US News

‘SUMMER STREETS’ REPEATS

Manhattan’s biggest block party is making a comeback.

New Yorkers will take to the streets for three consecutive Saturdays in August as Mayor Bloomberg closes a 6.9-mile stretch of Manhattan for the return of “Summer Streets,” The Post has learned.

The mayor is expected to announce today that he will clear a path of all car and truck traffic, starting at the Brooklyn Bridge and ending at Central Park and East 72nd Street. The route will include Lafayette and Center streets, Fourth and Park avenues and East 72nd Street — the same as last year.

The stretch will be open to bicycles, pedestrians and baby strollers.

New Yorkers will be able to take Pilates, kickboxing and yoga classes along the path, which will be shut to vehicles from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 8, 15 and 22. The city will also lend out bikes for the day, sources told The Post.

“Summer Streets” is expanding this year to the five boroughs, with one event, “Williamsburg Walks,” already under way in Brooklyn.

“Summer Streets” was popular among pedestrians last year, but businesses gave it mixed reviews.

Some said the swarms of pedestrians and bike riders increased business. But others, which rely on truck deliveries, complained about steep business drops.

Bloomberg last year hailed the program as an innovative way to give New Yorkers more opportunities to exercise and enjoy their neighborhoods.