100-629: Sixth Avenue , also known as Avenue of the Americas , is a major thoroughfare in the New York City borough of Manhattan . The avenue is commercial for much of its length, and traffic runs northbound, or uptown. Sixth Avenue begins four blocks below Canal Street , at Franklin Street in Tribeca , where the northbound Church Street divides into Sixth Avenue to the left and the local continuation of Church Street to
200-637: A $ 124.9 million contract that also included the renovation of the 28th Street station on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line . 23rd Street reopened ahead of schedule on November 29, 2018, while 57th Street reopened on December 19, 2018. As part of the 2015–2019 Capital Program, the 34th Street and West Fourth Street interlockings on the IND Sixth Avenue Line were upgraded at a cost of $ 356.5 million. The interlocking upgrades would support communications-based train control (CBTC) installation on
300-510: A $ 22 million project to build two express tracks between the West Fourth Street and 34th Street–Herald Square stations. The express tracks were built 80 feet (24 m) beneath the surface. The construction was done in two portions. The first section was between West 9th and 19th Streets, and the second section was between West 19th and 31st Streets. The express tracks were part of an $ 80 million subway improvement program that began with
400-459: A 0.74-mile-long (1.19 km) section in Lower Manhattan between Lispenard Street to the south and Eighth Street to the north, comprising part of the present-day Eighth Avenue Line. The second line would be a 2.47-mile-long (3.98 km) section running between Carmine Street to the south and 53rd Street to the north, comprising much of the present-day Sixth Avenue Line. South of Carmine Street,
500-485: A 20-block stretch with no bike lane. The southern segment ran from Franklin Street to Canal Street, while the northern segment ran from Eighth Street to Central Park South. Community Board 2 was reviewing plans for a protected bike lane from Lispenard Street (just south of Canal Street) to Eighth Street by mid-2024, and plans for a bike lane between these two intersections were announced in October 2024. The same month, as part of
600-463: A century later it was co-named Malcolm X Boulevard, in honor of the slain civil rights leader Malcolm X . Starting in 1926, as part of the construction of the Holland Tunnel , Sixth Avenue was widened and extended from Minetta Lane to Canal Street . Smaller side streets in the extension's path were also demolished or incorporated into the extended avenue. The Sixth Avenue extension also allowed for
700-448: A combined 90,000 passengers, to enter Manhattan during rush hours. However, the section between 9th and 19th Streets soon experienced various delays: although it had started in April 1961, work was halted by a water main break in 1962, and by July 1963, the work was only 20 percent complete. Construction on the section between West 19th and 31st Streets was further along: it had started in
800-497: A county in themselves, or are completely separate and independent of any county. Each borough is represented by a borough president . Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island each have a Borough Hall with limited administrative functions. The Manhattan Borough President's office is situated in the Manhattan Municipal Building . The Bronx Borough President's office used to be in its own Bronx Borough Hall but has been in
900-482: A county. When the western part of Queens County was consolidated with New York City in 1898, that area became the Borough of Queens. In 1899, the remaining eastern section of Queens County was split off to form Nassau County on Long Island , thereafter making the borough and county of Queens coextensive with each other. The term borough was adopted in 1898 to describe a form of governmental administration for each of
1000-462: A junction with the Eighth Avenue Line south of West Fourth Street–Washington Square east under Houston Street and south under Essex Street to a temporary terminal at East Broadway . E trains, which ran from Jackson Heights, Queens to Hudson Terminal , were shifted to the new line to East Broadway. Two express tracks were built on the portion under Houston Street until Essex Street-Avenue A;
1100-600: A pair of express tracks between 34th and West 4th Streets, were built to provide the necessary capacity for the new service to Brooklyn. There are branches on both ends of the line. On the south end, the express tracks used by the B and D trains diverge to Grand Street and the Manhattan Bridge . The local tracks continue through the Rutgers Street Tunnel and to York Street in Brooklyn (used by
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#17328517550861200-518: A reconstruction of the parallel Fifth Avenue in Midtown, Mayor Eric Adams proposed widening Sixth Avenue's bike lane for two-way bike traffic. Sights along Sixth Avenue include Juan Pablo Duarte Square ; the polychrome High Victorian Gothic Jefferson Market Courthouse, currently occupied by the Jefferson Market Library ; the surviving stretch of grand department stores of 1880 to 1900 in
1300-583: A series of subway and commuter rail expansions proposed by the MTA to then-Governor Nelson Rockefeller , included a spur of the line to the underserved Alphabet City neighborhood on the Lower East Side. The spur would run under Houston Street , Avenue C , and 14th Street . The branch's construction was delayed in 1971 after voters blocked a bond issue, then canceled along with most of the Program's new projects after
