The MTA Is Headed To The Lab To Design The Ridgewood Busway - Streetsblog New York City

"The MTA is making strides towards actually building the Ridgewood busway, a plan to turn a filthy private road underneath the elevated M train tracks into a gleaming bus-first corridor. An MTA source told Streetsblog that the agency plans on doing some initial designs on the busway early in 2026 to figure out any of the possible challenges involved in converting the space under the tracks, but that the agency is interested in working on the project with the Department of Transportation. "We think the idea has potential and we're looking forward to digging in further," the official said."

"The proposed busway, which was first proposed in the 2015-2019 MTA capital plan and then quietly revived in 2020 as part of the Brooklyn bus network redesign, would run for about .5 miles beneath the elevated M train tracks between Fresh Pond Road and Palmetto Street. The area underneath a pair of train tracks is wide enough to fit two lanes of parked cars, so presumably would be able to fit two-way bus traffic. Unlike busways that require the MTA and DOT to negotiate about converting street space used by private vehicles and buses, the MTA owns most of the stretch under the tracks. However, the agency would need to figure out what do to when the route crosses with pedestrian plazas at Forest Avenue and Woodward Avenue. Currently, the area underneath the M train tracks is a makeshift parking lot for MTA employees that's supposed to be closed by a locked gate, but the gate is left open more often than not, which residents say invites illegal dumping. So in addition to improving service on the Q58, B13 and B20 buses, converting the space under the tracks into a busway could also take care of the persistent garbage issues in the area."

MTA plans initial design work for a Ridgewood busway under the elevated M train in early 2026 and seeks collaboration with DOT. The busway would convert a currently filthy private road into a bus-first corridor serving Q58, B13, and B20 routes. The route would run roughly 0.5 miles between Fresh Pond Road and Palmetto Street and has enough width under the paired tracks for two-way bus traffic. The MTA owns most of the stretch but must address crossings at Forest Avenue and Woodward Avenue plazas. The current space functions as an unsecured MTA employee parking lot that attracts illegal dumping.

Read at Streetsblog