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About the route
The proposed BM3 Express runs between Gravesend and Downtown Manhattan.
The current length of the Downtown peak-only BM3 route is 15.1 miles. The proposed length of the BM3 Express route is 14.1 miles.
In the existing route, the average stop spacing is 1,448 feet. Under the proposed route, that would increase to 1,686 feet.
In the existing route, there are 1.1 turns per mile. Under the proposed route, that would decrease to 1.0 turns per mile.
Route improvements
- Interborough route
- More direct routing
- Improved stop spacing
- Fewer route patterns
Review the BM3 route summary
The proposed BM3 would refer only to the Downtown peak-only variant of the existing BM3. The proposed BM3 would mostly maintain its existing routing.
Between Ocean Av and Coney Island Av, the BM3 would use Beverley Rd instead of Cortelyou Rd, a shorter route path that would remove a challenging turn at Coney Island Av/Cortelyou Rd, reducing delays. Existing express service would be discontinued on Cortelyou Rd. Between Beverley Rd and the Prospect Expwy, the BM3 would follow the same more direct non-stop travel path as the BM1 and BM2 via Park Circle inbound and Caton Av outbound. Service on Coney Island Av and Church Av would still be provided by the BM4/BM4c/BM34.
In Manhattan, the proposed BM3 would travel in both directions on Water St in order to simplify service. Service on Trinity Pl and Church St would be provided by the proposed BM7/BM7c, BM8/BM8c, the M55, and numerous nearby subway lines.
As an Express route, stops on local streets would be spaced slightly farther apart than existing to speed up travel time and improve reliability. Along the highway, Express routes travel non-stop to and from Manhattan.
Frequencies and the inbound span would remain the same as the existing BM3 Downtown variant. The outbound span would be shortened due to low ridership on some trips.
BM3 proposed frequency and span
Inbound
- Service Hours: Weekdays, 7:30-9:00 a.m.
- AM Peak: 23 minutes
Outbound
- Service Hours: Weekdays, 4:30-6:30 p.m.
- PM Peak: 30 minutes