Mamdani says city will finish full redesign of McGuinness Boulevard ‘as soon as the weather warms’

On his third day in office, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that the full, originally-planned redesign will be implemented on McGuinness Boulevard after the project was derailed by the Adams administration.

The Department of Transportation — headed by newly-appointed commissioner Mike Flynn — will install parking-protected bike lanes along the northern part of the boulevard, Mamdani said, from Calyer Street to the Pulaski Bridge, and remove one lane of vehicle traffic in each direction.

“It is a new era for New York City and a new era for New York City DOT,” Flynn said at a press conference at Father Studnizki Square. “We said we would hit the ground running and that’s exactly why we’re at McGuinness Boulevard on just the third day of this new administration. For far too long, a critical street safety redesign developed by committed public servants at DOT was set aside, even though the need was clear and the planning work was done.”

Newly-appointed DOT commissioner Mike Flynn said it was the start of a ‘new era’ for the city and for DOT. Photo by Lloyd Mitchell

The upgrades will make it easier for pedestrians to cross the street, protect cyclists, and reduce reckless driving, Flynn said.

A similar design has already been implemented on the southern half of the roadway, from Meeker Avenue to Calyer Street. Construction will begin “as soon as the weather warms,” Mamdani said on Saturday.

“New Yorkers deserve to be safe no matter how they commute — whether they bike, walk, or drive. That’s why, as one of my first acts as Mayor, my administration is committing to restarting implementation of parking-protected bike lanes on McGuinness Boulevard and complete its redesign,” Mamdani said in a statement. “New Yorkers deserve an administration that gets right to work to deliver genuine street safety.”

The 1.5 mile boulevard is infamously dangerous for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers, and has seen dozens of crashes over the past five years.

McGuinness Boulevard at the corner of Greenpoint Avenue in August 2025. The northern half of the boulevard currently has two lanes of vehicle traffic and a partially-protected bike lane. File photo by Kirstyn Brendlen

Then-mayor Bill De Blasio pledged to transform the boulevard in 2021, after public school teacher Matthew Jensen was killed in a hit-and-run. Two years later, DOT approved a sweeping redesign, which was promptly squashed by then-mayor Eric Adams. After another year of tug-of-war, the city opted to install a partial redesign on the southern half of the boulevard, leaving the northern half largely untouched.

Last August, prosecutors revealed that former mayoral advisor Ingrid Lewis-Martin had allegedly accepted bribes from the owners of local production company Broadway Stages in exchange for axing the project.

Days after Lewis-Martin was charged, Mamdani — then in the thick of campaigning after winning the Democratic mayoral primary — joined politicians and activists on McGuinness Boulevard and promised to finish the redesign if elected.

Ingrid Lewis-Martin, (center) allegedly accepted bribes in exchange for axing the original redesign. File photo by Dean Moses

On Saturday, the mayor said the Adams administration had “bowed to big money interests, leaving the project incomplete and Greenpointers still at risk.”

“Today, however, there is a new mayor in City Hall,” he declared, to cheers from supporters and local pols.

Greenpoint resident Bronwyn Breitner helped found the group “Make McGuinness Safe” after Jensen, then her son’s teacher at P.S. 110, was killed just a block from her family’s home.

“We are so grateful to you, Mayor Mamdani, for making this a priority in your campaign, for keeping your promise that you made to our community many months ago,” Breitner said on Saturday. “And we are so thrilled to partner with you on this today and in the work that this involves in the future.”

Local resident Bronwyn Breitner, who helped found “Make McGuinness Safe” after Jensen was killed. Photo by Lloyd Mitchell

Assembly Member Emily Gallagher, who has helped to lead the effort to redesign McGuinness Boulevard, was joined by Jensen’s cousin John Ogren. In 2021, Ogren said he had been shocked to get the call that Jensen had been killed in a hit-and-run — but “wasn’t surprised” that it had been on McGuinness Boulevard.

“I promise, too, that cousin Matty would be standing here with you, and I really believe that Matty’s up here with the choir watching all of us,” Ogren told the crowd on Saturday, before turning his attention toward Mamdami. “So god bless you, I’m so proud that you’re my mayor. Thank you for all you do.”

Opponents of the redesign — including Broadway Stages — had argued that removing vehicle lanes would increase traffic, reduce safety, and threaten local businesses.

Restler said that the redesign on the southern half had slowed by only about a minute in each direction.

Supporters held signs with the names of people killed on McGuinness Boulevard, including Jimmy Battaglia, Neil Chamberlain and Liem Nhan. Photo by Lloyd Mitchell

“Our neighborhood is demonstrably safer already because of the changes that we have secured on McGuinness Boulevard,” he said. “But McGuinness Boulevard will finally be safe from the Pulaski Bridge down to Meeker thanks to the leadership of Mayor Zohran Mamdani.”

The announcement came just a day after DOT announced that New York City recorded its lowest number of traffic deaths in history — 205 — in 2025, under the leadership of Adams and former DOT commish Ydanis Rodriguez.

Flynn, just three days into his new role, said the McGuinness Boulevard redesign is just the start for the agency.

“This is just the beginning,” he said. “DOT will advance bold ambitious ideas to keep New Yorkers safe on streets across the city. Let’s get to work.”