Brooklynites can expect major construction on Flatbush Avenue this fall as the city begins to install new center-running bus lanes.
The new design for the bus corridor, which runs from Livingston Street to Grand Army Plaza through Downtown Brooklyn, north Park Slope and Prospect Heights, will transform Flatbush Avenue with center-running bus lanes, with vehicular traffic on both sides.
The DOT expects the redesign to significantly reduce cut-through traffic on Flatbush Avenue.
“Today 132,000 daily bus riders are stuck waiting too long for slow buses, drivers are caught in a mess of traffic, and pedestrians are left crossing intersections clogged with vehicles,” New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said on Friday. “These new bus lanes will speed up bus service and make the street safer for everyone.”
The center-running bus lane design features several key elements, including:
- Six large concrete bus boarding islands spanning more than 13,000-square-feet to create physically separated bus lanes,
- An additional 14,300-square-feet of new, painted pedestrian space,
- 11 new dedicated loading zones, which can fit over 50 trucks or 83 passenger vehicles,
- Up to 14 new roadway bike parking areas, which can accommodate more than 170 bikes.
Center-running lanes are the best option to dramatically increase bus speeds by creating physically separated spaces for buses and reducing conflicts with personal vehicles traveling the corridor, according to the DOT. After NYC DOT installed center-running bus lanes on the Edward L Grant Highway, in the Bronx, the agency saw a decrease in pedestrian and cycling injuries by 29% and a reduction of total injuries by 17%.
Flatbush Avenue is a Vision Zero Priority Corridor, and is considered to be one of the most dangerous streets in Brooklyn, with 140 people killed or severely injured within the past five years. According to MTA estimates, annual ridership of the B41, which serves nearly the entire eight-mile Flatbush Avenue corridor, is over 4.4 million riders—putting it among the 10 busiest bus routes in New York City. This high ridership is indicative of the fact that nearly 60% of the households along Flatbush Avenue have no access to a personal vehicle.
The DOT plans to begin installing bus lane markings and painted curb extensions this fall, with work resuming when the weather warms in the spring of 2026. The entire project is expected to be completed in the fall of 2026.
