New Bike Lanes to Brooklyn Bridge, Promised a Year Ago, are Delayed
A project to redesign the hazardous bike lanes approaching the Brooklyn Bridge, announced by the City’s Department of Transportation (DOT) almost a year ago and originally slated for completion by the end of this year, is still in the paperwork stage.
At the September 3 meeting of Community Board 1’s Transportation Committee, Patrick Kennedy, chief of the DOT’s newly renamed Cycling and Micro-Mobility Unit, reminded committee members, “we’re creating a protected on-street connection from points south. We’re moving bikes from having to mix with pedestrians and we’re not affecting vehicle travel to the Brooklyn Bridge from Chambers Street or Lafayette Street.”
Summarizing developments since the project was originally proposed last October, Mr. Kennedy said, “we have initiated a capital project. That means we have drawn a line on a map and we have done some paperwork to say that this is a thing we would like to pursue and we have an idea of what we would like to do there.”
“To get that momentum going,” he continued, “we would want a letter from the Community Board requesting that we make capital improvements here. The way to get more significant changes at this location is definitely through our capital process.”
While the path to the bridge from Centre Street is largely seamless, the approach from Park Row (just south of Chambers Street) is an obstacle course, forcing cyclists to mix with walkers and then make a u-turn for access to the bike lane. The plan to improve this situation consists of eliminating one lane from the southbound side of Centre Street, south of Chambers. This left lane will be turned into a protected, two-way bike path, serving cyclists leaving the bridge and heading south, as well as those approaching the span from Downtown, who will have a direct connection to the bridge ramp. In this scenario, while the sharp turn will remain, the route will be simplified and cyclists will no longer compete for space with pedestrians.
Dr. Betty Kay, chair of the committee, noted, “originally we were told that they were going to start this project over the summer. And then we heard back from the Borough commissioner that it was probably going to start in the fall.”
Mr. Kennedy replied, “In order to actually make it great, we have to move curb lines and make significant alterations. And that is our capital process.” He did not provide a new start date for construction or a projected time of completion.