NYC DOT To Begin Flatbush Avenue Redesign Project This Week: What To Know

BROOKLYN, NY — The New City Department of Transportation will start work on the Flatbush Avenue bus redesign project this week, officials said on Thursday.

The project will cut two vehicle lanes and add center-running bus lanes to deliver faster, more reliable commutes for 132,000 daily bus riders across the entire Flatbush corridor, while improving safety on one of Brooklyn's high-crash corridors, according to NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez.

The project also aims to speed up buses while keeping other vehicles moving along the corridor.

“We’re excited to begin transformational upgrades that will get Flatbush moving” Rodriguez said. "This project will make bus trips faster and more reliable for commuters and includes new intersection safety upgrades. We look forward to finishing this project in 2026 and appreciate the public’s patience as the work takes place."

The NYC DOT will begin installing center-running bus lanes on Flatbush Avenue between Livingston Street and State Street, with the remaining work to be completed next year.

The project will also include new dedicated loading zones for deliveries, safety enhancements, and 28,800 square feet of new pedestrian space, according to Rodriguez.

With center-running lanes, NYC DOT would install six concrete bus boarding islands in the street to provide safe spaces for pedestrians to board, disembark, and wait to cross the street.

Eleven new dedicated loading zones, which can fit over 50 trucks or 83 passenger vehicles, would also be installed.

In addition, up to 14 new roadway bike parking areas, which can accommodate more than 170 bikes will be a part of the redesign.

Flatbush’s bus lanes will be camera enforced through the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s ACE program, as well as stationary NYC DOT cameras following the painting of the bus lanes and installation of related signage.

“Breaking ground on the Flatbush Avenue bus priority project lays the groundwork for the implementation of a true bus rapid transit system throughout Brooklyn, which would be a turning point for transit in our borough,” Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso said. “For too long, Brooklynites – including the more than 100,000 who travel this corridor every day – have endured slow, unreliable bus service and unsafe streets. By initiating construction on center bus lanes, DOT is making it clear: transit can’t be an afterthought; it’s the future of our borough.”