The city Department of Transportation kicked off construction Monday on a project to add 2.5 miles of new bus lanes to Manhattan’s 116th Street — an effort designed to speed up commutes for 65,000 daily bus riders who use 10 bus routes that travel along the corridor.
The undertaking will add a combination of curbside and offset bus lanes along 116th Street between Morningside and Pleasant Avenues, from Morningside Park to the East River. Buses along the stretch can currently crawl at speeds slower than 4 mph — half the citywide average.
The redesign will also include the installation of traffic signals that give buses a green light before private vehicles (known as queue jumps), protected bike lanes on Pleasant Avenue, street safety upgrades, and 35,000 feet of new pedestrian space.
The east-west Manhattan roadway is one of 50 “priority corridors” identified in Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s, and the MTA’s plan to make city buses faster: Next Stop.
“When your bus is moving slower than you can walk, something isn’t working,” Mamdani said in a statement, referring to the lethargic speed of buses on 116th Street.
“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.
DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn, in a statement, shared a now familiar refrain that providing faster bus service translates into giving New Yorkers more time to get to work, run errands, or be with their families each day.
“Faster bus service matters and we are delivering on Mayor Mamdani’s commitment to fast buses here on 116th Street,” Flynn said. “Buses on this corridor are often stuck in traffic with current speeds almost as low as walking. We look forward to speeding up buses and delivering life-saving pedestrian and cycling improvements that will make this critical crosstown connector and surrounding area safer for everyone.”
Riders of several routes that use 116th Street stand to benefit from the redesign, according to City Hall. Those include the M116, among the borough’s most sluggish buses, in addition to the M3, M7, M102, BxM1, BxM6, BxM7, BxM8, BxM9, and BxM11.
The corridor also connects bus riders to the 2, 3, 6, B and C train lines.
The protected bike lane will run north and south on Pleasant Avenue, connecting to existing bike infrastructure on Randall’s Island and along the East River waterfront, according to the city.
DOT will also add a bevy of traffic safety measures along the corridor aimed at reducing the number of dangerous crashes that occur. Those include the installation of a speed bump, three mid-block crosswalks, pedestrian median islands, and hardened daylighting at intersections.