Double bus lanes on Madison Avenue will speed up commutes for 92,000 daily riders from all five boroughs
Upgraded offset bus lanes on Lexington Avenue will improve service for 71,000 daily riders
Double bus lanes on Madison Avenue allow buses to stop for riders without disrupting the flow service. Credit: NYC DOT
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Mike Flynn today announced the completion of two major bus priority projects in Manhattan that will deliver faster, more reliable commutes for more than 150,000 daily riders from across the five boroughs.
On Madison Avenue, new double bus lanes now extend from East 23rd Street to East 42nd Street, improving service for 92,000 daily riders across 34 local and express bus routes. On Lexington Avenue, offset bus lanes between East 52nd and East 60th Street replace curbside bus lanes, helping keep lanes clear of illegally parked vehicles and speeding up service for 71,000 daily riders traveling between the Bronx, Staten Island and Manhattan on eight routes.
“Since the cold days of January, our administration has unstuck and advanced bus lane projects that will shorten daily commutes for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers. Now, as summer enters full swing, we’re completing them — and returning more time to New Yorkers’ already busy schedules,” said Mayor Mamdani. “These projects will deliver on our promise of fast buses and build a reliable, efficient transit network for the working New Yorkers who power our city.”
“Our bus priority work on Madison and Lexington Avenues will speed up buses and keep New Yorkers safer as they travel from all corners of the five boroughs,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn. “These improvements are just the beginning of our commitment to support the next generation of bus service. We look forward to continued partnership with the MTA to deliver faster, more reliable service across the city.”
Rendering of the completed Madison Avenue redesign between East 23rd Street and East 42nd Street.
Faster Buses on Madison Avenue
Buses along Madison Avenue’s 34 local and express routes often crawl through traffic south of East 42nd Street; speeds have fallen as low as 4.5 mph — nearly half the citywide average bus speed of 8.1 mph. Along this stretch, 55% of people traveling on the corridor ride the bus, despite the absence of a dedicated bus lane before to this project.
MTA data shows double bus lanes can significantly speed up service. After similar lanes were installed on neighboring Fifth Avenue, local bus speeds increased by as much as 12% and express bus speeds increased by as much as 20%.
During Mayor Mamdani’s first month in office, the administration announced it would move forward with the stalled Madison Avenue project, extending double bus lanes from East 42nd Street south to East 23rd Street. In addition to the two new bus lanes, the redesign includes one general travel lane, a parking lane with left-turn pockets between East 23rd and East 34th Street and a parking lane that converts to a travel lane during rush hours between East 34th and East 42nd Street. The project also updates curb regulations on Madison Avenue and nearby side streets to improve parking availability.
Rendering of the redesigned Lexington Avenue with an offset bus lane.
Better Bus Service on Lexington Avenue
Buses on Lexington Avenue average just 5 mph during daytime hours because vehicles frequently block curbside lanes while making deliveries or picking up and dropping off passengers.
In May, Mayor Mamdani announced work to convert eight blocks of Lexington Avenue between East 52nd Street and East 60th Street from curbside to offset bus lanes, helping keep bus lanes clear and buses moving.
The redesign builds on a similar project completed in 2019 between East 96th Street and East 60th Street. After NYC DOT converted that corridor to offset bus lanes, bus speeds increased by 26% and pedestrian injuries declined by 35%.
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