New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn announced the start of construction to speed up transportation for B38 bus riders on Nov. 5.
According to a press release from the Office of the Mayor, the project will speed up buses for 18,000 daily passengers from Downtown Brooklyn to Bed-Stuy and Bushwick.
The project will redesign DeKalb Avenue from Broadway to Flatbush Avenue and Lafayette Avenue from Ashland Place to Patchen Avenue. Both stretches will have 2.7 miles of curbside bus lanes and protected bus lanes, which will not only speed up buses but improve connections for cyclists and pedestrians.
“New Yorkers shouldn’t have to choose between getting where they need to go on time and getting there safely," Mamdani said. "On DeKalb and Lafayette, we’re putting that principle into practice with fast buses, protected bike lanes and safer streets."
The redesigns are part of the mayor's partnership with Gov. Kathy Hochul, “Next Stop: Fast Buses, Better Service,” which aims to improve service across almost 75 percent of the city’s bus network.
MTA chair and CEO Janno Lieber said that “Brooklyn’s at the center of a bus revolution” under the leadership of Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mamdani. “Not a moment too soon for the 18,000 New Yorkers who count on the B38 every day for a safe and speedy commute,” Lieber said.
Within the quarter-mile surrounding B38 routes, 80 percent of residents commute to work by public transit and a majority of households do not have a vehicle, according to the Office of the Mayor. On those heavily-relied upon transit routes, crashes have injured more than 800 people since 2021.
“Your zip code shouldn’t determine whether you have access to high-quality, affordable transportation,” Flynn said. “And that’s what we’re working to deliver on DeKalb and Lafayette avenues.”
According to New York YIMBY, installation of the bus lanes and safety upgrades is expected to be complete this fall, with monitoring scheduled for winter 2026-27 and additional treatments under study for spring 2027.
