New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on Oct. 28 a safety redesign for a 2.1-mile stretch of Third Avenue in Brooklyn, from 62nd Street to 20th Street. Construction will begin in 2027 between 62nd and 43rd streets, followed in 2028 by work between 43rd and 20th streets, with a two-way protected bike lane running along the median.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NYC Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Mike Flynn announced on Wednesday, Oct. 28, a plan to redesign a 2.1-mile stretch of Third Avenue in Brooklyn, from 62nd Street to 20th Street. Starting in 2027, the city will install pedestrian islands, new intersection designs and a two-way protected bike lane along the road's median. Seventeen people have been killed along this stretch over the past 10 years.
Third Avenue is 150 feet wide, and along most of the stretch it has six travel lanes, two parking lanes and a 52-foot-wide median. For a pedestrian to cross from one side to the other, that means walking half the length of a football field. The new design uses pedestrian islands and expanded sidewalks and medians to cut the distance people must cross the roadway by up to half. DOT said similar redesigns have reduced deaths and serious injuries among all road users by 30%.
Construction Schedule
The work will be done in two phases. In 2027, construction will begin on Third Avenue between 62nd and 43rd streets, and on 60th Street between Second and Fourth avenues. A two-way bike lane protected by parked cars will go in on 60th Street, improving safety around two nearby schools and connecting the protected bike lane on Fourth Avenue with the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway on Second Avenue. In 2028, the stretch between 43rd and 20th streets will be redesigned.
The city is also considering extending the redesign later to the stretch between 62nd and 65th streets, and from north of Prospect Avenue to Carroll Street in Gowanus. The median will be reorganized so that parking is laid out in a more orderly way, and metered parking spaces will be included.
The plan is part of "Vision Zero Reimagined," a 10-year traffic safety blueprint the city released last month. The city said it will carry out improvements within the next three years on all of the most dangerous arterial roads that do not yet have safety features. On Third Avenue, nurse Jiayi Zheng was killed in a hit-and-run in August. State Sen. Andrew Gounardes and City Council Member Alexa Avilés, who represent the area, along with Brooklyn Community Board 7 and others, welcomed the plan, saying residents have long demanded it.