3rd Avenue & East 56th Street

The four-way crossing of 3rd Avenue and East 56th Street is in East Midtown-Turtle Bay, Manhattan. Between 2021 and 2025, 22 police-reported crashes were recorded here, against a median of ten crashes for a Manhattan corner. P.S. 059 Beekman Hill International is 600 feet away. The nearest subway, Lexington Av/51-53 Sts, is about three minutes on foot, and ten subway lines stop within a ten-minute walk. Within a five-minute walk are 32 public places, eight of them religious buildings, and 170 places to eat. A bike lane separated from traffic runs along 3rd Avenue.

Safety record
21 hurt
22 police-reported crashes, 2021–2025
Nearest subway
Lexington Av/51-53 Sts
770 feet · 3 min on foot · 6, E, F
Nearest bus stop
250 feet
3 Av/E 55 St · QM31, QM35, QM36, QM44
Within a walk
32 places
15 public spaces, 8 religious buildings and 6 more kinds, within five minutes

Map

Layers
3rd Avenue & East 56th Street Nearby corners, linked

Getting there

How walks are measured

Subway

The nearest subway station is Lexington Av/51-53 Sts, 770 feet from this corner, about three minutes on foot.

  • 3 lines at the nearest station
  • 10 lines within a ten-minute walk
  1. Lexington Av/51-53 Sts 6, E, F
    770 feet
    6 E F

Next trains at this station

Uptown
1 line
  1. 6 …
Downtown
3 lines
  1. 6 …
  2. E …
  3. F …
Queens
2 lines
  1. E …
  2. F …

Also within a walk

  1. Lexington Av/59 St 4, 5, 6, N, R, W
    1,070 feet
    4 5 6 N R W
  2. Lexington Av/63 St M, Q
    0.4 miles
    M Q

The MTA's permanent art catalog lists “Passing Through” (2004) by Al Held at the Lexington Av/51-53 Sts station.

Bus

The nearest bus stop is 3 Av/E 55 St, 250 feet away, for the QM31, QM35, QM36 and QM44.

  • 74 routes within a ten-minute walk
  1. 3 Av/E 55 St QM31, QM35, QM36, QM44 · Shelter
    250 feet
    QM31 QM35 QM36 QM44
    Shelter

Next buses at this stop

  1. QM31 …
  2. QM35 …
  3. QM36 …
  4. QM44 …

Live arrivals

Cycling

A bike lane separated from traffic runs on 3rd Avenue.

  • 59 bicycle racks within 820 feet, 2 of them on-street corrals
  • 4 more bike-share stations within a five-minute walk

Nearest bike-share station

  1. E 56 St & 3 Ave 79 docks in all
    170 feet

By car

The nearest highway entrance is the ramp to the Queensboro Bridge at Queensboro Bridge & 2nd Avenue at East 59th Street, 0.3 miles by car along the streets.

  1. 720 11th Avenue Gas station
    1.8 miles
  2. 131 East 55th Street Charging for electric cars, ten Level 2 chargers
    1,240 feet
  3. 401-471 West 42nd Street Fast charging for electric cars
    1.9 miles

Safety record

How crashes are counted

Between 2021 and 2025, police reported 22 crashes at this corner, more than the median of ten crashes for a Manhattan corner.

  • 21 people injured
  • 0 people killed
  • 8 of those hurt, on foot
  • 5 of those hurt, on a bike

The most recent crash recorded here was in October 2025.

What the city has done here

  • Leading pedestrian interval, January 2017
  • Turn calming, December 2021

About this corner

Where facts come from
ZIP code
10022
Community board
Manhattan Community Board 6
City Council district
4
Police precinct
17
Neighborhood (City Planning area)
East Midtown-Turtle Bay
Elevation
38 feet above sea level

The streets

  • Up to four travel lanes
  • A designated truck route
  • Two of the streets are one-way

Homes

About 5,200 homes stand within 820 feet of this corner, most of them in buildings of ten homes or more. The buildings holding them mostly went up between 1957 and 1977.

Since 2014 at least 40 new affordable homes have been completed within 820 feet.

Trees

NYC Parks records 39 trees within 330 feet; the most common is the maidenhair tree.

Parking on the streets meeting here

How signs are read
  • 43 signs on these blocks
  • 13 different rules
  • 5 active meters
  • 3 pay-by-cell zones

The sign wording is DOT's, as recorded between March 2022 and August 2026; the 12 rules shown are the first by street and side, and the sign on the street decides.

