Revitalization plan would tear down FDR Drive in FiDi [Video]

NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – A stretch of the FDR Drive in the Financial District would be torn down and replaced with a pedestrian-friendly green space and boulevard under a plan unveiled Wednesday by Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine.

At a news conference with Lower Manhattan leaders, Levine said the plan would reshape the southern end of the FDR Drive, a half-century-old viaduct stretching from the Brooklyn Bridge to the Battery.

Officials said the elevated stretch obstructs the river view and the enjoyment of the South Street Seaport and Pier 17.

“We are here today to say it is time to tear that viaduct down,” Levine said.

The vision includes recreational space for pedestrians as well as lanes for motorists and cyclists, not unlike the transformation of the West Side Highway and the creation of Hudson River Park.

Jonathan Boulware, president of the South Street Seaport Museum, said the area used to be an industrial …