Utica Avenue Transit Improvements Study

The Utica Avenue corridor is home to the busiest bus routes in Brooklyn. The B46 and B46 Select Bus Service (SBS) routes:

• carry around 44,000 daily riders,
• provide a vital north-south transit link,
• connect to subway lines on Eastern Parkway and Fulton Street, and connect to 30 bus routes.

We are partnering with the New York City Departments of Transportation and City Planning to launch a study of the Utica Avenue Transit corridor.

Our goal is to improve customer mobility by increasing transit reliability and reducing travel times.

The Utica Ave Transit Improvement Study team briefed local community boards on the project, the study process, and the progress the study team has made to date. The study team provided information on the purpose of the study, background and history, study goals, project timeline, and next steps.

We met with the following Community Boards:

• February 11, 2020, Community Board 17 Transportation Committee Meeting
• February 12, 2020, Community Board 9 Transportation Committee Meeting
• February 13, 2020, Community Board 16 Transportation Committee Meeting
• February 19, 2020, Community Board 18 Full Board Meeting
• February 25, 2020, Community Board 8 Transportation Committee Meeting
• March 10, 2020, Community Board 3 Transportation Committee Meeting
• March 19, 2020, Community Board 15 postponed due to COVID-19
• April 9, 2020, Community Board 4 postponed due to COVID-19

The study process will define and rank five long-range investment packages. Each would improve the mobility of customers who will travel to and from the Study Area.

Proposed long-range investment packages may involve new transit service along Utica Avenue, capacity improvements to the existing network, or a combination of the two.

The study will include the following steps:

1. Document current and future baseline transit capacity and demand. We will review recent studies, model travel demand, and conduct intercept surveys. We will also examine future land use scenarios for the corridor.

2. Analyze potential improvements to the Eastern Parkway (IRT) subway line at Nostrand Junction, Utica Avenue Terminal, and New Lots Avenue Terminal. We will also look at opportunities for expanded railcar storage.

3. Analyze transit improvements along the Utica Avenue corridor, including:

• Improvements to the existing B46 SBS,
• converting the existing B46 SBS into a Bus Rapid Transit or Light Rail Transit line, and
• extending the existing subway on Eastern Parkway or Fulton Street south along Utica Avenue. The extension could be either underground or as an elevated rail line.

4. Create five investment packages. These would combine potential improvements to the Eastern Parkway (IRT) subway line and improvements along the Utica Avenue corridor.

5. Investigate possible funding sources and rank the five investment packages.

6. Conduct public outreach through Community Board presentations, the study website, and other engagement activities.

The primary study area is bounded by Eastern Parkway to the north, Ralph Avenue to the east, Avenue V to the South and East 40th Street to the west. The area serves as the main focus in the study of options to improve transit service and mobility along the Utica Avenue corridor. A secondary study area extends from the primary study area's northern boundary to Myrtle Avenue.