The city is shedding some light on those sprawling sidewalk shelters that seem to be on every Manhattan block.
The Department of Buildings released an interactive map Wednesday that shows all active permits for sidewalk sheds across the five boroughs. Often confused with scaffolding, the sheds are required for any construction work or building renovation project involving facades so that pedestrians can walk underneath protected from debris.
The map allows New Yorkers to see the age, borough, community board, permits and other details for every sidewalk shed in the city, according to the DOB. As of Wednesday, there were 7,342 active sidewalk shed permits, stretching a combined length of almost 270 miles.
The sheds remain in place on average for 293 days. Manhattan led the city with roughly 3,400 sheds, according to the data.
Buildings Commissioner Rick Chandler said he hopes the interactive data and map can help monitor the structures and hold building owners accountable for their construction projects.
“We are excited to deliver another data-driven tool to help New Yorkers learn more about our city’s built environment,” he said in a statement.
