Fast Buses: Mayor Mamdani Completes the Bronx’s First Busway on Tremont Avenue

Tremont Avenue is among the most dangerous streets in the Bronx and a Vision Zero priority corridor. Between 2020 and 2024, four people were killed and nearly 630 people were injured in crashes along Tremont Avenue - an average of two injuries every week.

As part of the busway installation, NYC DOT added safety improvements at eight intersections along the corridor and nearby streets:

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

The redesign includes painted sidewalk extensions that shorten pedestrian crossing distances and encourage turning vehicles to slow down. The curb extensions are reinforced with flexible delineators, granite blocks and bicycle parking to discourage illegal parking.

In 2026, the Mamdani administration has advanced major projects to speed up bus service across all five boroughs, including:

Together, these projects are part of the administration's broader effort to make bus service faster, more reliable and safer for millions of New Yorkers who rely on it every day.

"Finally, the Bronx has a busway, saving time and aggravation for 39,000 daily riders," said Danny Pearlstein, Policy & Communications Director at Riders Alliance. "Bronxites depend more on buses than other New Yorkers, yet for too long have lacked the state-of-the-art in bus priority treatments. Now, the Mamdani administration has put bus riders first on Tremont Avenue, speeding commutes up and down hills, across the borough and to healthcare jobs and appointments in Washington Heights."

"We applaud the Mamdani administration for speeding up bus commutes and improving street safety for tens of thousands of Bronx residents," said Ben Furnas, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. "The completion of the Tremont Avenue busway is a major accomplishment achieved in Year 1, and we hope to see DOT rapidly roll out more car-free busways and street safety upgrades across the five boroughs."

"The new Tremont Avenue busway will make a real difference for the 39,000 riders who rely on the Bx36 every day, helping them get where they need to go faster and more reliably while making the street safer for everyone," said Kate Slevin, Executive Vice President of Regional Plan Association. "We're excited to see this long-awaited project become a reality and hope to see more improvements that make getting around New York safer, easier, more sustainable and more equitable."

"The rapid delivery of the Tremont Avenue busway proves that when there is political will, we can move quickly to transform our streets and improve people's lives," said Renae Reynolds, Executive Director of Tri-State Transportation Campaign. "We celebrate this milestone, and we must use this momentum to deliver fast, frequent and reliable bus service to every neighborhood across New York City. Equitable transit cannot wait."

"Tremont Avenue is a lifeline for the small businesses along the corridor and for the workers and customers who reach them by bus every day, and in a community where most households don't own a car, a faster, safer Tremont should mean more customers and easier commutes," said Lisa Sorin, President of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce. "We thank Mayor Mamdani and Commissioner Flynn for this investment, and we look forward to working with the City to make sure deliveries, loading and customer access work for Tremont's merchants and to bring this kind of attention to commercial corridors across the Bronx."

"Reliable bus service is one of the most direct ways we can improve daily life for New Yorkers, and the completion of the Tremont Avenue busway is a major step forward for the Bronx. By improving travel times, increasing reliability and enhancing safety, the Mamdani Administration, in partnership with Governor Hochul and the MTA, is helping New Yorkers get where they need to go with greater ease and confidence," said Melanie Hartzog, President and CEO of The New York Foundling and MTA Board Member. "This project represents important progress, and I hope it is one of many continued investments in this community."

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