These new renderings show what the area west of Shinjuku Station might look like 10 years from now

If you’ve ever walked from Shinjuku Station to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government buildings, chances are you’ve used the partially tunneled passageway connecting the world’s busiest train station with Shinjuku Central Park to the west. Officially called Avenue No 4, it’s nobody’s choice for most attractive road in Tokyo; the Showa-coded underground section in particular can be downright grimy, despite repeated attempts over the years to rejuvenate it.

But over the coming decade, if the city government’s plans come to fruition, Avenue 4 will be transformed into an eminently walkable corridor adorned with art and lush greenery. The tunneled section will made bright and welcoming, with space for exhibitions and events, while the western half is set to feature wide footpaths and plenty of benches shaded by trees in a style reminiscent of Marunouchi Naka-dori on the other side of town.

The ambitious redevelopment scheme for the road, unveiled by the TMG on March 30, is part of a bigger and already ongoing project that also encompasses, for instance, replacing the labyrinthine 1960s multi-level plaza at Shinjuku Station’s west exit and sprucing up Shinjuku Central Park.

So when will this all be finished? The images released by the TMG are supposed to depict Avenue 4 as it might appear in the 2030s, while the larger reconstruction drive is expected to drag on into the 2040s. With Shinjuku Station itself under construction until 2046, looks like at least one more generation of Tokyoites will reach adulthood before the renderings become reality.

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