I rode a section of this today from 42nd to 47th and it didn't seem too bad by NY standards. I'll give it another shot on the section you refer to and see if I encounter the same problems. I live at 43rd and 10th so I tend to cut off to the West Side path for most of my uptown downtown travels except when I need to be more midtown.

Small consolation by comparison, I know, but coming back down on 9th (without any bike lane) is and always has been a nightmare mid- day. Trucks squeezing every bit of room along with aggressive cabs, jay walking pedestrians and illegally parked vehicles swinging open doors to unload goods or passengers.

As far as the changes I can offer no info as to why, whether they are temporary or incomplete. If I hear anything I'll post or pm.