DOT to begin public engagement on Canal Street "Canal Strip" improvements, CB2 told

The Manhattan Community Board 2 executive committee heard that the New York City Department of Transportation will start public engagement this fall on proposed Canal Street "Canal Strip" improvements affecting Community Boards 1, 2 and 3.

Chair Valerie Dela Rosa said DOT "is going to start a public engagement process for Canal Strip improvements," and that the agency will bring materials to the board's Traffic and Transportation Committee and do street outreach.

The committee was told DOT expects to present to the community boards at least once in the fall and again in early spring. Dela Rosa said the materials will include a presentation (a "deck") and that the plan being discussed includes separate bid areas for Chinatown, a SoHo–Broadway portion, and Hudson Square. She asked committee members to watch for distribution of the materials ahead of the committee meetings.

Traffic and Transportation chair and board staff were asked to coordinate a joint response where appropriate and to include the DOT materials in the board's agenda packets. Committee members said the preliminary DOT ideas range from relatively simple fixes to more extensive changes; the board noted the long history of delays on Canal Street projects.

The board's executive committee did not take a formal position at the meeting. The next step is for DOT to present to Traffic and Transportation and for the committee and public to review the agency's engagement materials and designs.