DOT adds new 2nd Avenue offset bus lane

This past week, the DOT started adding markings along the freshly paved Second Avenue. 

As previously reported, the new-look Second Avenue would include shifting the curbside bus lane to an offset bus lane to help speed up travel times...

From a DOT press release in June: 

Second Avenue serves the M15 local and SBS route—the city's busiest bus route with 57,000 daily riders. To improve bus service, NYC DOT will be moving the existing curbside bus lane on Second Avenue one lane over — known as an offset bus lane. This redesign will keep the bus lane clear while better accommodating deliveries on the corridor. 

The offset bus lane design will allow NYC DOT to upgrade bus lane operations to 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing consistent, reliable, and dedicated space for buses to move quicker while reducing bus lane blocking. (The current operations of the curbside bus lane are weekdays from 7-10 a.m. and 2-7 p.m., originally put in place to accommodate commercial loading and overnight parking.) 

Upgrading curbside bus lanes to offset lanes has shown to improve safety for vulnerable road users in addition to improving bus service. 

According to Streetsblog in June, bus speeds in lower Manhattan "have cratered to under 7 miles per hour on 81 percent of buses that run during the afternoon rush."

First Avenue through the East Village also has an offset bus lane.

Tuesday's parting shot

Paving action tonight on Third Avenue... as crews are working between Ninth Street and 12th Street... thanks to EVG reader Doug for the shot.

This week in milling and paving

The DOT posted flyers earlier this week stating that crews would be milling Avenue A from Houston to 14th Street starting last night. (The DOT's website had a Thursday evening start date — see screengrab below.)

Milling Avenue A this week might have been the final nail in the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade coffin, tentatively set for Saturday afternoon on Avenue A between Seventh Street and 14th Street.

However, we're told that the city has postponed this work and even updated its weekly schedule to reflect that change.

Also, as several readers have noted, part of Avenue A was already milled back in MARCH. 

Meanwhile, after finishing a whole block last Friday night, Second Avenue is scheduled to be paved during the evenings this week. 

Also! Third Avenue is scheduled to be paved Friday night from 12th Street and Houston.

All of this is very subject to change.

Thanks to the EVG reader for the top pic.

Dreams of a smooth, freshly paved 2nd Avenue will have to wait several days

We got up extra early this morning to check out the freshly paved Second Avenue. The DOT website and posted notices along the milled avenue noted the paving work to take place last night. 

As the top photo on 14th Street shows, it looks smooth! Yes!

And then we go one block south to 13th Street ... where the fresh asphalt abruptly stops and the milled roadway picks up...

The posted notices now say Tuesday night/Wednesday morning for presumably more paving — maybe more than a block this time? 

And they will come back [in a hopeful, encouraging tone] because they left all the pavers behind...

Not sure what happened with the paving last night. Maybe the city ran out of hot mix asphalt? 

Anyway! We walked down the avenue anyway, celebratory celebrations on hold. 

Crews did mark the outline all the way to Houston.

To be continued...

Reminders: Paving time for 2nd Avenue

Updated 10/12: Never mind — the city pushed back the paving until Tuesday night.

Say your farewells to the groove-y, filling-loosening, bike-seat-jarring Second Avenue...

DOT crews are expected to pave the milled roadway (from 14th Street to Houston) tonight. 

What time, exactly? Dunno! There are posted No Parking signs noting the work from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Just be sure to follow the Work Zone signage, and you will be fine...

As noted on Tuesday, the city will return to mark a new offset bus lane. The city's release about the enhancements also mentions that the DOT "will upgrade select existing painted pedestrian islands on the east side of the avenue to concrete islands."

Here's when 2nd Avenue is expected to be repaved this week

After milling Second Avenue from 14th Street to Houston during the week of Sept. 16, the DOT has scheduled the roadway to be repaved on Friday night...

In June, the city announced that Second Avenue — one of the city's busiest bus and bike corridors — was getting significant enhancements to improve commuting. 

In a June 4 statement, the DOT announced that..: 

The new design, expected to be completed later this year, will bring a wider bike lane, an enhanced bus lane, and additional pedestrian space for 59 blocks of Second Avenue, stretching 2.9 miles, from East 59 Street to Houston Street, improving commutes for 57,000 daily bus riders and 6,000 daily cyclists. The redesign is one of dozens of projects highlighted in the city's Connecting to the Core action plan to complement the launch of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's forthcoming congestion pricing program. 

On June 5, Gov. Hochul announced the pause on congestion pricing. However, as we understand it, these commuting improvements are still moving forward on Second Avenue. A DOT rep said the markings would arrive a few weeks after the repaving. 

The new-look Second Avenue will include shifting the curbside bus lane to an offset bus lane to help speed up travel times.

As Streetsblog reported in June, bus speeds in lower Manhattan "have cratered to under 7 miles per hour on 81 percent of buses that run during the afternoon rush." 

In other roadway news, the city milled Houston from the Bowery to Broadway this past Thursday... and, amazingly, did not decide to do this during the Feast of San Gennaro.

