Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Tuesday that work to redesign Manhattan's 34th Street in order to speed up buses will resume, despite the Trump administration's warnings to back off the project.
The busway will resemble 14th Street, where only buses, trucks and emergency vehicles are allowed to drive in dedicated lanes. Passenger vehicles would be required to take the first turn off 34th Street.
Last year, the federal government warned the city that it shouldn’t move forward with the 34th Street busway because it was subject to federal oversight. A federal highway official cited concerns about truck access, and state officials paused the project.
But now the project is full steam ahead.
City Hall spokesperson Jeremy Edwards said the city is “in active communication with the federal government regarding their concerns” and has submitted the busway plans to the feds’ Transportation Improvement Program as it proceeds with the project.
The new busway will travel in both directions between Third and Ninth avenues and improve bus speeds for more than 28,000 daily riders, according to the city DOT.
The city also said the new busway will apply between 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.
“Too many New Yorkers spend too much time waiting on buses stuck in traffic,” Mamdani said in a statement, recalling his campaign pledge to improve bus speeds citywide. “The 34th Street busway will change that, turning one of our most congested bus corridors into one that actually moves.”
Plans for the busway redesign of 34th Street.
A graphic showing the proposed busway provided by the city shows the plan will include “daylighting” on at least one corner of the intersections, which involves removing parking spaces to improve visibility for pedestrians crossing the street.
“The 34th Street busway will help deliver faster bus service for riders, safer conditions for pedestrians and a more efficient street for everyone who depends on it,” DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn said in a statement.
DOT data shows bus speeds along the city's first busway on 14th Street have increased by as much as 24% and bus ridership is up 30% since it launched in 2019.
That project faced years of hurdles to complete, including a lawsuit brought by local residents challenging the redesign that ultimately failed.
The city’s transportation department will begin public outreach on the 34th Street project this month, with plans to begin installing new street infrastructure in the summer. The agency anticipates completing construction by the end of the fall.