1400-724: A train on the Eighth Avenue Line needs to access the Manhattan Bridge. Just before approaching Second Avenue, the local tracks split into four tracks again. The two center tracks, which are not used in revenue service, dead-end just east of the Second Avenue station. They were built as part of the IND's proposed expansion in the 1930s , and would have merged with the never-built IND Worth Street Line and then entered Brooklyn. The line would have run to Utica Avenue in Brooklyn if it had been completed. Other provisions for unbuilt lines exist at
1500-669: Is also used by politicians to counter a frequent focus on Manhattan and thereby to place all five boroughs on equal footing. In the same vein, the term outer boroughs refers to all of the boroughs excluding Manhattan, even though the geographic center of the city is along the Brooklyn–Queens border. All five boroughs were created in 1898 during consolidation, when the city's modern boundaries were established. The Bronx originally included parts of New York County outside of Manhattan that had previously been ceded by neighboring Westchester County in two stages; in 1874 ( southern Yonkers , and
1600-523: Is at Central Park South , adjacent to the Artists' Gate entrance to Central Park via Center Drive . Historically, Sixth Avenue was also the name of the road that continued north of Central Park, but that segment was renamed Lenox Avenue in 1887 and co-named Malcolm X Boulevard in 1987. Sixth Avenue was laid out in the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 . As originally designed, Sixth Avenue's southern terminus
1700-601: Is used in Connecticut , New Jersey , and Pennsylvania , where a borough is an independent level of government, as well as with borough forms used in other states and in Greater London . New York City is often referred to collectively as the five boroughs , which can unambiguously refer to the city proper as a whole, avoiding confusion with any particular borough or with the Greater New York metropolitan area . The term
1800-565: The 63rd Street Lines ; the local tracks, used by the M train, merge with the IND Queens Boulevard Line and continue to Queens . The following services currently use part or all of the Sixth Avenue Line, whose services' bullets are colored orange: The majority of the Sixth Avenue Line has four tracks, two local and two express. At each end, these pairs of tracks split, giving the line two north and two south ends. One of
1900-935: The Bronx County Courthouse for decades. Since the abolition of the Board of Estimate in 1990 (due to a 1989 ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court ), the borough presidents have minimal executive powers, and there is no legislative function within a borough. Executive functions in New York City are the responsibility of the Mayor of New York City , while legislative functions reside with the New York City Council . The borough presidents primarily act as spokesmen, advocates, and ceremonial leaders for their boroughs, have budgets from which they can allocate relatively modest sums of money to community organizations and projects, and appoint
2000-707: The F and <F> trains) or via the Chrystie Street Connection and the Williamsburg Bridge to the BMT Jamaica Line in Brooklyn (used by the M train). On the north end, north of 47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center , the express tracks diverge to Seventh Avenue–53rd Street and the IND Eighth Avenue Line, while a spur used by the F and <F> train continues under Sixth Avenue to 57th Street and
2100-524: The G Brooklyn–Queens Crosstown service. The additional capacity allowed for the reintroduction of the AA for off-peak service between 168th Street and Hudson Terminal via the Eighth Avenue Line , and the creation of the rush-hour BB between 168th Street and 34th Street-Herald Square via Sixth Avenue. In addition, the D train, which ran between Norwood–205th Street and Hudson Terminal via Sixth Avenue,
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#17328517550862200-756: The George Washington Bridge , has also been called the sixth borough. Yonkers , in Westchester County, is often referred to as the sixth borough as well. IND Sixth Avenue Line The IND Sixth Avenue Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in the United States. It runs mainly under Sixth Avenue in Manhattan , and continues south to Brooklyn . The B , D , F , and M trains, which use
2300-658: The IND Eighth Avenue Line ( A , C , and E trains) south of Greenwich Avenue . The Harlem portion of Sixth Avenue ( Lenox Avenue ) is served by the IRT Lenox Avenue Line ( 2 and 3 trains) north of Central Park North (110th Street). The PATH 's Uptown Hudson Tubes to New Jersey also run under Sixth Avenue ( JSQ–33 , HOB-33 , and JSQ-33 (via HOB) trains) from 9th to 33rd Streets. The M55 runs south of West 44th Street, where it terminates, while
2400-604: The IND Queens Boulevard Line , which parallels it just to the north. At Seventh Avenue , the southbound track is above the northbound track (the same is true on the Queens Boulevard Line, though north is the opposite direction from the Sixth Avenue Line). These tracks are used by the B and D express trains. The express tracks from Columbus Circle then turn south to go under Sixth Avenue, merging with
2500-566: The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT)'s Sixth Avenue elevated , which closed in 1939. The first section of the line opened in 1936 from West Fourth Street to East Broadway with service provided by Eighth Avenue Line trains. This section was initially referred to as the Houston-Essex Street Route. The Sixth Avenue subway was completed in 1940, providing service north of West Fourth Street, connecting to
