LOWER MANHATTAN — Pedestrians trying to cross the busy West Side Highway near the World Trade Center no longer have to climb steep steps — or deal with elevators that frequently break down — at the Vesey Street pedestrian bridge.
The street-level crosswalk at Vesey and West Streets, shut for years because of safety concerns cited by the Department of Transportation, has finally reopened.
The temporary, and much-maligned, pedestrian footbridge was closed this week for good, as the DOT working with The Port Authority, is set to begin dismantling the elevated walkway.
Local residents, businesses and politicians had long pushed to reopen the crosswalk, which links the Financial District with Battery Park City's Brookfield Place.
Several crossing guards are managing the pedestrian flow across the lanes of car traffic from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and pedestrian signals and signage were added to the intersection, according to the DOT.
