14th Street Busway

Photos by Colossal Media

May 5, 2026

This year’s 14th Street Busway mural urges New Yorkers to ‘get outside’

With spring weather finally blossoming in New York City, so too has the annual mural on Union Square’s 14th Street Busway. Now in its sixth year, the corridor has received a vibrant makeover, this time featuring artist Shantell Martin’s “Get Outside,” a mural encouraging viewers to reconnect with the outdoors and their communities while celebrating Union Square’s historic role as a hub for gatherings. The 7,500-square-foot artwork was hand-painted by Brooklyn-based Colossal Media and is part of Merrell’s “Outside in the City” program, which frames the outdoors as a vital part of city life rather than a distant destination.
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Architecture And Design

14th Street Busway mural honors Union Square as hub for connection, above and below ground

Photos by Jane Kratochvil

May 22, 2025

14th Street Busway mural honors Union Square as hub for connection, above and below ground

By Aaron Ginsburg

This year’s 14th Street Busway mural has officially been unveiled, bringing vibrant colors to the corridor and celebrating Union Square’s role as a hub for connection and exploration. Designed by New York-based artist Yuke Li, "Turning Point" features bold, abstract compositions and retro-inspired hues, with fluid shapes that mirror the movement of people and energy through the space. The mural was completed on Friday after five days of work, in collaboration with Brooklyn-based urban planning and design firm Street Plans, local volunteers, and community groups.
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Architecture And Design

Photo credit: Jane Kratochvil

May 21, 2024

Colorful street mural depicts the vibrancy of Union Square

By Devin Gannon

After five days, 100 volunteers, and 85 gallons of paint, a new mural on 14th Street is now complete. The Union Square Partnership this week unveiled "Flowing Together," a colorful 7,500-square-foot mural on the pedestrian areas of the 14th Street Busway, between Broadway and University Place. Designed by Queens-based artist Talisa Almonte, the bold street art reflects Union Square as a spot to pass through and historically, a place rooted in social movements.
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New mural on 14th Street in Union Square celebrates human connection to nature

All photos courtesy of Jane Kratochvil

May 31, 2023

New mural on 14th Street in Union Square celebrates human connection to nature

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new street mural along the 14th Street Busway in Union Square celebrates the intricate connection between humans and nature. Designed by Brooklyn-based artist Vanesa Álvarez, "Union with the Universe" uses serene designs and shades of color, inviting observers to slow down and take a moment to connect with the world around them. Unveiled on Wednesday, the mural was installed over a period of five days with the help of Street Plans, a Brooklyn-based urban planning and design firm, and other community groups.
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Events & Things To Do

New street mural promoting peace has been installed on 14th Street in Union Square

All photos courtesy of Jane Kratochvil

May 31, 2022

New street mural promoting peace has been installed on 14th Street in Union Square

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new street mural was unveiled last week along the 14th Street Busway in Union Square. Designed by Brooklyn-based artist Ji Yong Kim, Ripples of Peace and Calm is inspired by traditional East Asian paintings, depicting lotus flowers, floating leaves, and swimming koi fish. The mural's serene qualities are meant to represent the "antithesis of hate" and promote peace and calm, particularly at a time when the city continues to see a spike in violence against Asian New Yorkers. Presented by the city's Department of Transportation and the Union Square Partnership, the mural was installed over the course of five days last week with help from Brooklyn-based urban planning and design firm Street Plans, community groups, and volunteers.
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Events & Things To Do

Vibrant new street mural takes over Union Square’s 14th Street

Photo by Liz Ligon

August 3, 2021

Vibrant new street mural takes over Union Square’s 14th Street

By Devin Gannon

A huge nature-themed street mural was installed along the 14th Street Busway in Union Square this week. Titled "Collective Vision," the mural was painted on the pedestrian areas of the busway between Broadway and Union Square West. Brooklyn-based street artists GERALUZ and WERC designed the piece to highlight the strength of nature and unity, with a ruby-throated hummingbird at the center representing the "power of resilience in standing together against injustice and extinction." Over the last five days, community volunteers have helped the artists fill in the vibrant colors of the mural.
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Events & Things To Do

NYC makes 14th Street busway permanent, adds five more car-free routes

14th Street Busway; Photo: Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit on Flickr

