Painting the Prospect Park West bike lane isn’t the only part of the controversial project that took a lot of green.
The city will spend $880,000 finishing up the Prospect Park West bike lane by constructing raised concrete islands at intersections — more than quadrupling the initial cost of installing the controversial path.
Including the cost of building the lane, the price of the new pedestrian islands, and $140,000 in legal fees spent defending the two-way cycling route from lawsuits, the park-side path has racked up a bill totaling $1.2 million.
That’s more than five times the cost of the country’s average bike lane, transportation experts say.
The raised cement islands — intended to make it easier for pedestrians to cross Prospect Park West at nine intersections — carry such a high price tag in part because Community Board 6 asked the city to make the bike lane tweaks match the neighborhood’s street-scape, a Department of Transportation spokeswoman said.
“[The board] requested that materials such as granite curbing, which are historically consistent,” she said.
Councilman Brad Lander (D–Park Slope) also allocated $200,000 toward the islands.
Reach reporter Natalie O'Neill at noneill@cnglocal.com or by calling her at (718) 260-4505.
