Adam RollinsThe New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) has proposed a busway along the 34th Street corridor in Manhattan, revamping the public transit makeup to provide reliable transport and safety for commuters.
The midtown busway is similar to a previously implemented line along 14th Street, which has already shown great success and public approval since launching in 2019. Following the 14th Street busway launch, the area saw a 42% drop in crashes and bus speeds increasing by up to 24%.
These improvements are a direct result of the corridor’s bus- and pedestrian-centric approach, restricting overall car through-traffic and priority in the area. Modeling the 34th Street corridor after the 14th Street busway will provide approximately 28,000 riders with shorter wait times for bus services and 22 express bus routes, according to public officials.
The proposed plan would adopt a nearly identical design to 14th Street, creating a busway from Ninth Avenue to Third Avenue that prioritizes buses and trucks while preserving access for pick-ups, drop-offs and loading. The initiative will liberate curb space for deliveries and enable the city to implement key pedestrian safety improvements, including painted curb extensions and improved intersection visibility.
Implementing the busway would be an essential step integral to the administration’s Connecting to the Core plan. Announced in May 2024, the plan is concentrated around making it easier for people to travel throughout the Central Business District without a vehicle. At the time of its announcement, NYC DOT had 37 projects in development for 2024 and 2025.
The 34th Street busway isn’t the only expanded public transit project NYC DOT is proposing. A similar project to extend the northbound double bus lane on Madison Avenue from 42nd Street to 23rd Street has also been pitched as another solution to speed up bus travel throughout Manhattan.
Once completed, 34th Street would be the city’s eighth busway, as well as the seventh installed since the 14th Street busway in 2019.
Photo Courtesy Mtattrain via Wikimedia Commons
