NEW YORK, NY — With Opening Day approaching at Yankee Stadium, city officials have begun construction on a major overhaul of bus service and street infrastructure along one of the Bronx’s busiest corridors.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the project alongside the New York City Department of Transportation and the Department of Design and Construction, targeting improvements for the Bx6 Select Bus Service line, which carries about 25,000 riders daily.
Crews will add westbound bus-only lanes and convert the East 161st Street underpass to buses only, removing general traffic from a key bottleneck near the stadium.
The redesign also includes center-running bus lanes, pedestrian refuge islands and expanded waiting areas with shelters, benches and leaning bars.
The project spans East 161st Street from Ruppert Place to Morris Avenue, with additional work along East 163rd Street and segments of the route in Manhattan.
A center-running, fully protected bus lane will run along a portion of 161st Street, separating buses from traffic.
Officials said the changes aim to reduce delays on a route that connects riders across the Bronx and into Manhattan while serving one of the city’s busiest event venues.
Yankee Stadium draws more than three million visitors annually.
“Unfortunately, as the Mayor of New York City, I must deliver fast and reliable buses for Yankees fans as well,” Mamdani said.
Transportation officials said the project will also convert the existing bus tunnel under the Grand Concourse to bus-only traffic in both directions.
Currently, buses can only travel eastbound through the tunnel.
Three blocks of nearby roadway will also be restricted to buses to ease congestion.
Construction crews will install concrete boarding islands along the center-running lanes to prevent vehicles from blocking buses and to shorten pedestrian crossings.
Sidewalk extensions at stops will allow buses to pick up riders without pulling out of traffic.
Safety upgrades include curb extensions, medians and pedestrian refuge islands designed to reduce crossing distances and improve visibility.
The City will also rebuild and expand medians near River Avenue, outside Yankee Stadium.
Below ground, workers will replace water mains and sewers and add drainage infrastructure.
Plans also call for new trees, lighting, traffic signals and hundreds of ADA-compliant pedestrian ramps.
Officials said construction will continue through 2028.
Work near the stadium will be phased to limit disruptions during baseball season, and agencies have developed traffic mitigation plans for game days.
“Improving the bus-rider and pedestrian experiences for those who visit or live in the South Bronx is a home run for all New Yorkers,” Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn said.