116th Street overhaul will add new bus lanes, protected bike lanes, and pedestrian space
Credit: NYC DOT
New bus lanes, protected bike lanes, and pedestrian safety upgrades are coming to Manhattan’s busy 116th Street. Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn on Monday announced that work has begun on a major revamp of the Harlem corridor, adding 2.5 miles of offset and curbside bus lanes and other street upgrades. The project aims to improve commutes for more than 65,000 daily bus riders, who contend with speeds of less than four miles per hour in certain sections.
Whereas riders on the 10 routes serving the corridor could walk faster than the bus in certain sections, the revamp aims to boost bus speeds. The new bus lanes will feature dedicated traffic signals known as queue jumps, which give buses the green light before other vehicles at intersections.
Along the corridor, DOT will add three new midblock crosswalks, traffic signals, pedestrian median islands, a speed hump, on-street bike parking, updated parking regulations to improve curb access for drivers and deliveries, and hardened daylight.
Pedestrians will also benefit from 35,000 square feet of new public space and a DOT Art mural at the intersection of East 120th Street and Pleasant Avenue.
Protected bike lanes will be installed on Pleasant Avenue between East 120th and East 116th Streets, providing new connections to existing bike lanes serving Randall’s Island and the Harlem River waterfront.
Construction is expected to continue through the fall, with drivers encouraged to take alternative routes, use public transportation, or allow extra travel time.
“When your bus is moving slower than you can walk, something isn’t working,” Mamdani said. “New Yorkers should spend less time in traffic and more time with their families and enjoying the city.”
“This redesign brings together bus lanes, bike lanes, pedestrian space and proven safety improvements because our streets have to work for the millions of New Yorkers who use them every day—however they get around,” he added.
The corridor’s redesign was first presented to Manhattan Community Board 11’s Transportation Committee in June, according to Yimby.
East 116th Street is one of 50 priority corridors identified for faster bus service under Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul’s “Next Stop: Fast Buses, Better Service” plan, released in July.
Through a combination of service changes, traffic enforcement upgrades, and street redesigns, officials say the plan could reduce travel times by 20 percent across at least 50 bus corridors.
Other corridors slated for improvements include the Bronx’s Tremont Avenue, which will receive the borough’s first designated busway next month, as well as Flatbush, Utica, and Church Avenues in Central Brooklyn.
“With every street redesign, we’re showing New Yorkers that the City and MTA are serious about better bus service,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said. “Dedicated bus lanes and transit signal priority are proven solutions that are going to make a huge difference for the 65,000 riders who travel on 116th Street every day.”
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