2600-504: The Ladies' Mile Historic District that runs from 18th Street to 23rd Street ; the former wholesale flower district; Herald Square at 34th Street, site of Macy's department store; and Bryant Park from 40th to 42nd Streets . The corporate stretch above 42nd Street contains the Bank of America Tower , W. R. Grace Building , International Center of Photography , Rockefeller Center (including
2700-502: The M5 and M7 run north of West 31st and West 14th Streets, respectively. The latter begins Harlem service at West 16th Street and uses 7th Avenue downtown; the rest use 5th Avenue. Additional service is provided by the eastbound M21 from Spring to West Houston Streets. The avenue is referenced both in the name and in the lyrics of " 6th Avenue Heartache " by The Wallflowers . New York City borough The boroughs of New York City are
2800-650: The New York City Board of Estimate requested a $ 25.5 million federal loan for the construction of the Sixth Avenue line. The first portion of the line to be constructed was then known as the Houston–Essex Street Line, which ran under Houston, Essex, and Rutgers Streets. The contract for the line was awarded to Corson Construction in January 1929, at which time the city began evicting 10,000 residents within
2900-519: The New York metropolitan area as well as in other states, U.S. territories , and foreign countries. In 2011, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg referred to the city's waterfront and waterways as a composite sixth borough during presentations of planned rehabilitation projects along the city's shoreline , including Governor's Island in the Upper New York Bay . The Hudson Waterfront , in
3000-653: The Queens Boulevard Line and the Eighth Avenue Line. Initially, the Sixth Avenue Line carried only local service, since there were no express tracks between 34th Street and West 4th Street. In 1967 and 1968, the Chrystie Street Connection was completed, connecting the line with former BMT lines in Brooklyn via the Manhattan Bridge and with the BMT Jamaica Line over the Williamsburg Bridge. Two new stations at 57th Street and Grand Street, as well as
3100-789: The Time-Life Building , News Corp. Building , Exxon Building , McGraw-Hill Building , and Radio City Music Hall ) and the CBS Building . Sixth Avenue is the site of the annual Village Halloween Parade in Greenwich Village and the Dominican Day Parade in Midtown. Sixth Avenue is served by the New York City Subway with the IND Sixth Avenue Line ( B , D , F , <F> , and M trains) north of Houston Street , and
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3200-668: The U.S. state of New Jersey , lies opposite Manhattan on the Hudson River , and during the Dutch colonial era , it was under the jurisdiction of New Amsterdam and known as Bergen . Jersey City and Hoboken , in New Jersey's Hudson County , are sometimes referred to as the sixth borough, given their proximity and connections by rapid transit PATH trains to the city. Fort Lee , in Bergen County , opposite Upper Manhattan and connected by
3300-476: The 1960s, the avenue was entirely rebuilt above 42nd Street as an all-but-uninterrupted avenue of corporate headquarters housed in glass slab towers of International Modernist style. Among the buildings constructed was the CBS Building at 52nd Street , by Eero Saarinen (1965), dubbed "Black Rock" for its full-height black-granite piers ; this designated landmark is Saarinen's only skyscraper . Another group of modernist structures along Sixth Avenue in midtown
3400-527: The 1975–76 New York City fiscal crisis and extreme MTA fare revenue fluctuations. The tracks at 57th Street were originally built for a proposed extension under Central Park to Harlem . The stub-end tracks were eventually connected to the IND 63rd Street Line when the latter opened in October 1989. The 63rd Street line only extended to the 21st Street–Queensbridge station in Queens, and did not connect to any other lines in that borough. The Q train served
3500-456: The 21st Street–Queensbridge station to the IND Queens Boulevard Line in Queens began in December 1990, and construction began on September 22, 1994. The Connector came into regular use on December 16, 2001. A new Sixth Avenue local service, the V, was introduced operating local via Sixth Avenue and terminating in the center tracks of the Sixth Avenue Line's Second Avenue station. The V ran local on
3600-562: The 33rd Street terminal were located only two blocks away, rendering the 28th Street stop unnecessary. It was demolished to make room for the IND tracks below. The IRT's Sixth Avenue elevated ultimately closed in December 1938, just before the Sixth Avenue subway was completed. In addition to threading around the H&;M tunnel, the line had to pass over the BMT Canarsie Line along 14th Street, over
3700-467: The 57th Street station and the portion of the Chrystie Street Connection connecting the line with the Williamsburg Bridge opened. Service on the KK was inaugurated, running from 57th Street to 168th Street on the BMT Jamaica Line . B service was extended during non-rush hours from West Fourth Street to 57th Street. D trains began running express via the Sixth Avenue Line at all times. The Program for Action ,
