New York City Mayor Eric Adams and DOT commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez have announced a reconfiguration plan for the Queensboro Bridge, aimed at improving pedestrian and cyclist access. As a result of the project, the city will repurpose the 11-foot-wide north outer roadway, which currently is a shared path for both cyclists and pedestrians, as a dedicated bike lane. The bridge’s south outer roadway, which has been a limited-use vehicle lane, will be permanently converted into a pedestrian walkway.
The Queensboro Bridge, connecting Manhattan and Queens over the East River, is the second-busiest East River bridge for cyclists and sees over 10,000 daily users on foot or bike. The shared space previously created congestion due to increasing pedestrian and cycling volumes, prompting the city to act. DOT’s analysis found that traffic patterns and signal adjustments can accommodate vehicle flow without the south outer roadway, which had already been closed overnight due to safety concerns since 2013.
The Queensboro Bridge is now the third city bridge to receive such upgrades, following similar enhancements on the Brooklyn Bridge in 2021 and the George Washington Bridge in 2024. Local projects in western Queens, including new protected lanes in Long Island City, Jackson Heights, and Astoria, have driven a 20 percent rise in bridge cycling since 2020, with daily rider counts reaching over 6,000.
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They really need to get around to restoring those spikes with the flags on top.
I cross the bridge several times a week and since the opening of the pedestrian path on the south side a few weeks ago I haven’t seen much pedestrian usage. Still lots of pedestrians on the north roadway making it dangerous for both bicycle riders and pedestrians although the biggest danger are still the e-bikers and the scooters going uphill at 30 mph. Hopefully word gets out and more people walk on the south roadway. Use it or lose it.
The signage and connections are really poor right now. They need to add crosswalks to connect to Queens Plaza North and expand the sidewalks by the Queens-side entrance to make it more obvious that it’s a pedestrian path. I checked it out a couple days after it opened and coming from LIC, it was not at all clear that you could walk that way. It essentially still looked like a travel lane but had an occasional pedestrian stamp on the roadway. I think once they improve those elements, you’ll see pedestrians shift over fully like on the Manhattan Bridge.
This was an issue when the new Brooklyn bridge bike lane opened. We went to check it out several weeks after opening and ended up on the pedestrian promenade because the signage and pavement markings still pointed cyclists in the wrong direction.
The south lane, which will be reserved for pedestrians has the far better view of the city. In addition, the pedestrians on that reserved lane can look at the view instead of worrying about being knocked over by the speeding bikes that have taken over and terrorized all too many of our streets and sidewalks with impunity.
About time! Decades in the making!
Didn’t they already do this?
Yes, it had an official ribbon cutting about 3 weeks ago, and has been up and running.
This article could have been written a year ago
We need bike lanes on the Whitestone bridge!
I’m very confused. This is old news.
It’s quite simple
Pedestrians/joggers: Queens side – south side entrance on Queens Plaza South and Crescent in front of Chase Bank or Manhattan – 59th street between 1st and 2nd Ave
Cyclists: queens side – north side entrance on Queens Plaza North and Crescent in front of Citizens Bank or Manhattan – 60th street between 1st and 2nd Ave