NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and city transportation officials on Tuesday announced plans for new bus lanes and safety upgrades along Linden Boulevard in East New York, a redesign they say will speed commutes for 60,000 daily riders while making one of Brooklyn’s most dangerous corridors safer for pedestrians.
The project will add eight bus boarding islands, two new signalized intersections and redesigned slip lanes along the stretch between Fountain Avenue and Conduit Avenue, according to the city. Officials said the work is expected to begin in late 2026 and be completed in 2027.
City officials said the changes are aimed at improving service on the B13, B14, B15, B20, BM5 and Q8 routes and strengthening connections to the A, C, J, Z, L and 3 subway lines, as well as JFK Airport, Brookdale Hospital and Gateway Center. The corridor has long been marked by wide lanes, long crossing distances and slow bus speeds, the materials show.
The redesign will include pedestrian refuge space at boarding islands, expanded medians and fewer conflict points at turns, officials said. They said the project is designed to reconnect neighborhoods split by the boulevard and respond to community concerns about dangerous crossings and limited transit access.
Between 2021 and 2025, the corridor recorded 443 traffic injuries, including 15 severe injuries and one death, according to the release. The city described Linden Boulevard as a Vision Zero Priority Corridor.
Mamdani said the project would deliver “faster, more reliable buses” and make the street safer for people who cross it every day. NYC DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn said the redesign would bring “safety and order” to a corridor where many residents rely on buses to reach jobs, health care and other services.
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, State Sen. Roxanne J. Persaud and Council Member Chris Banks praised the plan as a needed transit and safety upgrade. Riders Alliance policy director Danny Pearlstein also called the changes “essential upgrades” for a critical transit corridor.
City documents from 2025 show the corridor between Fountain Avenue and Conduit Avenue is about 1.1 miles long, serves tens of thousands of daily bus riders and has been identified by planners as a high-crash area with limited crossings and slow bus service.
Susan Shrestha
View More PostsSusan Shrestha is a Europe-based journalist. He covers a wide range of topics, from local matters to global affairs. Shrestha previously worked as a reporter for Khasokhas in Nepal.
