AI-generated illustration; not a photograph of the reported event.
- calendar_today October 28, 2026
Redesign Announced for Brooklyn’s Third Avenue
The New York City Department of Transportation has announced a substantial redesign of Brooklyn’s Third Avenue in Sunset Park, following a fatal hit-and-run involving a local nurse. The project aims to improve safety by reducing traffic lanes, adding protected bike paths, and enhancing pedestrian crossings along a 2.1-mile corridor.
Background: A Tragic Incident Sparks Change
Plans for the Third Avenue redesign emerged two months after 28-year-old Jiayi Zheng was killed in a hit-and-run at the intersection of Third Avenue and 55th Street. Zheng, a nurse who worked at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn just a block away, was struck while walking home from her shift. The incident drew renewed attention to the dangers posed by the heavily trafficked corridor.
Scope of the Third Avenue Redesign
The redesign will span from 62nd Street to 20th Street and focus on a busy stretch beneath the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Planned changes include reducing the number of traffic lanes from six or eight down to four, introducing two protected bike lanes (one in each direction) separated by barriers, and keeping existing parking lanes. New pedestrian islands at intersections will support safer crossings on what is currently a street about 50 yards wide.
Timeline for Implementation
City officials outlined that work on Third Avenue between 62nd and 43rd Streets will begin next year. Concurrent improvements will bring bike lanes to 60th Street between Second and Fourth avenues. The remaining section from 43rd Street up to 20th Street is scheduled for upgrades in 2028.
Push for Safe Street Design
The planned third avenue redesign is part of a larger initiative by Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration to advance major street safety projects. Many of these had stalled under the previous mayor, Eric Adams. Despite proposals presented to community boards, earlier plans were not implemented until now. Mamdani’s administration emphasizes measures like calmer intersections, shorter pedestrian crossings, and protected bike lanes to prioritize people’s safety on city streets.
Street Safety Concerns and Recent Fatalities
Brooklyn street safety advocates have pressured city leadership in the wake of multiple deadly hit-and-run incidents. Over one week in the summer, Zheng’s fatality was one of at least four deaths caused by hit-and-run drivers on city streets. According to city data, 17 individuals have died in crashes along the targeted stretch of Third Avenue during the past decade, with pedestrians and cyclists making up more than half of the fatalities. In 2022, two elderly pedestrians were killed by a hit-and-run just blocks from where Zheng lost her life. In 2020, another NYU Langone nurse, Clara Kang, died after being struck by a motorcyclist while bicycling on Third Avenue.
Commitment from City Leaders
Following these incidents, officials reduced the corridor’s speed limit to 25 mph but did not previously embark on a comprehensive redesign. Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn stated that “we cannot wait for the next tragedy to strike,” and committed to implementing safety improvements on the city’s most dangerous streets over the next three years. The Department of Transportation is also considering extending future redesigns of Third Avenue, stretching south to 65th Street and north past Prospect Avenue into Gowanus.
Looking Ahead
While the driver responsible for Zheng’s death has not yet been identified, the newly announced project signals a significant shift toward safe street design, including protected bike lanes and pedestrian crossing improvements. City leaders hope the traffic lane reduction and other changes will contribute to improved bicycle and pedestrian safety on this vital Brooklyn corridor.
Source: gothamist.com.
