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Mamdani Administration will deliver DOT’s original plan for protected bike lanes along the full length of McGuinness Boulevard from Meeker Avenue to the Pulaski Bridge
Mayor Mamdani and New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Mike Flynn announced today that NYC DOT will complete the redesign of McGuinness Boulevard.
McGuinness Boulevard, which operates as a critical cycling connection between Brooklyn and Queens that serves more than 4,000 daily riders during the summer months, is dangerous for bikers, pedestrians, and drivers alike.
Under Mayor Mamdani, NYC DOT will implement its original plan to install parking-protected bike lanes along the entirety of McGuinness Boulevard to ensure traffic calming measures throughout the entire corridor, extending the existing parking-protected lanes running between Meeker and Calyer Street northbound up to the Pulaski Bridge. Upon completion, McGuinness Boulevard will feature one travel lane in each direction, one parking-protected bike lane in each direction, and one vehicular parking and loading lane in each direction.
“For too long, critical street safety projects have been delayed or shelved because of political considerations and backroom deal-making rather than the needs of New Yorkers. Those days are over,” said
Mayor Mamdani. “New Yorkers deserve to be safe no matter how they commute — whether they bike, walk, or drive. That’s why, as one of my first acts as Mayor, my administration is committing to restarting implementation of parking-protected bike lanes on McGuinness Boulevard and complete its redesign. New Yorkers deserve an administration that gets right to work to deliver genuine street safety.”
“New Yorkers deserve to feel safe when they’re traveling with their families and loved ones on city streets — and McGuinness Boulevard should be designed to stitch Greenpoint together, not divide it in half,” said
NYC DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn. “We are moving swiftly to finish the redesign of McGuinness Boulevard because we know too many lives have already been lost on this street — and that this project was altered against the best interests of New Yorkers. This is just the beginning, and we look forward to doubling down to aggressively deliver on our bus and street safety agenda and restore faith in our community engagement process.”
“It's hard to overstate the importance of today's announcement. My frustration with inaction on McGuinness Boulevard inspired my run for office. Decades of death and catastrophic injury occurred before Matthew Jensen was tragically killed in 2021,” said
Assemblymember Emily Gallagher. “Today's announcement is a victory for the local advocates and community members who fought for decades to make McGuinness safe. It reflects a sense of urgency and a promise kept by Mayor Mamdani, and it is a reminder of what is possible when government works for the people it serves. Most importantly, it affirms that when communities are motivated to organize, we prevail over corrupt corporate interests. I will always stand with my community and fight for the safe streets we deserve, and I am so proud and honored that we get to ring in this new year with this victory.”
“McGuinness has dangerously divided Greenpoint for generations, but thanks to the tremendous organizing of our community and the leadership of Mayor Mamdani, McGuinness will finally be safe for all of us,” said
Councilmember Lincoln Restler. “I am grateful that the Mayor has made McGuinness a week one priority and that this is just the beginning of transformational street safety improvements across every neighborhood in New York City.”
“The Greenpoint community has been asking for real safety improvements on McGuinness Boulevard for a long time. I’m glad to see Mayor Mamdani make this critical project a priority and to see DOT commit to finishing the full redesign, including protected bike lanes along the entire corridor,” said
Representative Nydia Velázquez. “This is the result of persistent community advocacy and a clear understanding that half-measures don’t work when it comes to street safety. I look forward to continuing to work with DOT to make sure these changes are implemented well and make McGuinness safer for everyone.”
“I’m proud to see Mayor Mamdani making McGuinness Boulevard one of his first priorities. By approving the full redesign, he is putting the lives and safety of New Yorkers first by installing the full parking-protected bike lane on McGuinness Boulevard from the Pulaski Bridge to Meeker Ave,” said
State Senator Kristen Gonzalez. “Our community has tirelessly advocated for these evidence-based changes for years because we know they save lives. Today, as we honor the lives of Matthew Jensen and so many others, I am committed to working with NYCDOT and Mayor Mamdani to make our streets safer for everyone.”
“This is what it looks like to have a Mayor who puts the public good ahead of political gain,” said
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “I am grateful to Mayor Mamdani and DOT Commissioner Flynn for advancing these life-saving measures, and I am immeasurably proud of the coalition of Brooklyn residents, families, advocates, and elected officials who have fought tooth and nail for years to achieve a McGuinness Boulevard design that puts our safety first. A new era indeed.”
“As a mother who lost my son, I’m deeply grateful to see Mayor Mamdani announce his intention to complete the full redesign of McGuinness Boulevard. We were shocked and appalled when the original plan was watered down in 2023 over pay-to-play politics,” said
Fabiola Mendieta-Cuapio, Co-Chair of Families for Safe Street New York. “So many people — like beloved PS 110 teacher Matthew Jensen — have lost their lives on this dangerous speedway. For years, Families for Safe Streets has stood with the Greenpoint community demanding more, and we’re so glad McGuinness is finally going to get the full safety redesign it so sorely needs. McGuinness today, stalled projects across the five boroughs tomorrow.”
“With this announcement, New York families breathe a sigh of relief as we turn the page from an administration that watered down and stalled street safety projects and look to a new era of ever more ambitious street safety improvements,” said
Ben Furnas, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. “Thank you to Mayor Mamdani, all of our partners in government and advocacy, and every parent and student in Greenpoint who fought to make McGuinness safe. Today we celebrate, and tomorrow we continue the fight to finish every stalled project and transform every dangerous corridor into the safe streets that New Yorkers deserve.”
“McGuinness Boulevard has divided Greenpoint, hurt our community, and killed our neighbors for 70 years,” said
Bronwyn Breitner, Coordinator for Make McGuinness Safe. “Parents and students have been organizing to make McGuinness safe for five years since the death of Matthew Jensen. With today’s announcement, New York City will finally deliver the McGuinness Boulevard our children deserve, and we will keep fighting to ensure the upcoming capital plan meets the moment and need here in Greenpoint.”
“We’re thrilled that Mayor Mamdani and Commissioner Flynn are wasting no time in beginning to implement critical street-safety projects that were hampered or shelved by the previous administration, and we can think of no better place to start that process than on McGuinness Boulevard,” said
Eric McClure, Executive Director of StreetsPAC. “The extension of the redesign to its originally intended footprint will make everyone who uses McGuinness Boulevard safer, and today’s announcement underscores what’s possible when City Hall supports DOT’s work instead of meddling to water it down. We’re grateful to the Mayor and Commissioner for so quickly kickstarting this new era of progress. Bravo!”
“It’s welcome news that the original McGuinness Boulevard redesign is being revived. Prioritizing this issue during his first days in office is a clear signal that Mayor Mamdani is prepared to act quickly and decisively to make New York City's streets safer and to prioritize people over cars,” said
Sara Lind, Co-Executive Director of OpenPlans. “We look forward to working with the new administration to bring people-centered streets to every neighborhood and build a more livable city for all New Yorkers.”
The redesign will bring a host of safety benefits for all New Yorkers, including pedestrians and drivers, by shortening crossing distances, calming turning vehicles, and reducing reckless driving behavior. Similar designs across the city have been shown to reduce traffic deaths and serious injuries by 30 percent.
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