Artist's rendering of the NYSE area after the three-phase project is complete

Since September 11, 2001, barricades and bulky planters have lined Wall, Nassau, and Broad Streets, and pickup trucks have blocked intersections, making the narrow streets around the New York Stock Exchange area safer -- but also a little cramped.

Thanks to a $10 million contribution from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, as well as some private funding, and the intensive work of the New York City Department of Transportation, City Planning, and Police Department, the neighborhood is undergoing the second phase of streetscape work, creating a pedestrian-friendly makeover that will keep security tight and sidewalks flowing.

Some changes, such as outdoor seating, have already been put in place

"Bicycle rack" French barricades along Wall Street have been replaced by a black, wrought-iron fence that's opened up more of the pedestrian-heavy street -- though this fence too will will likely be replaced by a more permanent installation once the refined streetscape plan is realized. The oversized sidewalk planters, considered an improvement on the concrete Jersey barriers that originally guarded Broad Street, have been replaced by sculpted, bronze-cast sidewalk barriers called "NoGos."

Artists rendering of the future area includes public plazas, 'Eurocobble' pavement and fountains

Also newly installed is "Eurocobble," a preassembled cobblestone pavement, atop the asphalt on Broad Street between Wall and Exchange Place to raise streets to sidewalk height and create a permanent pedestrian zone.

While fencing and bollards will direct much of the area's traffic, a more sophisticated set of "Delta barriers" (designed by Delta Scientific Corp.) that rise and sink from the street as necessary will replace the pickup trucks that now serve as moveable barriers.

The improvements are expected to be completed by fall of 2004. 

The city and LMDC are exploring other potential improvements that could be in place as soon as 2005, such as a block-long fountain that will evoke the canal that flowed along Broad Street in the 17th century. Plans for pedestrian plazas and boards providing historical information to visitors along landmark Wall Street are also being considered.

To read more about the area's improvements, click here.

For additional up-to-date information, please view LowerManhattan.info's interactive transportation map. We have pinpointed this project on the map so you can see exactly which streets are affected during construction. The streetwork layer of the map is updated daily by the Department of Transportation.