Bus, bike updates in Highbridge
DOT unveils improvements to bus and bike lane near E.L. Grant Highway
BY JASON COHEN
The thoroughfare that connects
the Bronx to Washington
Heights recently received a major
upgrade with the addition of
a combined bus and bike lane
project along E.L. Grant Highway
in Highbridge.
On Nov. 20, the Department
of Transportation (DOT) and
elected offi cials held a ribbon
cutting celebrating the completion
of the work. The project
features a combined 2.4 lane
miles of dedicated bus lanes and
protected bike lanes, each running
in both directions. The
bus lanes will serve 56,000 riders
every day on three different
bus routes.
Data showed that E.L. Grant
Highway had seen 44 injuries
on average per year from
2013 to 2017, including eight
severe injuries.
Riders Alliance Organizing
Manager Stephanie Burgos-
Veras praised the DOT and the
city for the initiative and felt the
completed project would make
the roads safer for cyclists and
bus riders.
“Bus riders are the backbone
of New York,” said Burgos
Veras. “Nearly half of bus
riders are front line workers.
In the Bronx, 95 percent of bus
riders are New Yorkers of color,
with an average income of
$20,000 per year. Buses should
be engines of opportunity, but
for far too long, bus riders have
been left stranded in slow traffi
c. Bus lanes like the ones on
E.L. Grant Highway fi nally give
riders the priority we deserve
on our streets.”
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According to the mayor’s
offi ce, the E.L. Grant bus lane
is only the second center-running
bus lane in the city, with
the fi rst being the Bx6 SBS bus
lane. The bus lane aims to “enhance
a high-ridership corridor
that has been plagued by double
parking.” New features of the
bus lane include fi ve new boarding
islands with benches and
leaning bars for riders, with elements
to slow traffi c, shorten
crossing distances and improve
overall pedestrian safety.
The 1.2 miles of protected
bike lane replaces the standard
buffered bike lane that
was previously in the area. Five
intersections along the bike
lane feature shortened crossing
distances at Jerome Avenue,
170th Street, Shakespeare
Avenue, Nelson Avenue and
Plimpton Avenue. University
Avenue also features new signalized
crossing and there are
left-turn restrictions at Plimpton
Avenue, 169th Street and
Nelson Avenue. The DOT also
added metered parking to commercial
areas and expanded
meter regulations.
Councilwoman Vanessa
Gibson, who represents Highbridge,
said that the project will
ultimately make the roads safer,
especially when people begin returning
to work in the future.
“The renovations completed
by DOT now provide a dedicated
bike lane and bus lane to allow
buses to move faster while keeping
cyclists safe from vehicle
traffi c,” Gibson said. “There is
also enhanced safety for pedestrians
at crosswalks and major
intersections, such as on 170th
Street a few blocks from my district
offi ce. This is a tremendous
step forward to providing
shared streets and ensuring
that pedestrians, cyclists,
and those using mass transit
are kept safe while traveling
to their destination.”
On Nov. 20, the Department of Transportation and elected offi cials held a ribbon cutting celebrating the completion
of the work. Photo by Jason Cohen
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