Prospect Park’s east side is getting a protected bike lane, pedestrian plaza
Rendering of Ocean Avenue perimeter, courtesy of Prospect Park Alliance.
A connected bike lane around the entire perimeter of Prospect Park is closer to becoming a reality. The city on Friday broke ground on a $15.5 million project aimed at enhancing the eastern edge of the Brooklyn park along Ocean and Parkside Avenues, from Empire Boulevard to Parade Place. The project includes installing a sidewalk-grade, two-way protected bike lane that will connect to existing bike paths around the park and a new pedestrian plaza that will be home to the new Shirley Chisholm monument.
Led by the Prospect Park Alliance, the project includes $8.2 million in funding from the city’s Department of Transportation, $1.25 million from the Department of Cultural Affairs, $1 million from NYC Parks, $3.5 million from Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso’s Office, and $1.6 million from Council Member Rita Joseph’s Office.
Prospect Lefferts Gardens’ Ocean Avenue currently has no cycling infrastructure. The project adds a two-way bike lane on the west side of the street, protected from vehicles. The bike lane will measure roughly eight feet wide with a small curb between the lane and the street. A seven-foot-wide grass verge will separate bikers from the sidewalk.
The new bike lane will connect to existing lanes surrounding the park on Flatbush Avenue, Parkside Avenue, and Prospect Park West. The last unconnected bit is along Windsor Terrace’s Prospect Park Southwest.
The perimeter will be restored with reconstructed sidewalks, an allée of 152 trees, new lighting, seating, and trash cans.
The city plans to build a new plaza at the Ocean Avenue and Parkside Avenue park entrance, with a new bike connection between the two streets and the Prospect Park Drive. The revamped space formally closes the park entrance to motorized vehicles, which were banned from the park in 2018.
“Having safe access to Prospect Park is a priority for everyone who calls Brooklyn home. Families from across the city walk and bike to Brooklyn’s backyard, and with so much foot traffic, the park’s adjacent streets must be calm and focused on people,” NYC DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn said.
“Since we’ve removed private vehicles from Prospect Park in 2018, the results have been transformative—and allow us to deliver a brand-new pedestrian-friendly entrance at Ocean and Parkside with a new monument honoring Brooklyn’s own Shirley Chisholm.”
Expected to take 18 months to complete, the project begins with the restoration of the perimeter in six 800-foot phases, starting at Empire Boulevard in tandem with Parkside Avenue. Each phase will take two months to complete. The installation of the public artwork will be the second and final phase.
In the works since 2018 but delayed because of the pandemic, the Shirley Chisholm monument is a 32-foot-tall sculpture depicting a silhouette of the Brooklyn native and first Black woman elected to Congress, interlaced with the dome of the U.S. Capitol building.
Inspired by Barbados, where Chisholm spent her youth, the yellow and green monument includes images of wild geranium, American chestnut, and Peacock flowers, and the ground will be excavated to resemble the layout of the congressional floor, as 6sqft previously reported.
The Prospect Park Alliance is also transforming an existing building at the Parkside and Ocean Avenue entrance into a new pavilion with upgraded bathrooms, exhibition space, and seating. The project is currently in the design phase, with construction slated for 2027.
The west side of Prospect Park was upgraded years ago, with the protected bike lane on Prospect Park West opening in 2010. But the east side has received more attention in recent years.
Bike lanes and new park entrances were added to Flatbush Avenue in 2020, the Prospect Park Lake’s shoreline is getting a $20 million upgrade, and just this month, the Prospect Park Alliance announced a $37.5 million restoration of the Vale of Cashmere.
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