With Yankees’ Opening Day approaching, the Mamdani administration announced the start of a major infrastructure project aimed at improving crosstown bus service and pedestrian safety on the 161st Street corridor near Yankee Stadium.
City officials said the project will benefit more than 25,000 daily riders on the Bx6, including fans traveling to the stadium ahead of Opening Day on Friday, April 3.
“Unfortunately, as the Mayor of New York City, I must deliver fast and reliable buses for Yankees fans as well,” said Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
“I can think of no better way to welcome the start of baseball season than by breaking ground on a project that will make commutes faster, streets safer and daily life a little easier for tens of thousands of New Yorkers every day.”
The project will reconstruct East 161st Street from Ruppert Place to Morris Avenue, as well as parts of East 163rd Street between Washington Avenue and Tiffany Street. Construction is already underway on sections of East 163rd Street and city agencies say traffic mitigation plans are in place to limit disruptions during games.
The Bx6 is one of the busiest bus routes in the borough, according to a Bronx Times analysis. The New York City Comptroller’s Office cited the bus route for slow speeds and a low on-time rate, giving it a D rating in its bus system report card.
To address those delays, the city will convert the eastbound bus tunnel under the Grand Concourse into a bus-only lane in both directions and add new westbound bus-only lanes. Three blocks of 161st Street on either side of the tunnel will also be restricted to buses to reduce congestion at key gridlock points.
The redesign includes full-length concrete boarding islands along center-running bus lanes to improve safety, shorten pedestrian crossing distances and prevent vehicles from blocking buses. Sidewalk extensions at bus stops will help speed up boarding while creating space for seating and shelters.
The project also includes 370 ADA-compliant pedestrian ramps, 57 new trees and approximately 8,000 plantings. More than 100 new street lighting and traffic signal poles will be installed, along with upgrades to 16 fire hydrants. New bus shelters, benches and other amenities are also planned.
“The Bx6 is a critical crosstown corridor whose buses have been moving too slowly for far too long,” said Ben Furnas, executive director of Transportation Alternatives.
“We’re thrilled this project will include a fully-protected two-way center-running bus lane — a gold-standard design which will speed up travel for tens of thousands of New Yorkers, including those trying to catch the game at Yankee Stadium! Paired with new safety infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, this ambitious project will bring much-needed upgrades to the streets of the Bronx.”
Construction is expected to be completed in 2028.
Reach Marina Samuel at msamuel@schnepsmedia.com. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
