The eastern perimeter of Prospect Park will be transformed under a new $15.5 million city project that will bring in protected bike lanes, a new entryway and public art work.
New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn, Prospect Park Alliance President Morgan Monaco and Parks Department officials on Friday broke ground on a project to restore and upgrade the park's perimeter along Ocean and Parkside Avenues, from Empire Boulevard to Parade Place.
The project will add a sidewalk-grade, two-way protected bike lane along the Ocean Avenue park perimeter, and completely redesign the entrance to Prospect Park at Ocean Avenue and Parkside Avenue, creating a new pedestrian plaza featuring a monument to Brooklyn trailblazer Shirley Chisholm.
“Having safe access to Prospect Park is a priority for everyone who calls Brooklyn home," Flynn said in a statement."Families from across the city walk and bike to Brooklyn’s backyard, and with so much foot traffic, the park's adjacent streets must be calm and focused on people."
The perimeter restoration will establish a new plaza at the entrance of Prospect Park at Ocean Avenue and Parkside Avenue, and new bike connections between the two streets and the Park Drive. The redesigned space will formally close the park entrance to motorized vehicle traffic–reflecting that non-essential vehicles were banned from the park in 2018–allowing for the creation of the new plaza. As part of the next phase of the project, the city will install a new public artwork in the space, a monument honoring Shirley Chisholm, a Brooklyn-born daughter of immigrant parents from Barbados and Guyana, who became the first African American woman to serve in Congress as well as run for U.S. President.
The Alliance will also be transforming a disused building near the entrance into the Shirley Chisholm Pavilion, which will feature restrooms and exhibit panels. This project is currently in the design phase, and is slated for construction in 2027.
“Given the success of our restoration of the Flatbush Avenue perimeter, we are thrilled to be partnering with the NYC DOT on the restoration of the Ocean Avenue perimeter, including the new protected bike lane, as well as with the DCLA to bring this landmark monument to Shirley Chisholm to our Parkside entrance,” said Monaco.
The project will also restore the park perimeter from Empire Boulevard to Parade Place, and includes the installation of a two-way, sidewalk-grade protected bike lane along the park side of Ocean Avenue, where there is currently no cycling infrastructure. The lane will provide a critical link to the parking-protected bike lanes already in place along Flatbush and Parkside avenues and will connect to the Prospect Park Drive, a popular recreational destination.
The perimeter restoration will feature reconstructed sidewalks bordered by an allée of trees, and new historic lighting, seating, and trash cans.
The project will take about 18 months to complete, officials said. Prospect Park Alliance will implement the restoration in six, 800-foot phases, beginning at the Empire Boulevard terminus at Ocean Avenue and also in tandem at Parkside Avenue, with the pedestrian plaza at the Parkside Avenue entrance and new monument as the final phase.
