NYC To Complete Madison Avenue Bus Lane Project, Speeding Service For 92K Daily Riders

NEW YORK, NY – New York City officials announced Sunday that the city will complete a long-delayed redesign of Madison Avenue this year, extending double bus lanes from 42nd Street to 23rd Street to speed up service for about 92,000 daily local and express bus riders.

The project, announced by Deputy Mayor of Operations Julia Kerson and Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn at Madison Square Park, will expand the existing bus lane configuration south from its current endpoint at 42nd Street. The corridor serves riders from all five boroughs and is one of Manhattan’s busiest bus routes.

“We couldn't be happier to celebrate this expanded bus lane right in the center of the congestion relief zone,” Ben Furnas, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, said.

Buses south of 42nd Street currently travel as slowly as 4.5 miles per hour, well below the citywide average bus speed of 8.1 miles per hour, according to the New York City Department of Transportation. DOT data shows that 55 percent of people traveling on this stretch of Madison Avenue are bus riders, despite the absence of dedicated bus lanes.

The redesigned street will include two bus lanes, one general travel lane and one parking lane that will function as a travel lane during rush hours. The design mirrors the existing configuration between 60th and 42nd streets, which serves 34 local and express routes.

DOT first proposed the southern extension in 2025, but the project was paused before installation. City officials said completing the redesign will also support the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s congestion pricing program by encouraging travel into Manhattan without cars.

The city cited results from Fifth Avenue, where similar double bus lanes led to local bus speed increases of 6 percent to 12 percent and express bus speed increases of 11 percent to 20 percent, according to DOT.

The announcement follows recent moves by the Mamdani administration to restart other stalled street redesign projects, including on McGuinness Boulevard in Brooklyn and 31st Street in Queens.

Support for the project was voiced by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, members of Congress and the City Council, and advocacy groups including Riders Alliance, Regional Plan Association and Transportation Alternatives, all of which cited faster bus service, reduced congestion and environmental benefits.