June 8, 2020

NYC makes 14th Street busway permanent, adds five more car-free routes

By Devin Gannon

The busway on 14th Street in Manhattan will be made permanent, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday. The car-free strip of the street, which runs between 3rd and 9th Avenues, launched as part of a pilot program last October. The mayor called the busway, which has proven popular with riders, a "success by every measure." De Blasio also announced the phased-in addition of five new busways and 16.5 miles of bus lanes, which are meant to alleviate crowding for commuters as the city begins the reopening process.
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Transit

December 19, 2019

See BIG and WXY’s vision for a pedestrian-friendly Downtown Brooklyn

By Devin Gannon

A plan to improve the streets and public space of Downtown Brooklyn was unveiled on Thursday, as officials look to accommodate the area's booming population. Created in collaboration with the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, Bjarke Ingels Group, and WXY architecture + urban design, the "Public Realm Action Plan" calls for fewer cars, more bike lanes, a bus-only lane, and more parks and plazas. As first reported by CityLab, the proposal takes ideas from already-implemented street redesigns, like the new 14th Street busway.
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Transit

14th Street busway gets city’s first all-electric bus fleet as its ridership soars

Photo by Marc A. Hermann for MTA NYC Transit

December 16, 2019

14th Street busway gets city’s first all-electric bus fleet as its ridership soars

By Devin Gannon

The first of the city's new electric buses hit the streets on Sunday, as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority moves to fully electrify their fleet by 2040. Fifteen new electric articulated buses will run on the M14 Select Bus Service route on the 14th Street busway, a car-free strip between Third and Ninth Avenues introduced by the city in October as a way to speed up commutes. The busway has proven popular with riders, with new data showing a significant increase of M14 SBS ridership compared to last year.
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DOT plans to roll out 14th Street ‘busway’ this week after judges give the stalled project a green light

Image via Oran Viriyincy / Flickr

September 30, 2019

DOT plans to roll out 14th Street ‘busway’ this week after judges give the stalled project a green light

By Alexandra Alexa

It looks like the 14th Street busway will finally roll out this week following a court ruling on Friday. As Streetsblog reported, a panel of judges from New York State Supreme Court's Appellate Division voted 3-2 to overturn an August 9th ruling that blocked the city from starting the pilot program. Not long after Friday's order was handed down, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the Department of Transportation confirmed plans to begin implementing the busway on Thursday, October 3.
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14th Street busway pilot program will begin next week after judge gives project green light

By Alexandra Alexa

The city is set to begin a 14th Street busway pilot on August 12 after a judge lifted a temporary injunction on the project, Streetsblog reported. The busway had most recently been delayed after several block associations along the street filed a lawsuit against the project, claiming that the city failed to conduct an environmental review for the work. State Supreme Court Judge Eileen Rakower reviewed a traffic analysis submitted by Deputy Commissioner for Traffic Eric Beaton and found that the traffic, health, and safety impacts of the project fall within the city’s routine traffic management work, thereby allowing the project to move forward.
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July 24, 2018

MTA to launch 14th Street Select Bus Service to help move 50K more daily riders during L train shutdown

By Michelle Cohen

Via Wikimedia The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) have announced that Select Bus Service will be available to riders on 14th Street in Manhattan as of January 6, 2019 ahead of the planned April 2019 L train tunnel closure for repairs to due to damage from Hurricane Sandy. The M14 is expected to become the busiest bus route in the nation during the shutdown, with more than 50,000 additional daily riders expected to move above ground along 14th Street. According to NYC Transit President Andy Byford: "Launching Select Bus Service on 14th Street is a critical part of a multi-faceted service plan to keep thousands of customers moving safely and efficiently as they commute crosstown."
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Transit

14th Street to become an all-day ‘busway,’ get new bike lanes during L train shutdown

L train photo via Wiki Commons

June 26, 2018

14th Street to become an all-day ‘busway,’ get new bike lanes during L train shutdown

By Michelle Cohen

6sqft previously reported on the city's plans to provide alternatives to the L train during the 2019 shutdown for repairs in the Canarsie Tunnel under the East River and the reaction of community groups affected by the planned changes. A coalition of West Side neighborhood groups fearing disruptions from buses, bike lanes and other changes sued the agencies tasked with implementing the L train alternatives. Now the New York Daily News reports that according to court documents, 14th street will become a "busway" for 17 hours each day–among other strategies–to limit car traffic during the shutdown.
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14th Street Busway

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