New York City will redesign 2.1 miles of Third Avenue in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, starting in 2027. The plan cuts moving traffic lanes, adds barrier-protected bike lanes along the center median, and shortens pedestrian crossings by up to half on a corridor where 17 people have been killed over the past decade.
Key Takeaways
- Work begins in 2027 between 62nd and 43rd streets, and the stretch from 43rd to 20th Street follows in 2028.
- Seventeen people have died on the corridor in the past decade, including 28-year-old nurse Jiayi Zheng, who was killed in a hit-and-run in August.
- Moving traffic drops to two lanes in each direction, and curbside parking stays on both sides of the street.
- A new two-way protected bike lane on 60th Street will link the Fourth Avenue bike lanes to the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway on Second Avenue.
- NYC DOT plans to refine the design with community input before construction begins.
Third Avenue Redesign Covers 2.1 Miles From 62nd Street To 20th Street
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn announced the Third Avenue redesign on October 28, 2026. The project runs from 62nd Street to 20th Street, beneath the elevated Gowanus Expressway. The structure has hung over the avenue since it opened as the Gowanus Parkway in 1941. For many Sunset Park residents, Third Avenue works less like a neighborhood street than a barrier, splitting the industrial waterfront side of the neighborhood from the residential blocks uphill.
The corridor’s safety record explains the push. Seventeen people have been killed along Third Avenue in ten years. Among them was Jiayi Zheng, a 28-year-old nurse struck by a hit-and-run driver in August while heading home from work. Her death renewed long-running calls from residents, schools, and local advocates to fix a street the community had been asking the city to change for years.
Shorter Crossings And Median Bike Lanes Reshape A 150-Foot-Wide Avenue
Photo Credit: Unsplash.com
Third Avenue measures 150 feet across. Along much of the corridor, it carries six moving lanes, two parking lanes, and a 52-foot center median. Near the expressway entrance, the count of travel lanes climbs even higher, and Community Board 7’s chair has described sections with nine lanes of traffic. Crossing the full width means walking roughly the length of half a football field, often with turning vehicles coming from several directions.
The Third Avenue redesign changes that geometry. New pedestrian islands, sidewalk extensions, and median extensions will cut the distance people walk across moving traffic by up to half. Barrier-protected bike lanes will run in both directions along the center median. Commissioner Flynn called this “the most notable change,” because placing cyclists in the median reduces their conflicts with vehicles pulling to and from the curb.
Moving traffic will shrink to two lanes in each direction, while curbside parking remains on both sides. NYC DOT will also reorganize parking in the medians into metered spaces. According to NYC DOT, similar redesigns have reduced deaths and serious injuries among all road users by 30 percent.
Work Begins In 2027 Between 62nd And 43rd Streets
The Third Avenue project will roll out in two phases. In 2027, crews will start on Third Avenue between 62nd and 43rd streets. In the same year, they will add a two-way, parking-protected bike lane on 60th Street between Second and Fourth avenues. The 60th Street lane passes two schools and closes a gap between the Fourth Avenue protected lanes and the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway. In 2028, the work moves north to the section between 43rd and 20th streets.
Council Member Alexa Avilés noted that starting at the southern end puts the first changes where local students and families cross daily. The city will also study later extensions, from 62nd to 65th streets and north of Prospect Avenue to Carroll Street in Gowanus. The project falls under Vision Zero Reimagined, a 10-year street safety plan released in September that commits to treating every untreated Vision Zero priority corridor within three years.
Sunset Park Drivers, Businesses, And Schools Face A Changed Street
The redesign reaches well beyond cyclists. Cynthia Felix-Jeffers, chair of Brooklyn Community Board 7, pointed to the schools, healthcare facilities, local businesses, and families that depend on Third Avenue every day. NYU Langone Hospital–Brooklyn, where Jiayi Zheng worked, said the safety of patients, staff, and visitors in the neighborhood is a priority, and it backed the plan.
Drivers and freight operators face real tradeoffs. Third Avenue feeds the expressway and serves an industrial neighborhood, and fewer moving lanes will change how trucks and commuters move through it. Local business voices have raised this concern before. When Community Board 7 endorsed a road diet in 2024, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President Randy Peers criticized the board for acting without consulting area businesses, including Industry City. Whether traffic shifts onto side streets once lanes narrow will likely be the question residents and merchants watch most closely.
Community Input Continues Before Construction Starts
The Third Avenue redesign has a long history. NYC DOT first presented redesign options to Community Board 7 in late 2023, and the board voted 32-1 in 2024 to support a road diet. That plan never advanced. The new design moves the bike lanes from the curb to the median, a significant change from the earlier options.
The plan is not final. NYC DOT said it will refine the proposal with the community before construction begins in 2027. For Sunset Park residents, business owners, and parents, the coming months offer a window to shape how the corridor’s crossings, parking, and loading zones work once the new layout takes hold.
FAQs
When Will The Third Avenue Redesign In Sunset Park Start?
Construction begins in 2027 on Third Avenue between 62nd and 43rd streets. The section from 43rd to 20th Street follows in 2028.
Which Part Of Third Avenue Is Being Redesigned?
The project covers 2.1 miles of Third Avenue in Brooklyn, from 62nd Street to 20th Street. It also adds a protected bike lane on 60th Street between Second and Fourth avenues.
Will Third Avenue Still Have Parking After The Redesign?
Yes. Curbside parking stays on both sides of the street, and NYC DOT plans to add metered parking in the redesigned medians.
Where Will The New Bike Lanes On Third Avenue Go?
The bike lanes will run in both directions along the center median, separated from traffic by barriers. NYC DOT moved them from the curb to reduce conflicts between cyclists and vehicles.
Is The Third Avenue Redesign Final?
No. NYC DOT said it will refine the proposal with the community before construction begins in 2027.