3800-462: The 63rd Street extension on weekdays and the B train stopped there on the weekends; both services used the Sixth Avenue Line. The Q train, a part-time express within Brooklyn via the BMT Brighton Line, ran along the Sixth Avenue Line between 1988 and 2001, when the Manhattan Bridge south tracks were closed for reconstruction. Planning for the 63rd Street Line's $ 645 million connection from
3900-482: The Americas" and "Sixth Avenue" in recent years. Most of the old round signs with country emblems were gone by the late 1990s, and the ones remaining, which were only present between Canal Street and Washington Place in Greenwich Village and in Midtown around 57th Street began showing signs of age. However, starting in March 2023, the city began to install new signs along most of the length of the avenue, in addition to replacing
4000-603: The B and D were reversed from prior to the Manhattan Bridge service suspensions. B service operates weekdays only via the Brighton Line express tracks to Brighton Beach, replacing the <Q> express on the Brighton Line. D service operates 24/7 along the West End Line because residents of Bensonhurst , a neighborhood located near the West End Line, wanted full-time direct subway service to Manhattan. The 2015–2019 Metropolitan Transportation Authority Capital Plan called for
4100-416: The H&M was cut back to 28th Street to allow for construction on the subway to take place. The 33rd Street terminal was moved south to 32nd Street and reopened on September 24, 1939. The city had to pay $ 800,000 to build the new 33rd Street station and reimbursed H&M another $ 300,000 to the H&M for the loss of revenue. The 28th Street station was closed at this time because the southern entrances to
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4200-478: The IND line, then build a lower level for the H&M. The IND started advertising bids for the section of the Sixth Avenue Line between 43rd and 53rd Streets in April 1931. However, that May, construction was postponed because of fears that it would disrupt the Catskill Aqueduct , one of the New York City water supply system 's crucial water mains to Brooklyn and Queens. The NYCBOT wanted to start work on
4300-502: The IND typically installed express–local crossovers beyond the fronts of the station platforms, an anomaly in the track layout was created when the Chrystie Street Connection was built. A crossover exists west of Broadway–Lafayette Street only on the northbound side, allowing trains from the Manhattan Bridge to reach the Eighth Avenue local tracks at West Fourth Street but not vice versa. As a result, unusual routings are required whenever
4400-427: The Queens Boulevard Line, and it only operated during weekdays. At this time, the F, which ran express along the Queens Boulevard Line, was rerouted to operate via the 57th Street station and the 63rd Street line north of the 47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center station, rather than via the 53rd Street tunnel. Both the 63rd Street and the 53rd Street lines merge into the Queens Boulevard Line in Queens. On June 28, 2010,
4500-654: The Sixth Avenue Line through Midtown Manhattan , are colored orange. The B and D trains use the express tracks, while the F, <F> and M trains use the local tracks. The Sixth Avenue Line, constructed in stages during the 1930s, was the last trunk line built by the Independent Subway System (IND) before it was incorporated into the modern-day New York City Subway. It was more difficult to build than other subway trunk lines in New York City because construction had to proceed around, over, and under existing tunnels and elevated structures. The Sixth Avenue Line replaced
4600-495: The Sixth Avenue Line would curve east under Houston Street , then south under Essex Street and Rutgers Street before continuing south into Brooklyn. Work on the core section of the IND Sixth Avenue Line, located between Fourth and 53rd Streets, was not to begin for several years. The section of Sixth Avenue from Ninth to 33rd Streets was already occupied by the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad (H&M)'s Uptown Hudson Tubes. At first,
4700-515: The Sixth Avenue Line's 23rd Street and 57th Street stations, along with 31 others, to undergo a complete overhaul as part of the Enhanced Station Initiative . Updates would include cellular service, Wi-Fi, USB charging stations, interactive service advisories and maps, improved signage, and improved station lighting. The renovations at both stations were supposed to last from July to December 2018. The renovations were conducted under
4800-542: The Sixth Avenue subway at Bryant Park on March 23, 1936. The Carleton Company was hired in September 1936 to construct the section from 27th to 33rd Streets, and Rosoff-Brader was hired that October to build the segment from 33rd to 40th Streets. The next month, the George A. Flynn Corporation received a contract for the construction of the section between 47th and 53rd Streets. The Arthur A. Johnson Corp. and Necaro Co. received
4900-415: The V was replaced by the M, which began using the Chrystie Street Connection to the Williamsburg Bridge. Regular M trains make all former V stops except for Second Avenue. In 2004, full Manhattan Bridge service was restored. This resulted in full B and D express service being restored from 34th Street–Herald Square to the Manhattan Bridge, where the services continued to Brooklyn. However, the terminals of
5000-406: The addition of future lower level stations at 14th Street and 23rd Street without disturbances to train operation. On November 26, 1967, the first part of the Chrystie Street Connection opened and Sixth Avenue Line express tracks opened from 34th Street–Herald Square to West Fourth Street–Washington Square . With the opening of the connection to the Manhattan Bridge, BB service was renamed B and it
