New York City announced on Friday, Nov. 13, that it has completed the redesign of McGuinness Boulevard in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Parking-protected bike lanes, in which parked cars separate the roadway from the bike lane, now run in both directions along the entire stretch from Meeker Avenue to the Pulaski Bridge, and vehicle travel has been reduced to one lane in each direction.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Mike Flynn announced on Friday, Nov. 13, that construction to redesign McGuinness Boulevard in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, is complete. Along the entire length of the boulevard from Meeker Avenue to the Pulaski Bridge, "parking-protected" bike lanes, in which parked vehicles separate the roadway from the bike lane, have been installed in both directions.
The redesigned boulevard consists of one travel lane in each direction, one protected bike lane in each direction, and parking and loading lanes along both curbs. The city said the changes shorten pedestrian crossing distances and slow turning vehicles, helping to deter reckless driving. McGuinness Boulevard is a cycling connection between Brooklyn and Queens, used by more than 4,000 cyclists a day in the summer.
The road has long been considered dangerous. State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez said that before the redesign, a traffic crash occurred on McGuinness Boulevard every other day. After Matthew Jensen, a teacher at nearby PS 110, was killed on the street in 2021, parents and residents formed the group Make McGuinness Safe and called for a complete redesign.
A few days after taking office on Jan. 3, Mayor Mamdani pledged to finish the project according to the original design. Construction began on May 27 and was completed in about six months. Drivers using this stretch should keep in mind that there is only one travel lane in each direction and that the curbside lanes are used for parking and loading and unloading.