Ridgewood Busway Planned Underneath M Line

Ridgewood may get a short busway underneath the elevated M tracks, between Fresh Pond Road and Palmetto Street. As Streetsblog reports, this would be the first separated busway in New York since the MTA installed one along the Fulton Street Mall in Brooklyn in the 70s. This busway, which will run six-tenths of a mile, will have one lane in each direction with three bus stops. The project, estimated to cost between $12,500,000 and $19,000,000, was included in the regional transportation funding plan approved last month by the Metropolitan Transportation Council. Still, the MTA has not made a final decision on carrying out the proposal. Streetsblog guesses that the transit project “wouldn’t transform a car-choked traffic sewer into a pedestrian-friendly transit boulevard” — however, “It would help show how quickly, smoothly, and reliably buses can run when traffic doesn’t get in the way.”

MTA Plans Busway Beneath the M Train in Ridgewood [Streetsblog]
Photo via Google Maps