Manhattan Busway Returns, Speeds Commutes

Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on June 2 that New York City will restart work on a busway along Manhattan’s 34th Street, reviving a project the city had proposed last year for one of Midtown’s busiest crosstown corridors. The plan, announced with NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn, would give buses priority between Third Avenue and Ninth Avenue and is aimed at speeding service for more than 28,000 daily riders. (nyc.gov) City officials said the project would also address safety on a corridor where 324 traffic injuries were recorded from 2020 through 2024. MTA Chair and Chief Executive Janno Lieber backed the move, citing the city’s earlier busway on 14th Street as a model. ### Which stretch of 34th Street is changing? The proposed busway would run in both directions between Ninth Avenue and Third Avenue, according to the mayor’s office. Within that zone, through traffic would be limited to buses, trucks and emergency vehicles, while cars would still be allowed local access but would have to make the next available turn to leave the corridor. Existing bus lanes outside the busway zone, from 11th Avenue to the FDR Drive, would remain in place. The 34th Street corridor carries the M34 and M34A Select Bus Service routes, 22 express bus routes, New York Waterway buses and tour buses, city officials said in the earlier proposal unveiled in May 2025. (nyc.gov) That earlier plan had support from three local community boards, according to the Department of Transportation. ### Why is the city bringing the project back now? June 2 marked the city’s formal restart of work on the project under Mamdani and Flynn after the proposal had first been rolled out in May 2025 under then-DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. The mayor’s office said the city is moving ahead with the busway as part of a broader push to expand bus priority treatments. (nyc.gov) Mike Flynn said 34th Street moves tens of thousands of New Yorkers every day but buses are often stuck in traffic, slowing commutes and making service unreliable. Mamdani said, “Too many New Yorkers spend too much time waiting on buses stuck in traffic,” adding that the project would turn one of the city’s most congested bus corridors into one that “actually moves.” (ny1.com) ### What does the city say the busway will change for riders? City Hall said the busway is intended to deliver faster, more reliable service for more than 28,000 daily riders. Officials pointed to results from other New York City busways, saying busways have increased bus speeds by up to 60% and reduced injuries by as much as 45%. (nyc.gov) On 14th Street, the mayor’s office said, traffic injuries fell by nearly 60% after the busway was put in place. Janno Lieber said the 14th Street route shows “busways work” and said it was time to bring similar service to 34th Street. The city also said its traffic analysis found that vehicle traffic diverted from 34th Street could be absorbed on nearby streets without significant travel-time impacts. (nyc.gov) ### What will drivers and businesses have to adjust to? The operating rules would change daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., when the busway would be in effect, the mayor’s office said. During those hours, cars making pickups, drop-offs or deliveries could still enter for local access, but they would not be allowed to continue straight through the corridor. (nyc.gov) The city has said that design changes would also free curb space for deliveries and add painted curb extensions and visibility improvements at intersections. The 2025 proposal said local-access vehicles would be required to turn off at designated intersections to avoid a traffic violation. (nyc.gov) That framework mirrors the rules used on 14th Street, where most private through traffic is barred during busway hours. ### What happens next on the project? The mayor’s office said the city has already completed public outreach and traffic analysis for the corridor. The busway, once implemented, would operate every day from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., with buses, trucks and emergency vehicles allowed to travel through the full stretch. (nyc.gov) The next steps are now tied to implementation by the Mamdani administration and NYC DOT along the Third Avenue-to-Ninth Avenue corridor. The city has not, in the material reviewed, given a new start date for construction, but officials said on June 2 that the project would move forward under the restarted plan. (ny1.com) (nyc.gov)