No date yet for repaving Third Avenue between 12th Street and Fourth Street. 

P.S. 

As several readers have noted, this is why there's a lag time between milling and paving... to give crews time to do any underground repairs... yesterday, workers were digging up where the roadway had been sinking between Sixth Street and Seventh Street...

Thursday's parting shots

Photos by Steven

The milled roadways of Second Avenue and Third Avenue are rough rides for motorists and cyclists... Citi Bikes especially have little bump sensitivity.

Still, you'd think someone would have noticed their bike seat went missing on Second Avenue and Ninth Street today ...

Tuesday's parting shot

Crossing Second Avenue at St. Mark's Place early this evening... no sign of Second or Third Avenue on the DOT's Weekly Resurfacing Schedule (crews milled the avenues the week of Sept. 16). 

Vehicles are currently parked where the bike lanes were (despite notices not to park there) on Second Avenue. The bike lanes will return with the resurfacing...

This week in milling East Village avenues

Top photo by Steven 

As you likely noticed (or felt), city crews milled Second Avenue from 14th Street to Houston this past week.

Crews also milled Third Avenue between 12th Street and Houston a move that likely makes sense to someone.

These East Village avenues are not on the coming week's Milling and Resurfacing Schedule at the DOT.

As we've seen, it usually takes several weeks before the milled streets are repaved. 🙏

Updated: On Avenue A, let the milling begin (again)

Two-plus weeks after milling Avenue A between Houston and Fourth Street, crews returned tonight. to pick up the work up to 10th Street. Updated: Workers tonight milled more of the roadway between Fourth and Houston before repaving this section. 

The DOT website said work was to happen last night (it didn't) and tonight... so it's TBA on the next six-block section between Fourth Street and 10th Street that is scheduled for milling-paving.

Updated

EVG reader Joe shares these photos... from between Third Street and Fourth Street...

The surface-of-the-moon-like surface on A was prompting cyclists, scooters, etc., to ride on the sidewalk. Which we heard about!

Thanks to the reader for the top pics!

Milling about Avenue A

Updated 3/23: With the rain, the milling got pushed to Tuesday evening, per the DOT website.

---

Avenue A is on the clock for late-night milling, the removal of the top layer of a street's asphalt surface.

Work began last night between Houston/First Street and Fourth Street, and per the Department of Transportation schedule, it is expected to continue this March Madness Friday night (we have Longwood upsetting Houston) up to 10th Street.

Thankfully, the work was all done very quietly, and no one heard a thing.

A busy week for milling in the East Village

The neighborhood will be experiencing a lot of late-night milling — the removal of the top layer of a street's asphalt surface — in the week ahead.

According to the city schedule here (H/T Peter Feld!): 

On Monday (Happy Halloween!) and Tuesday, there's nighttime milling scheduled for Ninth Street between Avenue A and Fourth Avenue.

Then Tuesday and Wednesday nights, the milling happens on Sixth Street from Cooper Square to Avenue A ... and on Fifth Street from Cooper Square to First Avenue. 

And Wednesday-Thursday: Fourth Street from Avenue A to Avenue D; Second Street from Bond Street to First Avenue.

And, as these photos via Steven show, it appears workers will be using the reliable RX-900e, one of the most productive cold planers available (and more free RX-900e storage on First Avenue!) ... 

Sources say that "power and heavy-duty construction make the RX-900 the tool to own for high-productivity, half-lane, or full-lane milling."

Meanwhile, expect several weeks to pass before these milled streets are repaved. 

This week in paving (but not milling)

It looks like paving only tonight and tomorrow night on Third Street from Avenue D to the Bowery...

Seventh Street is also on the docket for paving from Avenue D to Cooper Square ... though it appears that just the section between Second Avenue and Cooper Square needs the new surface...

You can check the DOT schedule here. 

The milling on these streets commenced on Sept. 6.

Thanks to Stacie Joy for the top pic!

It's milling time

Here's a look at Seventh Street at Avenue A after the late-night milling this week. 

We can confirm that First Avenue between 12th Street and 15th Street has been milled (and it makes that stretch even nicer!) 

The length of Seventh Street between Avenue D and Cooper Square was supposed to be fully milled by now. (If anyone can confirm, aside from Seventh between A and First. The EVG Milling & Paving Team is at a softball tournament upstate.) 

Third Street from Avenue D to the Bowery is/was set to be milled last night and tonight. 

Anyway, a few people asked. Yes, the Citi Bike docking stations will return to Seventh and A, Seventh and B, Seventh and C, etc. And: No, the city does NOT remove curbside-dining structures for the milling and paving. 

And no word yet when the paving will commence.

This week in milling and paving East Village streets

Several East Village streets are scheduled for nighttime milling and paving this coming week. (H/T Steven!) 

On the schedule (see the website here): 

• First Avenue between 12th Street and 15th Street (Tuesday)

• Seventh Street from Avenue D to Cooper Square (Tuesday and Wednesday) 

• Taras Shevchenko Place from Sixth Street to Seventh Street (Wednesday)

• Third Street from Avenue D to the Bowery (Wednesday and Thursday)