they were working on a project to improve that street in hopes of attracting more foot traffic between Chinatown and Lower Manhattan.
The Department of Transportation is seeking feedback from community members as the agency works to reopen more closed-off sections in the area.
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Liam Quigley
Liam Quigley is a reporter covering parks & sanitation for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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