Fast Buses: NYC DOT Begins Construction of Once-Stalled Madison Avenue Bus Lanes Day

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April 24, 2025
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Fast Buses: NYC DOT Begins Construction of Once-Stalled Madison Avenue Bus Lanes

Work on once-delayed bus lane redesign begins this week, making buses faster and more reliable for 92,000 daily local and express bus riders from all five boroughs

Project will extend existing double bus lanes on Madison Avenue, from 42nd Street south to 23rd Street, where buses crawl at speeds as low as 4.5 miles per hour

Traffic along Madison Avenue in Manhattan. Credit: NYC DOT

NEW YORK - New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Mike Flynn today announced work has started this week to complete a once-stalled street redesign extending double bus lanes on Manhattan's Madison Avenue from 42nd Street south to 23rd Street. The project will make buses faster and more reliable for 92,000 daily local and express bus riders from all five boroughs and support the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's congestion pricing program by making it easier to commute to Manhattan's core without a car. NYC DOT expects the project to be completed over the next several weeks, weather permitting.

"For too long, New Yorkers have been forced to watch critical infrastructure projects be slowed, scaled back, or scrapped altogether by an administration that lacked urgency. That ends now," said Mayor Zohran Mamdani. "By moving forward with work on Madison, we are choosing a city that works for the many, not the few. Faster, more reliable buses mean thousands of working people get where they need to go on time. And by shortening commutes, we're returning invaluable time to New Yorkers. That's what a functional transit system should deliver for every New Yorker."

"Every weekday, nearly 100,000 bus riders from all five boroughs are stuck crawling along Madison Avenue at walking speed. The snail's pace of buses and the unpredictable commutes steal precious time from working New Yorkers that could otherwise be spent with their families and friends," said NYC DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn. "The Mamdani administration will be laser-focused on improving New Yorkers quality of life with service upgrades just like this. We look forward to completing this project as soon as possible to help get New Yorkers where they're going faster."

Madison Avenue today features two bus lanes, two travel lanes, and one parking lane from 60th Street to 42nd Street, serving 34 local and express bus routes. NYC DOT data shows buses along these routes are often bogged down in traffic below 42nd Street, where riders are stuck traveling as slow as 4.5 miles per hour-nearly half the citywide average bus speed of 8.1 miles per hour. On this stretch of Madison Avenue south of 42nd Street, 55% of people on the street are riding the bus-but with no dedicated space prior to this project.

To speed up service, NYC DOT in 2025 proposed extending the double bus lane design south to 23rd Street, with plans to install the project last year before it was paused, delaying critical improvements for transit riders. Along with the two bus lanes, the redesign will feature one travel lane throughout, one parking lane with left turn pockets from 23rd to 34th Street, and one parking/rush hour travel lane from 34th to 42nd Street. The project also modifies curb regulations on Madison Avenue and some adjacent blocks to help improve parking availability.

Data shows that double bus lanes can effectively speed up buses. After double bus lanes were installed on the neighboring Fifth Avenue, local bus speeds improved between 6% and 12%, and express bus speeds improved between 11% and 20%.