Greenpoint Avenue Bridge gets new bike lane

The Greenpoint Avenue Bridge is now equipped with a new, protected bike lane, announced the Department of Transportation (DOT) on Thursday, July 2.
The lane’s addition, DOT said, is a part of the ongoing redesign of Greenpoint Avenue and will provide a “vital bike network connection between Brooklyn and Queens.”

“I am excited to see cyclists riding in the new protected bike lane on the Greenpoint Avenue Bridge,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “This critical piece of the bike network will now provide a safe connection between Brooklyn and Queens for hundreds of cyclists getting to work, or just enjoying a ride around town.”

The lane, spanning over 1.5 miles, was first discussed in 2011, according to DOT, and both Community Board 2 in Brooklyn and Community Board 1 in Queens voted in support of the project.

The 600 cyclists using the route daily will see six-foot-wide bike lanes with four feet taken up by a protected buffer lane in both directions. Currently, there are two Queens-bound travel lanes and one Brooklyn-bound travel lane.

Assemblymember Joseph Lentol, whose district covers Greenpoint and parts of Williamsburg, applauded the DOT for putting the project into effect.

“The population of North Brooklyn has exploded over the past several years and as a result, the New York City Department of Transportation has stepped up to the plate in creating a safer and more diverse transportation network,” said Lentol.

“Back in 2010 the [DOT] proposed bike lanes over the Greenpoint Avenue Bridge, but they failed to take into account the community’s concerns,” he continued. “I am happy to say that the [DOT] has now taken the community’s input and decided to remove only one lane of traffic rather than two.”

According to Lentol, removing two lanes of traffic on the bridge would have been harmful to businesses that rely on the vital vehicular route.

The project also includes a roadway redesign for Greenpoint Avenue; which would add curbside buffered bike lanes at some locations on Greenpoint Avenue, remove underutilized parking lanes, and add a westbound travel lane.