Brooklyn B41 Gets Center Bus Lanes This Month

Center bus lanes on Flatbush Avenue to serve 132,000 daily riders on six routes

Brooklyn B41 Gets Center Bus Lanes This Month

Brooklyn bus riders on six routes will see faster commutes as the city resumes construction of center-running bus lanes along Flatbush Avenue at the end of the month, the Department of Transportation announced. The project will serve approximately 132,000 daily riders on the B41, one of Brooklyn's busiest routes, plus the B67, B69, B63, B45 and B103. Buses currently crawl at just 4 miles per hour along the corridor.

Context

The Flatbush Avenue redesign adds six large concrete islands in the center of the street where bus riders will wait and board, separating buses from car traffic. Construction between Livingston Street and Grand Army Plaza began last fall as part of Mayor Zohran Mamdani's pledge to make city buses fast and free. According to the DOT, similar center bus lanes installed on 161st Street in the Bronx improved bus speeds by 43%, demonstrating the effectiveness of dedicated bus infrastructure in congested urban corridors.

Construction Details

The project will be completed in four phases, the DOT said. Phase one will remove two existing concrete islands at Flatbush and Atlantic avenues to prepare the corridor for the new design. Phases two and three will focus on constructing the center bus lanes and new bus boarding islands along the stretch. Phase four will include installation of final markings, signage, signals and street elements, with work expected to wrap up in the fall.

Timeline

Construction resumes at the end of this month after beginning last fall, transit officials said. The four-phase approach allows the DOT to maintain traffic flow while building the dedicated bus infrastructure. Officials expect all work to be completed by fall, though specific dates for each construction phase weren't provided in the announcement.

Rider Impact

The 132,000 Brooklynites who ride buses along Flatbush Avenue daily can expect significantly faster trips once construction wraps up, based on the 43% speed improvement seen on similar Bronx lanes. Riders should expect periodic lane closures and detours during the four construction phases through fall. Moovit provides real-time updates on Brooklyn bus routes, including construction-related delays and service changes along the B41 corridor.