Work on the long-awaited Flatbush Avenue redesign will begin this week, transit officials said on Thursday. The overhaul includes the loss of two vehicle lanes, new center-running bus lanes, space for truck-loading, safety enhancements and thousands of feet of pedestrian space.
Known as the Flatbush Avenue bus priority project, the goal is get city buses moving faster. According to the Department of Transportation the average bus speed on Flatbush Avenue is just 4 miles per hour. Citywide, bus speeds have been reported as slow as eight mph. DOT and transit advocates have said that center-running bus lanes and other enhancements on the corridor will speed up bus travel, in part, by reducing traffic congestion.
In June, the plan to improve bus speed on the corridor was chosen out of three options. The extensive redesign is expected to be completed next year.
“This project will make bus trips faster and more reliable for commuters and includes new intersection safety upgrades,” said DOT commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez, in a statement. “We look forward to finishing this project in 2026 and appreciate the public’s patience as the work takes place.”
Private cars will still be able to use the street, but drivers will have fewer lanes. Two driving lanes will be turned into bus-only lanes. The major overhaul also includes the construction of six large concrete bus boarding islands to physically separate bus lanes and 28,800 feet of new pedestrian space.
Eventually, there will be 11 dedicated loading zones that can fit over 50 trucks or 83 passenger vehicles and up to 14 new roadway bike parking areas to accommodate more than 170 bikes, DOT said.
According to DOT, center-running bus lanes are successful in speeding up bus travel. After DOT installed center-running bus lanes on 161st Street in the Bronx, bus speeds increased around 43%, the agency said.
A faster B41 bus on Flatbush Avenue
Transit advocates have been pushing for a Flatbush Avenue redesign since at least 2022. They have advocated for faster buses on the eight-mile thoroughfare. The B41 bus runs nearly the entire length of Flatbush Avenue, but the center-running bus lanes will stretch only from Livingston Street to Grand Army Plaza, cutting through Downtown Brooklyn, Prospect Heights, and northern Park Slope.
“With center-running lanes and concrete bus boarding islands, this bus lane will move more people efficiently and safely,” said Ben Furnas, executive director of Transportation Alternatives. “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.”
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 DOT. The project is expected to slow traffic, lessen speeding, and keep cars out of bus lanes with physical barriers.
