Eighth Avenue to get a makeover

Now that Eighth Avenue is no longer known as Midtown’s center of peep shows and pornographic video stores, the Times Square Alliance is working to transform it into a pedestrian area lined with local shops and restaurants. The area between Times Square and Hell’s Kitchen draws more than 30,000 pedestrians a day. Borough president Scott Stringer has allocated $108,000 for the installation of lights and signs. The alliance is planning a lighting festival and is pushing the city’s Department of Transportation to install newsstands and bicycle racks.