Transformative Flatbush Avenue Bus Lane Installation Begins This Week

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IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 25, 2025  Contact: (212) 839-4850, [email protected]

Transformative Flatbush Avenue Bus Lane Installation Begins This Week

Project Will Make Commutes Faster and More Reliable for 132,000 Daily Bus Riders - Primarily Low-Income Commuters of Color - and Enhance Safety Along a High-Crash Corridor

Daily Ridership Along this Corridor is Nearly the Size of New Haven, Connecticut's Population

Rendering of a redesigned Flatbush Avenue and Fourth Avenue, in Brooklyn, with center-running bus lanes and a concrete bus boarding island. Credit: NYC DOT

NEW YORK - New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez today announced work will start this week on the Flatbush Avenue bus priority project. The project will include center-running bus lanes to deliver faster, more reliable commutes for 132,000 daily bus riders across the entire Flatbush corridor, while improving safety on one of Brooklyn's high-crash corridors. The redesign follows a robust traffic analysis that shows the project would speed up buses while keeping private vehicles moving along the corridor.

"We're excited to begin transformational upgrades that will get Flatbush moving!" said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. "This project will make bus trips faster and more reliable for commuters and includes new intersection safety upgrades. We look forward to finishing this project in 2026 and appreciate the public's patience as the work takes place."

"The MTA applauds the City for taking this big step forward for Brooklyn bus service," said Demetrius Crichlow, President of MTA New York City Transit. "Every time the City makes infrastructure improvements, it helps us deliver faster bus service for tens of thousands of New Yorkers who rely on them to get where they need go."

Following extensive public outreach, NYC DOT will begin installing center-running bus lanes on Flatbush Avenue between Livingston Street and State Street, with the remaining work to be completed next year. The project will also include new dedicated loading zones for deliveries, safety enhancements, and 28,800 square feet of new pedestrian space.

Bus and Safety Challenges

Flatbush Avenue is a Vision Zero Priority Corridor, meaning it is 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 percent of the households along Flatbush Avenue have no access to a personal vehicle.

The bus lanes on the northern section of the avenue, from Livingston Street to Grand Army Plaza, is among the slowest on the corridor. Serving over 132,000 daily riders across 12 bus routes, bus riders across all of Flatbush Avenue currently experience bus speeds slower than four miles per hour at rush hours-about the same speed as a pedestrian walking the corridor.

Flatbush Bus Lane Design and Implementation

With center-running lanes, NYC DOT would install concrete bus boarding islands in the street to provide safe spaces for pedestrians to board, disembark, and wait to cross the street. The boarding islands would create a train-like service experience for riders while reducing instances of speeding drivers. The project's center-running bus lane design will feature several key elements when completed in 2026, including:

• Six large concrete bus boarding islands to physically separate bus lanes and a high-quality transit experience and additional painted pedestrian space to create 28,800 feet of new pedestrian space.
• Eleven 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 on this corridor by creating physically separated spaces for buses and reducing conflicts with personal vehicles traveling the corridor. This design will allow Flatbush Avenue to move more people more efficiently than it does today. After NYC DOT installed center-running bus lanes on 161st St in the Bronx, bus speeds increased up to 43 percent. A similar design on Edward L Grant Highway, in the Bronx, the agency saw a decrease in pedestrian and cycling injuries by 29 percent and a reduction of total injuries by 17 percent.

Based on an extensive traffic analysis and experience from previous projects, NYC DOT expects the redesign would reduce traffic volume on Flatbush Avenue, create a welcoming corridor for pedestrians and bus riders.

NYC DOT will minimize traffic disruptions during implementation and crews will be directing traffic as the center-running lanes are installed. The first two blocks of bus lanes, from Livingston Street to State Street, should be completed within two weeks, weather permitting.

Flatbush's bus lanes will be camera enforced through the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's ACE program as well as stationary NYC DOT cameras following the painting of the bus lanes and installation of related signage. Next year, NYC DOT will build several large bus boarding islands, which will create new pedestrian space, reduce instances of speeding, and provide additional, physical protection to help keep bus lanes clear of unauthorized vehicles.

"Breaking ground on the Flatbush Avenue bus priority project lays the groundwork for the implementation of a true bus rapid transit system throughout Brooklyn, which would be a turning point for transit in our borough," said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso."For too long, Brooklynites - including the more than 100,000 who travel this corridor every day - have endured slow, unreliable bus service and unsafe streets. By initiating construction on center bus lanes, DOT is making it clear: transit can't be an afterthought; it's the future of our borough."

"New Yorkers deserve fast, reliable public transit. but right now, Flatbush Avenue is a dangerous, traffic-clogged nightmare that doesn't work for anyone," said State Senator Andrew Gounardes. "This project will speed up commutes for tens of thousands of riders who rely on the bus to get to work, school and everywhere else while making Flatbush Avenue safer for everyone. This is how we make New York a city that works for working people. Thanks to NYCDOT for their work to make this crucial project a reality."

"Flatbush Avenue has long been one of Brooklyn's most dangerous streets, and this redesign is an essential step towards improving safety. With work now underway on the new center-running bus lanes, riders can look forward to a faster and more reliable commute. I applaud the community for their strong advocacy and DOT for advancing this long-needed project to make our street safer and more accessible," said Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon.

"Flatbush Avenue bus riders organized and city officials heard our demands for fast, reliable service," said Riders Alliance Senior Organizer Jolyse Race. "This transformative project will speed up buses, save lives, prevent injuries and serve as a model for future improvements across the five boroughs. More than just red paint, today's announcement is living proof of the strength of our movement. We're grateful for the courage and determination of the Department of Transportation to see this phase through and eager for what's to come."

"We're thrilled that the Flatbush Avenue bus project is moving forward, speeding up commutes for thousands of New Yorkers," said Ben Furnas, executive director of Transportation Alternatives. "With center-running lanes and concrete bus boarding islands, this bus lane will move more people efficiently and safely. We're excited to ride a faster B41 bus and look forward to more bus projects across the five boroughs to speed up the slowest buses in the nation."

"We're thrilled that NYC DOT is breaking ground this week on the Flatbush Avenue bus priority project, which will undoubtedly be a game-changer for the more than 100,000 riders who rely on buses on Flatbush Avenue every day," said Eric McClure, executive director at StreetsPAC. "The project's center-running configuration will be the closest thing to true Bus Rapid Transit that New York City has built to date, and will ensure that riders can get where they need to go faster and with greater reliability, while also improving safety along a corridor that has historically been one of the city's most dangerous. We're grateful to all of the local elected officials who have supported the project, the MTA for its backing, and NYC DOT for bringing it to fruition."

"Bus riders along Flatbush Avenue will soon be able to get service akin to what we see from internationally renowned Bus Rapid Transit systems," said Lisa Daglian, executive director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA (PCAC). "Speeding up the trip on this notoriously slow roadway will be the biggest benefit but the addition of center running bus lanes and boarding islands expands an experience that we hope will be replicated in other high demand areas of the city. Our report, Bus Rapid Transit for the boroughs, highlights the critical importance of improving the ride along the Flatbush Avenue corridor with improvements including all door boarding and level platforms, and this is a huge first step in the right direction. We thank DOT and advocates like Riders Alliance and the NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign who have fought for this victory on behalf of riders."