New York City has officially reopened a newly revitalized section of “The Arches,” a public plaza located on the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge, and announced an additional $50 million investment to expand and enhance the space. Located adjacent to City Hall and named for the 53 overhead bridge arches, the area has remained largely inaccessible for the past 15 years due to ongoing restoration work on the Brooklyn Bridge. The investment, part of the city’s FY 2026 Executive Budget and the “We Outside Summer” initiative, will support the addition of public seating, plantings, lighting, and recreational amenities.
Upgraded space at The Arches includes more than 2 acres of open public area in Lower Manhattan and Chinatown, complementing more than 1 acre previously reopened in earlier phases. Managed by the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT), the site now includes access to the vaulted archways of the historic bridge structure, along with recreational installations such as basketball, pickleball, and shuffleboard courts, quiet seating areas, and the return of the “Brooklyn Banks,” a historic skateboarding site redesigned with The Skatepark Project and Gotham Park.
Photograph of The Arches, via nyc.gov
Originally used as a staging area for the $1 billion Brooklyn Bridge rehabilitation, the newly available space continues to undergo phased improvements. Stakeholders include city agencies, local community boards, and advocacy organizations.
“Public space in this city is precious: it’s where our families create memories, it’s where our children play, and it’s where communities come to relax,” said Mayor Adams. “Today, we return 2 more acres of public space back to the local Chinatown community at ‘The Arches,’ giving New Yorkers more outdoor space to exercise, engage with others, and enjoy. We are also investing $50 million in funding to bring this space back to life, and transform it into a lively, inclusive space for friends and neighbors to come together, welcoming New Yorkers from all walks of life.”
Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail
Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates
Like YIMBY on Facebook
Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews
Bravo
Finally news and access to an area that was a dump .
Hopefully proper care and maintenance along with architectural lightening will bring some style and significance that has been badly neglected for decades
Good move it’s a complete dump.
I wonder if they found any of the wine that used to be stored under the bridge?
Now let’s see if someone has the intelligence not to tear down an asbestos laden building one block away and befoul the whole area with cancer causing construction dust.
One of the most UNinviting spaces I’ve ever seen.
Commerce needed, otherwise just a place to hang out.
We Outside?
not proper English . .. but what can be expected from Today’s city council.
lets not let the become just another graffiti blighted, marijuana hazed “public” space.
the current city councilman thinks anything nice, safe, clean means gentrification. and the dreaded cuacusains.