New York City has begun rebuilding parts of DeKalb and Lafayette avenues in Brooklyn with dedicated bus lanes, protected bicycle lanes and intersection changes. The project covers 2.7 miles between Broadway and Flatbush Avenue on DeKalb and between Ashland Place and Patchen Avenue on Lafayette. The two one-way streets carry the B38, a route the city says serves about 18,000 riders on an average day.
The redesign is intended to separate several movements that now compete for limited street space. Red-painted bus lanes will reserve room for transit vehicles, while protected cycling lanes will place riders away from moving traffic. Pedestrian islands and shorter crossings are planned at selected intersections. Construction will occur in phases, so riders, drivers and businesses should expect temporary changes before the finished layout is in place.
The Department of Transportation says the corridor recorded 841 traffic injuries from 2021 through the period covered by its review, including 47 severe injuries and one death. Those totals describe the existing streets, not a forecast for the new design. The city's safety case is that clearer lane assignments, slower turns and shorter exposure at crossings can reduce conflicts among buses, cars, bicycles and people walking.
Transit performance is the other central test. A bus lane can help only when it remains usable and when signals, stops and loading activity are coordinated with it. The city plans camera enforcement and curb-management changes to discourage blocking. Travel-time data before and after construction will show whether riders receive a reliable benefit during both peak and off-peak periods.
The project is part of a broader plan to improve 175 bus routes, which City Hall says represents nearly three quarters of the network. That citywide number is a policy commitment rather than a completed set of corridors. Each route will require its own street design, outreach and construction schedule. The DeKalb-Lafayette work provides an early, visible measure of whether the larger program can move from announcement to operation.
Businesses and residents along the avenues will experience tradeoffs during and after installation. Changes to parking, loading and turning patterns can affect deliveries and customer access. At the same time, faster buses and safer walking connections can increase the number of people who reach commercial blocks without a car. Clear signs, designated loading areas and enforcement that focuses on keeping lanes open will be important to the balance.
The corridor also links several neighborhoods and major destinations, including Downtown Brooklyn, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bedford-Stuyvesant and Bushwick. A continuous design matters because a short gap can force a bus back into congestion or a cyclist into mixed traffic. The final configuration should be evaluated as a network rather than as a collection of isolated painted blocks.
Construction updates will be especially important for riders with limited mobility. Temporary stop relocations, narrowed sidewalks and changed crossings can impose a greater burden on people who use wheelchairs, walkers or strollers. The city should publish accessible detours in advance and keep boarding areas clear. A safer permanent design should not require an avoidable loss of access while crews install it.
Riders can judge the project through concrete outcomes: average B38 speed, variation between scheduled and actual trips, bus-lane blockage, crashes and injuries, and the quality of pedestrian crossings. The official announcement establishes the length, location and planned features. It does not guarantee those results. Publishing consistent before-and-after data will show whether 2.7 miles of construction produces the faster and safer corridor the city has promised.
Primary sources: NYC Mayor's Office and Department of Transportation announcement; NYC Department of Transportation Fast Buses program page. Reviewed November 6, 2026. Development: Construction announced November 5, 2026.