East side of 3rd Avenue

  • No standing 4 signs NO STANDING ANYTIME

West side of 3rd Avenue

  • No standing 5 signs NO STANDING ANYTIME

North side of East 56th Street

  • Metered, commercial vehicles only 5 signs 3 HOUR METERED PARKING COMMERCIAL VEHICLES ONLY 7AM-7PM EXCEPT SUNDAY
  • Metered, commercial vehicles only 4 signs 3 HOUR METERED PARKING COMMERCIAL VEHICLES ONLY MONDAY-FRIDAY 7AM-6PM
  • Metered parking 4 signs 6 HOUR METERED PARKING MONDAY-FRIDAY 6PM-MIDNIGHT SATURDAY 8AM-MIDNIGHT
  • Authorized vehicles only 1 sign AUTHORIZED VEHICLES ONLY CONSUL-C DIPLOMAT-A & D LICENSE PLATES D/S DECALS ONLY
  • No standing 2 signs NO STANDING 7AM-9PM ALL DAYS
  • No standing 2 signs NO STANDING SCHOOL DAYS 7AM-4PM

South side of East 56th Street

  • Metered, commercial vehicles only 4 signs 3 HOUR METERED PARKING COMMERCIAL VEHICLES ONLY MONDAY-FRIDAY 7AM-6PM
  • Metered parking 4 signs 6 HOUR METERED PARKING MONDAY-FRIDAY 6PM-MIDNIGHT SATURDAY 8AM-MIDNIGHT
  • Authorized vehicles only 4 signs AVO NYS POLICE
  • No standing 3 signs NO STANDING ANYTIME

ParkNYC pay-by-cell zones: 104616, 104771 and 106079.

Landmarks and historic districts

Four buildings within 820 feet are designated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, and built between 1871 and 1993.

  1. Central Synagogue Designated landmark
    700 feet
  2. Citicorp Center and Saint Peter's Church Designated landmark
    720 feet
  3. Modulightor Building Designated landmark
    760 feet

Schools and places within a walk

How places are listed

Within a five-minute walk there are 32 public places.

  • 15 public spaces
  • 8 religious buildings
  • 3 day care or pre-K sites
  • 2 schools
  • 1 listed historic place
  • 3 other places

Schools and child care

  1. Art and Design High School
    600 feet
  2. P.S. 059 Beekman Hill International School
    600 feet
  3. Super Stars Tennis Preschool, ages 2 to 5
    680 feet
Show all 5
  1. District 2 Pre-K Center at 252 East 57 Street Pre-K center
    750 feet
  2. May Family Nursery School at Central Synagogue Preschool, ages 2 to 5
    940 feet

Plazas and public spaces

  1. Public space at 950 Third Avenue Public space
    330 feet
  2. Public space at 919 Third Avenue Public space
    390 feet
  3. Public space at 900 Third Avenue Public space
    530 feet
Show all 15
  1. Public space at 909 Third Avenue Public space
    650 feet
  2. Public space at 885 Third Avenue Public space
    680 feet
  3. Public space at Architects and Designers Public space
    710 feet
  4. Public space at Citigroup Center Public space
    890 feet
  5. Public space at 135 East 57th Street Public space
    980 feet
  6. Public space at Brevard Public space
    1,010 feet
  7. Public space at 875 Third Avenue Public space
    1,070 feet
  8. Public space at Galleria Public space
    1,240 feet
  9. Public space at Park Avenue Tower Public space
    1,250 feet
  10. Public space at 599 Lexington Avenue Public space
    1,260 feet
  11. Public space at 450 Park Avenue Public space
    1,280 feet
  12. Public space at 432 Park Avenue Public space
    1,280 feet

Libraries, museums and history

  1. Substation #42 (Dual System IRT) Listed historic place
    380 feet
  2. NY Genealogical & Biographical Soc Research library
    1,180 feet

Houses of worship

  1. Or Olam E 55 St Conservative Synagogue House of worship
    1,070 feet
  2. All Saints Episcopal Church House of worship
    1,270 feet

Community centers and public services

  1. FDR Post Office
    430 feet
  2. Older adult center at 619 Lexington Avenue Older adult center
    890 feet

Bank branches

  1. Flagstar Bank Bank branch
    90 feet
  2. Chase Bank branch
    110 feet
  3. Wells Fargo Bank branch
    580 feet

Supermarkets

  1. Whole Foods Market Supermarket
    800 feet
  2. Morton Williams Supermarket
    0.3 miles
  3. D'Agostino Supermarket
    0.4 miles

Pharmacies

  1. Duane Reade Pharmacy
    890 feet
  2. CVS Pharmacy
    1,240 feet

Food stores and places to eat

Within a five-minute walk there are 170 places to eat and 17 food stores.

Nearby corners

The eight nearest of the 9 corners within a three-minute walk:

See every intersection along 3rd Avenue or East 56th Street.

Sources: NYC Technology and Innovation, NYPD, NYC DOT, MTA, NYC City Planning, New York City's bike-share system, NYS Environmental Conservation, US Department of Energy, NYC Housing Preservation and Development, Landmarks Preservation Commission, NYC Parks, NYC Health, FDIC, NYS Agriculture and Markets and USDA, retrieved September 18 – October 6, 2026.