Power to the Pedals. Work on New Brooklyn Bridge Bike Lanes Begins.

Rendering of the two-way bike lane on the Brooklyn Bridge that will be installed on the inner lane of Manhattan-bound vehicular traffic. NYCDOT

Work was set to start on Monday for what will become a protected two-way bike lanes on the Brooklyn Bridge, finally ending the perilous mix of cyclists and masses of tourists on the span’s dual-path promenade.

The innermost Manhattan-bound vehicular lane will be given over to cyclists—4-feet wide in each direction—protected by a concrete barrier topped with a fence. The new path is expected to be completed in early fall.

This will be the first reconfiguration of the bridge since the removal of trolley tracks in 1950.

The project, announced in January, is part of the city’s plan to install 30 miles of protected bike lanes this year throughout the boroughs.

Later plans call for extending the protected lane from the bridge north on Centre Street to Reade Street (where Centre and Lafayette Streets split) by taking over one of the two southbound travel lanes.

During construction, the Mayor’s Office said, vehicular access to the bridge from downtown Brooklyn via Adams Street and Sands Street will still be permitted, and the promenade will remain open to pedestrians and cyclists. 

“We ask New Yorkers for their patience during construction, and encourage drivers to use other crossings into Manhattan,” Department of Transportation Commissioner Hank Gutman said in a statement. 

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