NYC DOT to add bus lanes, make safety upgrades on Linden Boulevard

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, in collaboration with the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Mike Flynn, unveiled plans to install new bus lanes and safety upgrades along Linden Boulevard—one of Brooklyn’s most travelled corridors—from Fountain Avenue to Conduit Avenue in East New York.

The project is designed to deliver faster, more reliable bus service for 60,000 daily riders while also creating improved access to nearby subway lines and reconnecting neighborhoods divided by the boulevard. Along this stretch, NYC DOT notes that one person is injured in a traffic crash every four days, on average.

“This project will deliver faster, more reliable buses for the 60,000 New Yorkers who rely on them every day—parents getting their kids to school, workers trying to clock in on time, families picking up groceries on the way home and redesigning this historically dangerous corridor will make it safer for everyone who has to cross it,” Mandani said. “When we make our buses faster and our streets safer, we’re making a clear choice about the kind of city we want to be: one that puts people first.”

NYC DOT is set to install eight new bus boarding islands, which will also serve as pedestrian refuge islands and shorten crossing distances, beginning in late 2026. The agency notes it will add two new signalized intersections at Pine Street and Emerald Street to reduce crosswalk gaps and better connect East New York and the Jewel Streets area. Five slip lanes will be closed or redesigned to improve safety and support bus operations.

The agency says the project will benefit riders on six bus routes: B13, B14, B15, B20, BM5 and Q8. It further notes that the improvements will bring more reliable service will improve connections to the A, C, J, Z, L and 3 subway lines, as well as to JFK Airport, Brookdale Hospital and Gateway Center.

“Faster buses and safer streets are what New Yorkers deserve,” said New York Deputy Mayor for Operations Julia Kerson. “These improvements will not only ensure quicker commutes and safer conditions for residents, but they will also better connect neighborhoods, bringing real-life improvements to the entire area.”

Along the Linden corridor, 54% of residents commute via public transportation and 57% of households do not have access to a private vehicle. The nearest subway station is more than a half-mile away.

“Mayor Mamdani has tasked us with delivering fast buses for New Yorkers and our redesign of Linden Boulevard will help deliver on this promise for so many residents in East New York, where these buses are a lifeline to connect to jobs, healthcare appointments and so much more,” Flynn said. “With the nearest subway a far walk away, residents here must cross 10 lanes of vehicle traffic just to board buses that end up stuck in traffic, behind double-parked cars—that is going to change under the Mamdani Administration.The proposal will help bring much-needed safety and order to Linden Boulevard, deliver faster buses for tens of thousands of New Yorkers and better connect neighborhoods long divided by this wide roadway.”

Between 2021 and 2025, the agency notes that there have been 443 traffic injuries, including 15 severe injuries and one fatality recorded at the corridor. Linden Boulevard is designated a Vision Zero Priority Corridor, meaning it ranks among the highest in Brooklyn for pedestrian deaths and serious injuries per mile.

The redesign aligns with the city’s Jewel Streets Neighborhood Plan, led by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, which calls for a safer, more active corridor with new housing, businesses and community services.

NYC DOT expects to complete the Linden Boulevard redesign in 2027.