Yisroel R.

A three-year unfinished street redesign stretch in Downtown Brooklyn, has finally been completed, with Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the city Department of Transportation announcing that the last missing part of protected bike lane on Ashland Place is now open.

The project closes the final gap in a 5.5-mile protected bike corridor stretching from Sunset Park to DUMBO, located near the heimishe neighborhoods of Boro Park and Williamsburg now creates a continuous route through some of Brooklyn’s busiest neighborhoods and toward connections into Manhattan, North Brooklyn, and western Queens.

NYC DOT first began redesigning Ashland Place in 2022, but work stopped before it could be finished. For years, newly installed traffic signals remained covered with bags while the incomplete intersection earned the nickname “Crashland” from advocates frustrated by the stalled project.

That changed this week, when the city removed the coverings, activated the signals, and completed the protected bike lane. The redesign also shortens pedestrian crossing distances and is intended to calm traffic around the heavily traveled area near Atlantic Terminal and Barclays Center.

“For years, ‘Crashland’ has been a symbol of broken promises and safety put on the back burner. Today, we finish the job,” Mamdani said, calling the completed redesign an example of how city government can make streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers alike.

Transportation officials and local lawmakers said the project is important not only because of the single block that was finished, but because it reconnects a much larger protected bike network. Council Member Lincoln Restler said additional redesigns are also planned on nearby streets, including portions of Fourth Avenue and Lafayette Avenue, as the city continues expanding protected cycling routes across Brooklyn.