Willoughby Street to see new traffic calming measures, including curb extensions and advisory 5MPH vehicle speed limit, plus bicycle corrals, planters, and other design elements.

The New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) will begin construction next week on Brooklyn’s first “Shared Street,” which will see a redesign of Pearl Street (from Fulton to Willoughby Streets) and Willoughby Street (from Pearl to Lawrence Streets) that enhances safety while increasing mobility and livability.

Building off the success of DBP’s Willoughby Walks events series, the new Downtown Brooklyn Shared Street, adjacent to the famous Fulton Mall, is the first Brooklyn location to be converted to a full time “Shared Street” configuration, where pedestrians and cyclists share space with vehicles that are restricted to a 5mph speed limit. Shared Street is modeled on what has already proven safe and successful in many cities including Seattle, Pittsburgh, Melbourne, and Barçelona.

While not strictly “car free,” Shared Streets are a new and sustainable use of limited urban space. NYCDOT has worked closely with local partners, including the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, Brooklyn Community Board 2, and local stakeholders to refine its proposal. In April, Community Board 2 voted unanimously in favor on the proposal, in which DOT will implement its entire toolkit to make a series of dramatic changes to the blocks, including:

  • Adding curb extensions on Pearl and Willoughby Streets
  • Adding bollards, planters, street furniture, and new signage and bicycle corrals
  • Traffic calming measures with an advisory 5MPH vehicle speed limit.
  • Shortening pedestrian crossings on Pearl and Willoughby Streets