City Advances Long-Awaited Protected Bike Lane Around Prospect Park

PROSPECT PARK, NY — Plans to install a long-awaited protected bike lane along Prospect Park’s eastern edge—Brooklyn’s beloved backyard for cyclists—are finally moving forward this spring.

Transportation officials announced that construction begins this month on a $16.25 million restoration project funded by the NYC Mayor’s Office, Department of Transportation (DOT), Borough President Antonio Reynoso and City Council District 40.

The work will upgrade the park’s Ocean Avenue and Parkside Avenue perimeters and deliver long-promised safety improvements for the more than 400 cyclists who ride there daily.

The installation marks a milestone years in the making. The DOT first revealed plans for a protected lane in 2021, focusing on Parkside Avenue—one of Brooklyn’s most dangerous corridors for cyclists.

The new two-way, protected bike lane on Ocean Avenue will be elevated to sidewalk level and separated from traffic by granite cobblestones. A landscaped buffer with new trees and restored historic street lighting will add greenery and safety for riders and pedestrians alike, officials said.

Vehicle capacity will remain unchanged, with Ocean Avenue retaining two lanes in each direction, including slightly narrowed 10-foot rush-hour lanes that still meet DOT standards for emergency and MTA vehicles.

Construction is scheduled to unfold in roughly 800-foot segments, each lasting about two months, with simultaneous activity along Ocean and Parkside Avenues starting at Ocean’s Flatbush Avenue terminus.

Park officials warned that parking along the active sections will be temporarily suspended.

The project’s final phase will create a new pedestrian plaza at Ocean and Parkside avenues, featuring a monument honoring Shirley Chisholm, the pioneering Brooklyn congresswoman and presidential candidate.

While some tree removals are planned, DOT officials say most are either unhealthy or in conflict with new stormwater basins, signals, or lighting installations.

Nearly half will be transplanted within Prospect Park, joined by 152 new trees, including a sidewalk allee to enhance the park’s perimeter, officials said.

The project builds on the Alliance’s push to revitalize Prospect Park’s perimeter, including the 2020 restoration of the Flatbush Avenue edge that created the park’s first new entrances in more than 80 years.