5100-430: The avenue, showing the national seals and coats of arms of the nations honored. However, New Yorkers rarely used the avenue's newer name, and in 1955, an informal study found that locals used "Sixth Avenue" more than eight times as often as "Avenue of the Americas". The move was also criticized as "propaganda" by those who wanted to return to the original name. Since then, the thoroughfare has been labelled as both "Avenue of
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#17328517550865200-485: The bill into law on October 2, 1945. The intent was to honor "Pan-American ideals and principles" and the nations of Central and South America, and to encourage those countries to build consulates along the avenue. It was felt at the time that the name would provide greater grandeur to a shabby street, and to promote trade with the Western Hemisphere. After the name change, round signs were attached to streetlights on
5300-422: The branch from 57th Street and the local tracks' split from the IND Queens Boulevard Line (used by the M local train). The branch from 57th Street merges into both the local and express track pairs; there are no direct track connections between the local and express tracks. South of this point, the Sixth Avenue Line consists of four tracks from west to east: the southbound express track, the southbound local track,
5400-425: The city and IND and the H&M continued for several years. The IND and H&M finally came to an agreement in 1930. The city had decided to build the IND Sixth Avenue Line's local tracks around the pre-existing H&M tubes, and add express tracks for the IND underneath the H&M tubes at a later date. However, the city still planned to eventually take over the H&M tracks, convert them to express tracks for
5500-459: The city grew northward, it began annexing areas on the mainland, absorbing territory from Westchester County into New York County in 1874 ( West Bronx ) and 1895 ( East Bronx ). During the 1898 consolidation, this territory was organized as the Borough of the Bronx, though still part of New York County. In 1914, Bronx County was split off from New York County so that each borough was then coterminous with
5600-500: The city intended to take over the portion of the Uptown Tubes under Sixth Avenue for IND use, then build a pair of new tubes for the H&M directly underneath it. The IND had committed to building the Sixth Avenue line, and the H&M's 33rd Street terminal was located both above and below preexisting railroad tunnels, hence the IND's plan to convert part of the H&M tubes. However, the H&M objected, and so negotiations between
5700-555: The city. In some document collections the boroughs used to be designated with a one-letter abbreviation: K for Brooklyn, M for Manhattan, Q for Queens, R for Staten Island (Richmond County), and X for the Bronx. The term "sixth borough" is used to describe any of a number of places that have been metaphorically called a part of New York City because of their geographic location, demographics (they include large numbers of former New Yorkers), special affiliation, or cosmopolitan character. They have included adjacent cities and counties in
5800-540: The connection to Church Avenue . Simultaneously, the Fulton Street Line was opened to Rockaway Avenue and the A and C trains, which had used Smith Street, were rerouted to Fulton Street. In April 1935, engineers started planning in earnest for the Midtown section of the Sixth Avenue Line. The first contract, for the section between 40th and 47th Streets, was awarded to Rosoff-Brader Construction in October 1935. Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia broke ground for
5900-450: The construction of the Independent Subway System (IND)'s Eighth Avenue Line , which was to run below Sixth Avenue south of Eighth Street. To accommodate the new subway, buildings were condemned and demolished to extend Sixth Avenue southward. Construction of the extension resulted in considerable dislocation to existing residents, as ten thousand people were evicted to make way for the Sixth Avenue extension. One historian stated that most of
6000-459: The contract to build the segment between 18th and 27th Streets in January 1937. The final contract, between 9th and 18th Streets, was awarded to Spencer White & Prentis in June 1937. The construction of the Sixth Avenue Line was very difficult because of the various utilities and tunnels above, below, and beside the line. At the time, it was considered the costliest subway line in the city. The line
6100-507: The counties are considered to be arms of the state government), rather than officials of the city government, they are not subject to the term limitations that govern other New York City officials such as the mayor, the New York City Public Advocate , members of the city council, or the borough presidents. Some civil court judges also are elected on a borough-wide basis, although they generally are eligible to serve throughout
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#17328517550866200-437: The creation of modern New York City in 1898, when New York County (then including the Bronx), Kings County, Richmond County, and part of Queens County were consolidated within one municipal government under a new city charter . All former municipalities within the newly consolidated city were dissolved. New York City was originally confined to Manhattan Island and the smaller surrounding islands that formed New York County. As
