Brooklyn bus riders on an extremely busy – but super pokey – route will soon be getting dedicated transit lanes and faster service courtesy of Uncle Sam.
The city today announced it received a $28 million grant to bring select bus service to the B44 route, which travels Williamsburg to Sheepshead Bay along Nostrand Avenue.
The new SBS route on one of the system’s busiest lines will feature off-board payment, nearly 10 miles of newly paved lanes reserved solely for bus travel, and three-door articulated buses that are easy to hop on and hop off.
SBS routes are already in place and popular in other parts of the city, including 34th Street in Manhattan and in the Bronx.
“I think everyone who saw Sandy from near or afar recognized the critical role buses played once the subway system went down, underscoring the value of these types of investments in our transportation infrastructure,” said city Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan.
“SBS continues to bring enhanced service to densely populated areas in need of transportation enhancements.”
The B44 currently serves 39,000 riders a day, but travels at a mere seven miles per hour on average.
The new US Department of Transportation grant – the largest of its kind ever received – will fund the entire project.