Double Decker: Mayor Mamdani Advances First Busway in the Bronx, Launches Community Engagement for Three Bus Rapid Transit Corridors in Brooklyn

NEW YORK - Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Mike Flynn today advanced major transit projects in the Bronx and Brooklyn that will speed commutes for nearly 200,000 bus riders every day.

The announcement comes just one week after Mayor Mamdani and Governor Hochul launched Next Stop: Fast Buses, Better Service, a comprehensive plan to make buses up to six minutes faster on more than 175 routes across the city.

In the Bronx, the City will install the long-delayed Tremont Avenue busway later this year. In Brooklyn, the City is launching a summer of community engagement to shape immediate improvements and a long-term vision for Bus Rapid Transit on three of the borough's busiest transit corridors: Flatbush Avenue, Utica Avenue and Church Avenue.

On Flatbush Avenue, where construction is already underway on a center-running bus lane between Livingston Street and Grand Army Plaza, the City will build a full Bus Rapid Transit corridor by 2030. Bus Rapid Transit delivers faster, more reliable service through dedicated bus lanes and busways, techniques that give buses a head start at intersections, world-class stations with more seating and shelter, expanded public space and greenery and more frequent service.

Since January, the Mamdani administration has advanced major projects to speed buses along Fordham Road and 161st Street in the Bronx; 34th Street, 116th Street, Madison Avenue and Lexington Avenue in Manhattan; Marcy Avenue, Flatbush Avenue and Linden Boulevard in Brooklyn; Victory Boulevard on Staten Island; and Broadway in Queens.

"New Yorkers should not lose hours of their lives sitting in traffic on a bus. From the Bronx to Brooklyn, we're building streets that move people instead of sticking them in gridlock," said Mayor Mamdani. "These projects will make commutes faster, make our streets safer and return precious time to nearly 200,000 New Yorkers every single day. That's exactly what public transit should do."

"Just last week, I stood with Mayor Mamdani and the MTA and committed to bus riders a new era of faster speeds and better trips, all made possible through a historic collaboration between state and city leaders," said Governor Hochul. "Today, we are moving full speed ahead, decisively advancing projects that will help hundreds of thousands of riders move faster and laying the groundwork for even more service improvements across the five boroughs to come."

"When we said that we were going to make buses faster, we meant it - now upgrades are on the way in some of the City's most bus-dependent communities," said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. "This is what happens when the State, City and MTA are on the same page about speeding up service. Tremont and Central Brooklyn are just the beginning."

"Along Tremont Avenue in the Bronx and all through central Brooklyn, slow, unreliable buses are robbing New Yorkers' of their precious time every day," said NYC DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn. "We want New Yorkers to have faith in our outreach, and that starts with actually delivering on projects promised years ago, like on Tremont Avenue, where riders deal with unreliable, over-packed buses every day. We look forward to discussing the possibilities for fast buses through Central Brooklyn this year as we develop exciting proposes for critical bus corridors in the area."

"Today's dual bus project announcements show that from the Bronx to Brooklyn, this Mayor is focused on delivering real results for New Yorkers on better buses," said Elizabeth Adams, Senior Advisor for Fast and Free Buses for Mayor Mamdani. "The proof is in the pudding - and this administration is unsticking stalled projects, rolling out new bus corridor plans and taking immediate steps to bring Bus Rapid Transit to New York City. We aren't waiting because we know bus riders have no time to waste when it comes to faster bus service. The Bronx is long overdue on getting its first busway on Tremont Avenue, and today's announcement on central Brooklyn public engagement shows we are thinking differently when it comes to reaching bus riders. We'll be out in the streets talking with New Yorkers directly about ways to improve their commute and speed up their buses. The millions of New Yorkers who depend on our buses everyday should have a say."

The Bronx's First Busway: Tremont Avenue

Mayor Mamdani today announced that the City will install the Bronx's first busway on Tremont Avenue, delivering faster, more reliable service for 39,000 daily riders while making one of the borough's busiest and most dangerous corridors safer.

Tremont serves the Bx36, where buses current travel as slowly as 5 mph, and connects riders to nearby subway routes and the Metro-North Railroad service. The corridor is home to a transit-dependent community, with 72% of households not owning a private car.

Tremont is also among the Bronx's most dangerous streets, with one of the borough's highest rates of pedestrian fatalities per mile. Between 2020 and 2024, nearly 630 people were injured in crashes along the corridor. There were 46 people severely injured and four traffic deaths in that period.

The redesign will improve safety while speeding bus service. Busways across New York City have increased bus speeds by as much as 60% while reducing injuries by up to 45%.

The project will include:

• An eastbound busway from Third Avenue to Southern Boulevard.
• A westbound busway from Southern Boulevard to Belmont Avenue.
• An offset shared bus-and-bike lane eastbound from Webster Avenue to Third Avenue.

