New McGuinness Boulevard mural highlights safety upgrades
Credit: Ben Wolf
A new temporary public art installation on McGuinness Boulevard in Greenpoint seeks to draw attention to the safety improvements being implemented as part of the corridor’s redesign. Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Mike Flynn last week announced the completion of artist Kevin Cincotta’s mural at Father Studzinski Square, which transforms 1,600 square feet of asphalt and 80 linear feet of concrete bike barriers into a public artwork. The boulevard is currently undergoing a major redesign that includes parking-protected bike lanes along the notoriously dangerous corridor between Meeker Avenue and the Pulaski Bridge.
Titled “Becoming,” the mural’s design was shaped through engagement with community members, who provided input to ensure the installation reflects Greenpoint’s past while looking toward its future. It depicts flora and fauna that once thrived when the area was marshland, while also paying tribute to the Polish community that helped shape its identity.
Rendered in Cincotta’s signature style, it also features animals from Polish folklore. Frogs symbolize transformation and hidden beauty, while birds represent freedom and audacity. The creatures are surrounded by floral motifs drawn from traditional Polish papercutting folk art.
A large painted lily pad interacts with planters and other physical elements to integrate the installation into the streetscape. It is located on the painted curb extension and along the bike barrier from Driggs to Graham Avenues.
The mural highlights major street safety upgrades planned for the boulevard as part of its redesign. Street safety advocates have pushed for additional measures along the corridor for years, a campaign that intensified after the 2021 death of a teacher in a hit-and-run.
“McGuinness Boulevard’s transformation is about much more than redesigning a street, it’s about creating a corridor that reflects the people who live, work, and travel here every day,” Flynn said.
“This whimsical artwork brings together community identity and creativity in public space, helping turn a long-divided roadway into a welcoming neighborhood place that residents can recognize as their own,” he added.
In 2023, under former Mayor Eric Adams, the DOT announced a “road diet” plan that would remove a traffic lane and add protected bike lanes in both directions. However, following opposition from local residents and elected officials, Adams scaled back the original design in August 2024.
The reasons behind the sudden reversal remained unclear until August 2025, when Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg accused Ingrid Lewis-Martin, former chief adviser to Adams, of bribery, as 6sqft previously reported.
According to the allegations, Lewis-Martin accepted $2,500 in cash, free catering at Gracie Mansion valued at $10,000, and a brief appearance on the television show “Godfather of Harlem” in exchange for allegedly using her influence to alter the McGuinness Boulevard redesign on behalf of the Argentos. The case is ongoing.
While on the campaign trail in August, Mamdani held a rally on the boulevard where he pledged to complete the original “road diet” plan. In January, he officially announced that the DOT would move forward with the plan, and in May, construction began.
“Since day one of our administration, we have been laser-focused on making our streets safer for every New Yorker, and that work began on McGuinness Boulevard,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said. “With construction on the redesign already underway, this public art installation celebrates the people and history that make this community so special.”
Construction is slated for completion by early fall.
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