The recurring Summer Streets program, which Mayor Eric Adams called a “bold new vision for public space across the city” during a press conference on Monday, will begin on July 29th in Queens and Staten Island. New Yorkers can expect to see miles of the city periodically closed to cars this summer, and unlike in the past, the program has expanded to all five boroughs.
“The streets are just not places where cars drive up and down,” Adams said. “We have redefined that entire thought.”
Summer Streets began in 2008, during the Bloomberg administration, with the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) closing down certain blocks to cars as a way to open up more outdoor recreational space in Manhattan. It expanded during de Blasio’s time as mayor, and was revived after a COVID pause.
Last year, the Adams administration provided the program with even more space, extending the Manhattan area all the way up to East Harlem. This year, the program will total 20 miles of car-free streets on select Saturdays. More than 500,000 people walked, ran, cycled, or played on Summer Streets last year.
“Thanks to Mayor Adams’ leadership, we are bringing an unprecedented number of Summer Streets to the people,” said DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “We are not only expanding the mileage of the Summer Streets program that New Yorkers have grown to love on Park Avenue, but we are also going to the Grand Concourse, Vernon Boulevard, Eastern Parkway, and Richmond Terrace to transform iconic streets in each borough. We thank the community leaders, advocates, and elected officials who so effectively championed this beloved program’s expansion
When the program is active, certain blocks in the city will be closed to automobile traffic on Saturdays between 7 AM and 1 PM, according to the DOT website. Organizations and performers are being invited to submit proposals to host events during that time.