As part of the project, NYC DOT will also improve safety at intersections:

• Tremont Avenue and Webster Avenue.
• Tremont Avenue and Third Avenue.
• Tremont Avenue, Southern Boulevard and Crotona Parkway.
• Third Avenue and East 175th Street.
• Southern Boulevard, Crotona Parkway and 180th Street.
• Crotona Avenue and 180th Street.
• Third Avenue and 180th Street.
• Tremont Avenue and Washington Avenue.

The redesign will add painted sidewalk extensions that shorten crossing distances for pedestrians and naturally slow turning vehicles. The curb extensions will be reinforced with flexible delineators, granite blocks and bicycle parking to discourage illegal parking.

The busway will operate seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Buses, trucks with six or more wheels, emergency vehicles and Access-a-Ride vehicles will be permitted to travel the full corridor. Other vehicles, including taxis and for-hire vehicles, may enter only for local access and must exit at the next available right turn.

More information can be found online at nyc.gov/tremontbusway.

Next Stop: Fast Buses for Central Brooklyn

Central Brooklyn is home to three of the city's most important bus corridors - Flatbush Avenue, Utica Avenue and Church Avenue - which together carry 150,000 bus riders every day across 13 routes where buses move as slowly as 5 mph.

One week after announcing the Next Stop bus action plan, Mayor Mamdani is launching a community engagement process to develop faster, more reliable bus service throughout Central Brooklyn.

NYC DOT and the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) will develop short-term bus-priority improvements that can be implemented as early as next year while also creating a long-term vision for world-class bus service, including new Bus Rapid Transit corridors on Utica Avenue, Church Avenue and Flatbush Avenue, with Flatbush coming online by 2030.

The community engagement campaign will include:

• An online feedback portal, open July 15 through October 31.
• Bus rider engagement events beginning August 6 at 6 p.m. in Central Brooklyn. RSVP for exact location at organize.nyc.gov/fastbuses.
• Surveys of riders, pedestrians, local health and educational institutions, businesses and other stakeholders.
• Outreach at Open Streets events, block parties and community events.

Following the summer engagement process, NYC DOT expects to release updated plans for bus-priority improvements this fall.

New Yorkers can learn more about Next Stop: Fast Buses for Central Brooklyn at nyc.gov/fastbuses-centralbk.

Read Next Stop: Fast Buses, Better Service for more information on the City's bus action plan.

"Reliable public transportation is an economic issue, a quality-of-life issue and an equity issue," said State Senator Kevin Parker. "Every day, thousands of my constituents depend on Flatbush Avenue, Utica Avenue and Church Avenue to get to work, school, healthcare and local businesses. These investments are an important step toward delivering the faster, safer and more dependable bus service Central Brooklyn deserves. I look forward to working with the City, the MTA and community stakeholders to ensure these improvements reflect the needs of our neighborhoods and create a stronger transportation network for generations to come."

"Bronx bus riders have waited long enough for reliable, fast bus service," said Assemblymember Yudelka Tapia. "The Tremont Avenue busway means shorter commutes and safer streets for the 39,000 people who depend on this corridor every single day."

"For too long, Central Brooklyn bus riders have dealt with slow and unreliable service. My constituents have consistently told me they need buses they can count on to get to work on time, take their children to school and access essential services," said Council Member Crystal Hudson. "I am excited to see this community engagement process begin and encourage residents to continue making their voices heard so these projects reflect the needs of the neighborhoods they serve. Together, we can build a faster, more reliable bus network that keeps Brooklyn moving."

"Bronx bus riders deserve the best improvements that New York City has to offer and, at last, the Tremont busway will save working people valuable time," said Jolyse Race, Senior Organizer for Riders Alliance. "In Brooklyn, riders are eager to partner with a City Hall ready to hit the ground running and shape a bold new vision for rapid bus routes spanning the city's most populous borough. Just a week after the launch of the 'Next Stop' citywide plan, Mayor Mamdani and his administration are showing up with a keen understanding that riders cannot afford to waste any more time stuck on America's slowest buses."

"We're thrilled that the Bronx is finally getting its very first busway, which will bring faster, more reliable bus rides to tens of thousands of New Yorkers!" said Ben Furnas, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. "Tremont bus riders from Roberto Clemente to Throggs Neck deserve world-class service. We're excited to see this busway treatment advance, and we look forward to seeing DOT's evaluations of its effectiveness - along with how the busway might be expanded in the future. We're equally thrilled by the Mamdani administration's commitments on the other side of the city, where short-term bus projects and Bus Rapid Transit will transform Central Brooklyn commutes and improve street safety in the years to come."

"Almost 200,000 bus riders are going to benefit from bus projects coming to the Bronx thanks to Governor Hochul and Mayor Mamdani's 'Next Stop: Fast Buses, Better Service' plan," said Lisa Daglian, Executive Director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA (PCAC). "With real focus and commitment behind the plan, bus riders around the boroughs will experience the real change these transformational projects will bring to their lives with faster, more reliable service. We're thrilled to see progress already underway to get riders where they need to go."

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