The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT), in conjunction with MTA New York City Transit, today announced a reconstruction project to expand and improve the bus terminal in front of the Kings Plaza Mall.

The project, which began in the first week of May, 2005 and is scheduled to be completed this Fall, includes the following modifications:

• A signalized left turn lane, exclusively for bus traffic, will be constructed from Flatbush Avenue into the redesigned terminal. To accomplish this, DOT will extend the center median from Avenue U to Avenue T and reconfigure the existing median in front of the mall to permit the new bus-only left turn into the expanded bus terminal.
• The bus boarding area will be enlarged to improve safety and better accommodate passenger boardings.
• Improved lighting and bus shelters will be added to enhance customer safety and comfort.
• To improve safety, pedestrian fencing will be installed in the terminal to direct customers to the appropriate crossing points.
• In order to shorten pedestrian crossings, neckdowns will be installed on the northwest and southwest corners at the intersection of Flatbush Avenue and Avenue U.

"In addition to the new bus shelters in the terminal, we are making improvements at this intersection that will make it easier and safer for pedestrians to cross the street," said DOT Commissioner Iris Weinshall. "Our goal is to give people, especially seniors and children, enough time to get across the street safely," she said.

"Approximately 6,000 customers each weekday, 10,000 customers on Saturday and 5,000 customers on Sunday will benefit from the improvements to the terminal," said Millard Seay, NYC Transit's Senior Vice President of the Department of Buses.

The reconstruction project requires New York City Transit to temporarily relocate the B2/B9 bus stops on Flatbush Avenue, near the entrance to the Kings Plaza Mall, to Avenue U between East 53rd Place and East 54th Street, at the rear of the existing B3/B47 bus stop. The B2/B9 buses travel on Avenue U, make a left on East 55th Street, followed by a left on Avenue T, and proceed to their normal routes along Flatbush Avenue. NYCT does not anticipate that the B3 or B47 bus routes will be impacted by the work.

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