6300-420: The displaced residents were "Italian immigrants who knew no other home in America". According to the WPA Guide to New York City , the extension resulted in blank side walls facing the "uninspiring thoroughfare" and small leftover spaces. Dozens of buildings, including the original Church of Our Lady of Pompeii , were demolished. After the renumbering of the street's properties in 1929, the Sixth Avenue extension
6400-425: The five fundamental constituent parts of the newly consolidated city . Under the 1898 City Charter adopted by the New York State Legislature, a borough is a municipal corporation that is created when a county is merged with populated areas within it. The limited powers of the boroughs are inferior to the authority of the government of New York City , contrasting significantly with the powers of boroughs as that term
6500-431: The five major governmental districts that compose New York City . They are the Bronx , Brooklyn , Manhattan , Queens , and Staten Island . Each borough is coextensive with a respective county of the State of New York : The Bronx is Bronx County, Brooklyn is Kings County, Manhattan is New York County, Queens is Queens County, and Staten Island is Richmond County. All five boroughs of New York came into existence with
6600-480: The lane carried 200 cyclists an hour at peak times. The barriers between the bike lane and the vehicular lanes were removed in November 1980. Manhattan Community Board 2 voted in 2014 to request a feasibility study for a protected bike lane on Sixth Avenue. The protected bike lane between 35th Street and Central Park South was reinstated in October 2020, following advocacy from cyclists. At the time, Sixth Avenue had two discontinuous segments of bike lanes, separated by
6700-411: The line's route. Construction of this section officially started in May 1929. The contract for the Rutgers Street Tunnel , connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn, was awarded in May 1930. In May 1933, the city started widening Essex and Rutgers Streets to accommodate the future subway line underneath. The Houston and Essex Street Line began operations at noon on January 1, 1936, with two local tracks from
6800-405: The media, they are technically and legally the district attorneys of New York County and Kings County, respectively. The same goes for Staten Island. There is no such distinction made for the district attorneys of the other two counties, Queens and the Bronx, since these boroughs share the respective counties' names. Because the five district attorneys are, technically speaking, state officials (since
6900-522: The members of the 59 largely advisory community boards in the city's various neighborhoods. The Brooklyn and Queens borough presidents also appoint trustees to the local public library systems in those boroughs. Being coextensive with an individual county, each borough also elects a district attorney , as does every other county of New York State. While the district attorneys of Manhattan and Brooklyn are popularly referred to as "Manhattan D.A. Cyrus Vance, Jr. ", or "Brooklyn D.A. Kenneth P. Thompson " by
7000-441: The mezzanine levels of the Second Avenue and East Broadway stations, where unfinished open spaces indicate where stations for the Second Avenue Subway and IND Worth Street Line, respectively, would have been built. The local tracks in Manhattan turn south under Essex Street and Rutgers Street before crossing under the East River via the Rutgers Street Tunnel. The tracks then become IND Culver Line in Brooklyn, stopping at
7100-405: The middle of 1961, and was 60 percent complete in July 1963. The first section was 88 percent complete on June 30, 1965, and the second section was 99 percent complete on that date. Between West 55th and 58th Street, a third of the structural work was done by this date. No stations were constructed along the new express tracks, but provisions were incorporated into the design of the tunnel to permit
7200-420: The name of the county unchanged. There are hundreds of distinct neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs of New York City, many with a definable history and character to call their own. Since 1914, each of New York City's five boroughs has been coextensive with a county of New York State – unlike most U.S. cities , which lie within a single county or extend partially into another county, constitute
7300-407: The north ends is at 57th Street , where two tracks lead south under Sixth Avenue from the IND 63rd Street Line (used by the F train at all times). The other is just south of 59th Street–Columbus Circle , where a two-track line splits from the IND Eighth Avenue Line at a flying junction (with connections to the local and express tracks), immediately turns east under 53rd Street , and crosses
7400-477: The north side of the Manhattan Bridge into Brooklyn. The express tracks used to continue on to the express tracks at Second Avenue before the tracks were rerouted to the Chrystie Street Connection. The local tracks split at this point. One pair continues east to Second Avenue (used by the F train) while the other pair merges with the BMT Nassau Street Line at Essex Street (used by the M train). Since
7500-458: The northbound express track, and the northbound local track. After passing through 47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center , the two southbound tracks cross each other; the tracks from Columbus Circle become the two center express tracks, and the tracks from the Queens Boulevard Line are the two outside local tracks. South of 42nd Street–Bryant Park is a large interlocking with six crossovers and switches. The original express tracks ended just to
