Division Street Pedestrian Plaza is Also Getting Refurbished
Much like its newer sibling down the block (at Straus Square), the small median triangle of Division Street at the confluence of Ludlow and Canal, is likewise ready for a makeover. Closed to traffic for nearly a decade, the 1,000 square-foot roadway is receiving some refocused attention from the Department of Transportation this month.
Indeed, you may have noticed that artist Kim Sillen’s three-year-old “asphalt art,” dubbed “Modern Tapestry,” was sanded away. It had been commissioned in 2014 by the Lower East Side Partnership to beautify the under-utilized space. In addition, the slate of bollards, stone barricades, planters, and umbrellas were likewise removed or relocated.
“The plaza at Division Street and Canal Street is currently being refurbished and replaced with standard plaza surfacing material and will remain [permanently] closed off to traffic,” a DOT spokesperson confirmed in an email.
Upgrades to the run-down pedestrian plaza are expected to continue over the next couple weeks, and should be completed by early next month.
In the meantime, motorists are already taking advantage of the unobstructed throughway…
Where Canal, Ludlow, and Division meet, Circa 2009
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