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With the countdown clock already up and ready to rock, Times Square is primed to welcome New Year’s Eve with its usual pomp and partying, though with a twist—a major facelift. For the last three years, the Crossroads of the World has been undergoing a $55 million renovation that has added a total of 85,000 square feet to the pedestrian plazas that were first installed in 2009 by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The amenities, designed by 9-11 Memorial Museum architects Snøhetta, include fancy new granite pavers and matching benches. They also make permanent the Designated Activity Zones—or if you prefer, Elmo corrals—first introduced last summer. Though the construction made the already arduous task of walking through Times Square that much more difficult, its completion means that even more drunken revelers can welcome in 2017.