7600-524: The outer tracks of Jay Street–MetroTech . New York City mayor John Francis Hylan 's original plans for the Independent Subway System (IND), proposed in 1922, included building over 100 miles (160 km) of new lines and taking over nearly 100 miles (160 km) of existing lines. The lines were designed to compete with the existing underground, surface, and elevated lines operated by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) and Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT). The IND Sixth Avenue Line
7700-712: The reconstruction of the DeKalb Avenue station in Brooklyn. The second phase of construction was the Chrystie Street Connection , which would connect the BMT lines coming over the Manhattan Bridge and the Williamsburg Bridge with the IND Houston Street Line. There was also to be a new two-track spur line between West 52nd and 58th Streets with a terminal at 57th Street to allow trains to short turn. The two projects would allow 45 additional trains per hour, carrying
7800-434: The remaining original signs, which were aging. In the mid-1970s, the city "spruced up" the street, including the addition of patterned brick crosswalks, repainting of streetlamps, and new pedestrian plazas. Special lighting, rare throughout the rest of the city, was also installed. The administration of Mayor Ed Koch added a protected bike lane to Sixth Avenue between Eighth Street/ Greenwich Avenue and Central Park South;
7900-618: The right, which then ends at Canal Street. From this beginning, Sixth Avenue traverses SoHo and Greenwich Village , roughly divides Chelsea from the Flatiron District and NoMad , passes through the Garment District and skirts the edge of the Theater District while passing through Midtown Manhattan . Although it is officially named "Avenue of the Americas", this name is seldom used by New Yorkers. Sixth Avenue's northern end
8000-539: The section between 33rd and 39th Streets first so that the engineering issues with the H&M tubes and water main could be resolved. In January 1932, the city announced an agreement with the New York City Water Supply Board . The IND wanted to start construction on the Sixth Avenue line by June so that some of the projected train traffic on the Eighth Avenue line, which was slated to open that year, could be rerouted through Sixth Avenue instead. In 1933,
8100-475: The south at 34th Street–Herald Square and some services switched to the local tracks at the interlocking. This was done because the PATH 's Uptown Hudson Tubes already existed under Sixth Avenue south of 33rd Street , and so the Sixth Avenue Line local tracks were built on each side of PATH. The section between West Fourth Street–Washington Square and 34th Street–Herald Square, the only express section of this line,
8200-488: The southbound express track crossed over the southbound local track at a grade-separated flyover between 42nd and 47th–50th Streets. Bellmouth tunnels north of 47th–50th Streets were built to allow for a future extension under Central Park and along Morningside Avenue to 145th Street. This extension was part of the Board of Transportation's long-range program, and was estimated to cost $ 34.914 million as of August 1940. Construction
8300-406: The three eastern towns of Queens County that had not joined the city the year before—the towns of Hempstead , North Hempstead , and Oyster Bay —formally seceded from Queens County to form the new Nassau County . The borough of Staten Island, coextensive with Richmond County, was officially the borough of Richmond until the name was changed in 1975 to reflect its common appellation, while leaving
8400-483: The towns of Kingsbridge , West Farms , and Morrisania ) and then following a referendum in 1894 (towns of Westchester , Williamsbridge , and the southern portion of Eastchester ). Ultimately in 1914, the present-day separate Bronx County became the most recent county to be created in the State of New York. The borough of Queens consists of what formerly was only the western part of a then-larger Queens County. In 1899,
8500-670: The tracks were intended to travel under the East River and connect with the never-built IND Worth Street Line in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Just after midnight on April 9, 1936, trains began running under the East River via the Rutgers Street Tunnel, which connected the Houston-Essex Street Line with the north end of the Culver Line at a junction with the Eighth Avenue Line north of Jay Street–Borough Hall . E trains were sent through
8600-495: The tunnels leading to Penn Station, under the four-track BMT Broadway Line at Herald Square, over the IRT Flushing Line at 41st Street, and under the 42nd Street Shuttle . Even though the line had to pass around multiple transit lines, the grades were kept to a minimum. The line included four-track stations at West Fourth, 34th, 42nd, and 47th–50th Streets. There were four sets of crossovers between 34th and 42nd Streets, and
8700-486: The two pairs of tracks in each direction are connected with diamond crossovers. A flying junction just to the south connects the local tracks of the Sixth and Eighth Avenue Lines. The Sixth Avenue Line then turns east under Houston Street with an express station at Broadway–Lafayette Street . East of Broadway–Lafayette Street, the express tracks turn south and use the Chrystie Street Connection to Grand Street before crossing
