Astor Place

This week, work will begin on a City project to reconstruct the streetscape surrounding Astor Place and Cooper Square in the East Village. Over the next two years, the Department of Design and Construction (DDC), which is managing the project on behalf of the Department of Transportation (DOT), will install permanent pedestrian plazas on Astor Place and Cooper Square to better serve the high volume of foot traffic in the area. In the course of the project, the City will also install new drainage, curbs, and sidewalks, and reconstruct several area streets, including Third Avenue/Bowery between East 4th and 9th Streets. The $16 million project also includes more than 60 new trees and a new design for Cooper Triangle Park, with improved plantings, seating, and lighting.