An M14D traveling along East 14th Street, at University Place.
Credit: NYC DOT
Mayor Zohran Mamdani‘s administration announced on Monday that it will launch this month the public comment period for upgrading Manhattan’s 14th Street busway with bike lanes, improved bus stops, and enhanced pedestrian spaces.
The city Department of Transportation (DOT) revealed on March 9 that it will hold the first public workshop for the plan — dubbed “The 14th Street Plan” — on Wednesday, March 25, at the Pratt Institute’s Manhattan campus on 14th Street. The plan was first announced by DOT under former Mayor Eric Adams’ administration last summer.
The DOT has also launched an online survey where members of the public can provide feedback on the street’s current design, and what they would like to see improved, by April 10.
“This process will deliver truly transformational, permanently constructed upgrades for the corridor that capitalize on the benefits of the busway and create a world-class street from river to river,” DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn said in a statement.
Renderings of a newly redesigned 14th Street at Union Square released in July 2025.Marvel/Courtesy of Union Square Partnership
The new slate of upgrades is intended to build upon the road’s already existing busway, the only one in Manhattan. The busway, which was installed in 2019, only allows buses, trucks, and emergency vehicles on the stretch between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.
The DOT touts the busway as a sweeping success, noting it has boosted bus speeds on 14th Street by 24% and ridership by 30% since 2019.
“The 14th Street busway is an example of how when we think boldly, we can deliver real results for New Yorkers,” Flynn said. “This project has been a remarkable success, delivering faster commutes and safer streets for tens of thousands, but besides a new coat of paint, 14th Street looks and feels like it has for decades.”
The DOT will develop the plan through a 24-month, $3 million study, funded by a combination of city funds and money from the Union Square Partnership and Meatpacking District Management Association business improvement districts (BIDs).
It will fast-track the infrastructure projects along the corridor, funded by $9.5 million allocated by the City Council and former Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine’s office, by making sure they are developed by the end of the study period, according to the agency.
While the specifics of the plan will be shaped by the public feedback period and study, DOT said it will include new bike lanes, improved bus stops, enhanced pedestrian plazas, and other additions, such as landscaping and greenery. Furthermore, the agency plans to upgrade roads and public spaces that intersect with 14th Street along the corridor.
Transit and public realm advocates resoundingly celebrated the announcement.
Danny Pearlstein, policy and communications director with the group Riders Alliance, told amNewYork that his group would specifically like to see add level boarding platforms at bus stops as part of the redesign. He said that and other potential upgrades could turn 14th Street into the city’s first true bus rapid transit corridor.
“Because the busway is already there, it means that with relatively little trouble, you could have full-featured bus rapid transit,” Pearlstein said. “Along with all of the other design elements, that could showcase to the rest of the city, and of course, the world, that bus rapid transit can be beautiful, even in a place like New York.”