8800-463: Was at Carmine Street in Greenwich Village, and it continued northward to 147th Street in Harlem. Central Park was added to the street grid in 1857 and created an interruption in Sixth Avenue between 59th and 110th Streets. Proposals to extend the street south of Carmine Street were discussed by the city's Board of Aldermen as early as the mid-1860s. The IRT Sixth Avenue Line elevated railway (the "El")
8900-566: Was built as a four-track tunnel north of 33rd Street, but there were only two tracks south of that street. The work largely involved cut-and-cover excavations, although portions of the subway had to be tunneled through solid rock. Builders had to use very small charges of dynamite so that they would not disrupt the H&M tunnels alongside the route, the street and elevated line above, and the water main below. The Sixth Avenue Elevated had to be underpinned during construction, adding another $ 4 to $ 5 million to construction costs. The Catskill Aqueduct
9000-460: Was closed on December 4, 1938, and came down in stages, beginning in Greenwich Village in 1938–39. The replacement Sixth Avenue subway , which ran between Houston and 53rd Streets with a transfer to the Eighth Avenue line at West Fourth Street , opened in 1940. The demolition of the Sixth Avenue elevated railway also resulted in accelerated commercial development of the avenue in Midtown . Beginning in
9100-468: Was constructed on Sixth Avenue in 1878, darkening the street and reducing its real-estate value. In the early and mid-1800s Sixth Avenue passed by the popular roadhouse and tavern, Old Grapevine , at the corner of 11th Street, which at the time was the northern edge of the city. In late 1887, the Harlem portion of what was then considered Sixth Avenue was renamed Lenox Avenue for philanthropist James Lenox ;
9200-527: Was designed to replace the elevated IRT Sixth Avenue Line . However, since the Sixth Avenue corridor was such an important subway link, the elevated remained open while construction on the Sixth Avenue subway proceeded. In 1924, the IND submitted its list of proposed subway routes to the New York City Board of Transportation (NYCBOT), which approved the program. The IND's program consisted of two lines underneath Sixth Avenue in Manhattan. The first line would be
9300-492: Was expected to start some time after 1946. On December 15, 1940, local subway service began on Sixth Avenue from the West Fourth Street subway station to the 47th–50th Streets station with track connections to the IND 53rd Street Line. The construction of the Sixth Avenue Line cost $ 59.5 million. The opening of the Sixth Avenue Line relieved train traffic on the Eighth Avenue Line, which was used by all services except for
9400-531: Was extended via the new express tracks and the connection to the BMT West End Line in Brooklyn. D service was routed via the connection and onto the BMT Brighton Line instead of via the Culver Line. It only ran express during rush hours. F service was extended from Broadway–Lafayette Street during rush hours, and from 34th Street during other times to Coney Island via the Culver Line. On July 1, 1968,
9500-469: Was introduced to provide service between Sixth Avenue and the Concourse Line. The F train, running between Parsons Boulevard and Church Avenue via Sixth Avenue, was created to provide express service between Sixth Avenue and Queens. Finally, the E train was cut back from Church Avenue to Broadway–Lafayette Street, running to Queens via the Eighth Avenue Line. On April 19, 1961, ground was broken for
9600-412: Was located around 200 feet (61 m) below the avenue's surface, and workers on the new subway had to be careful to not cause any cracks in the aqueduct. As part of the construction of the IND line, the H&M's 14th Street and 23rd Street stations had to be rebuilt to provide space for the IND's 14th Street and 23rd Street stations, which would be located at a similar elevation. The 19th Street station
9700-499: Was not affected because the IND tracks were located below the H&M tracks at that point. However, the 33rd Street station had to be relocated to the south of its existing location, above the new IND line. The IND platforms were to be located at the same elevation as the present H&M station, and there was no room to build a new subway station either above or below the level of the existing H&M station. The H&M's 33rd Street terminal closed on December 26, 1937, and service on
9800-453: Was opened to traffic in 1930, and the subway line was completed two years later. Sixth Avenue, the only numbered avenue to extend south of Houston Street , thus became the southernmost numbered avenue in Manhattan. House numbering of existing buildings was adjusted. By the 1930s, a coalition of commercial establishments and building owners along Sixth Avenue campaigned to have the El removed. The El
9900-411: Was originally built as a two-track subway with the provision to expand to four tracks later. The express tracks were added in the 1960s in conjunction with the Chrystie Street Connection project. As a result, they are placed under the local tracks and PATH using the deep-bore tunneling method. At West Fourth Street–Washington Square, the express tracks return to the same level as the local tracks, and
10000-536: Was the "XYZ Buildings" (1971–1974) at 1211 , 1221 , and 1251 Sixth Avenue. On March 10, 1957, Sixth Avenue was reconfigured to carry one-way traffic north of its intersection with Broadway in Herald Square . The rest of the avenue followed on November 10, 1963. The avenue's official name was changed to Avenue of the Americas in 1945 by the City Council, at the behest of Mayor Fiorello La Guardia , who signed
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