City begins DeKalb Avenue bus lane build

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn launched construction on the B38 bus route redesign on Nov. 5. The project targets two specific corridors in Brooklyn to improve speed and safety for public transit users.

The plan involves rebuilding DeKalb Avenue from Broadway to Flatbush Avenue and Lafayette Avenue from Ashland Place to Patchen Avenue. These stretches will feature 2.7 miles of curbside and protected bus lanes. The design also includes upgrades for cyclists and pedestrians.

The city expects the changes to benefit 18,000 passengers who use the B38 route daily to travel between Downtown Brooklyn, Bed-Stuy, and Bushwick. Mamdani stated that New Yorkers should not have to choose between arriving on time and arriving safely. He added that the project puts that principle into practice on these two avenues.

This initiative is part of a partnership with Gov. Kathy Hochul known as Next Stop: Fast Buses, Better Service. The program aims to improve service across nearly 75 percent of the city's bus network. MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber described Brooklyn as the center of a bus revolution under current leadership.

Lieber noted that the changes are timely for the residents who rely on the B38 for their daily commute. Office of the Mayor data shows that 80 percent of residents within a quarter-mile of the B38 routes use public transit to get to work. A majority of those households do not own a vehicle.

Safety has been a focal point for the redesign. Since 2021, crashes on these heavily relied upon transit routes have injured more than 800 people. Commissioner Flynn said that a resident's zip code should not determine their access to high-quality, affordable transportation.

New York YIMBY reported that installation of the bus lanes and safety upgrades is expected to finish this fall. Monitoring is scheduled for the winter of 2026 and 2027. Additional treatments are under study for spring 2027.