In 2009 the New York City Department of Transportation closed Broadway from 42nd to 47th Street on a temporary basis, to test the impact of pedestrianization on an area with crushing crowds underserved by sidewalks. The success of the experiment led to the city’s decision in 2010 to make the change permanent. Designed by the architectural firm Snøhetta, the transformed Times Square bowtie is scheduled for completion in 2015. The former street bed and sidewalks have become a pedestrian plaza, described by Snøhetta as an “outdoor stage” and equipped with granite benches and movable tables for gazing at the spellbinding light show of the monumental signage. As the photograph indicates, the closure of Broadway provides room for pedestrians to enjoy the spectacle of Time Square while affirming the grid through the flow of traffic now restricted to Seventh Avenue.