Eyes on the Street: First Signs of Greenway Construction on West Street

By David Meyer
Mar 17, 2016

west_street_cuts — These cuts in the asphalt are one sign that DDC is about to dig up West Street to install a two-way protected bike lane.

More than three years after it was approved by Brooklyn Community Board 1’s transportation committee, construction on the West Street segment of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway is finally underway. The Department of Design and Construction confirmed that current work on West Street is related to the greenway.

The project will turn West Street into a one-way northbound route for cars with a two-way protected bike lane on the west side of the street. The redesign from Quay Street to Eagle Street is part of the 14-mile Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway that will stretch from Sunset Park to Greenpoint.

West Street will be entirely reconstructed from top to bottom. In addition to the bikeway, DDC will construct bioswales and high-level sewers to prevent stormwater from overloading the system and sending raw sewage into the city’s waterways. The current construction work also includes the replacement of “century old watermains on Calyer Street from Franklin Street to West Street,” according to DDC.

A preliminary rendering of the two-way bikeway and planted buffer slated for West Street in Greenpoint. Image: DDC

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