NYC Plans Major Third Avenue Redesign Following Fatal Hit-and-Run in Sunset Park

Yisroel R.

New York City is moving ahead with a major redesign of Third Avenue in Sunset Park, near Boro Park, with plans to significantly reduce vehicle lanes and add new safety measures along the busy corridor following a series of deadly crashes recently.

The project will cover approximately 2.1 miles of Third Avenue between 62nd and 20th Streets. The avenue, which currently carries between six and eight traffic lanes in some areas, will be reduced to four vehicle lanes, while protected bike lanes and new pedestrian islands will be added to shorten crossings. Parking on both sides of the street is expected to remain.

The redesign was originally developed under former Mayor Eric Adams’ administration, with the Department of Transportation presenting several plans to the local community board, but the project was ultimately left on the table and never moved forward. Mayor Zohran Mamdani is now moving ahead with the project as part of several major street redesigns his administration has revived after they paused under Adams.

The redesign comes two months after 28-year-old Jiayi Zheng, a nurse at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn, was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver while crossing Third Avenue at 55th Street after finishing her shift. Police said the driver has still not been located and no arrests have been made.

Work is expected to begin next year on Third Avenue between 62nd and 43rd Streets, along with new bike lanes on 60th Street between Second and Fourth Avenues. The remaining section between 43rd and 20th Streets is scheduled to be addressed in 2028.

City officials say 17 people have been killed in crashes along the Third Avenue corridor over the past decade, with more than half of the victims pedestrians or cyclists.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement. “We know what keeps New Yorkers safe on our streets: calmer intersections, shorter crossings, protected bike lanes and ambitious redesigns that put people first. Starting next year, we will transform Third Avenue to protect pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.”