Eyes on the Street: DOT Breaks Out the Terracotta for Third Ave Bus Lane

Work is underway on updates to the Third Avenue bus lane. Streetfilms’ Clarence Eckerson and reader David Dartley tweeted these shots of what will eventually be an offset lane from 36th to 55th Street, a configuration designed to speed bus travel by shifting parking and loading to the curb [PDF].

The Third Avenue bus lane dates to 1982. Local bus routes on the street accommodate 59,000 riders a day, and 12 express routes also have stops on Third. Endorsed by Community Board 6 earlier this year, the DOT revamp also includes a center-boarding island between 56th and 57th Streets. The island will shorten crossing distances at Third and 57th, where DOT says drivers killed one pedestrian and injured 39 from 2008 to 2012. The plan does not include bus bulbs for other stops along the new offset lane.