New York City restarts Bronx busway plan after federal hold-up

New York City restarted four stalled street redesign projects, including the Bronx’s first busway on Tremont Avenue, after federal resistance froze an earlier Manhattan plan. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the work would deliver faster, more reliable bus service for about 130,000 daily riders across the four projects.

The Tremont Avenue corridor is slated to begin construction in the fall of 2026. The corridor serves roughly 39,000 bus riders a day, while 72% of households along the route do not own a car and 78% of residents commute by public transit, biking or walking.

It followed the earlier 34th Street busway fight in Manhattan, where the Federal Highway Administration said in October 2025 that New York had halted work over federal concerns about truck access and compliance with highway rules, while the Trump administration threatened to cut off funding and approvals.

City Hall and Governor Kathy Hochul’s administration later expanded the push with “Next Stop: Fast Buses, Better Service,” unveiled on July 8, 2026. The plan identifies 50 priority bus corridors across the five boroughs and five initial rapid bus routes, with a goal of speeding buses by 20% and cutting trips by as much as six minutes each way. It also calls for all-door boarding by 2027, 2,500 new buses through 2029, 300 new bus shelters by 2028, seating at 875 stops each year, and expanded bus-lane enforcement.

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber called the Fordham Road project “a Valentine to the tens of thousands of bus riders who cross Fordham Road every day.” Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Ben Furnas welcomed the city’s decision to restart stalled projects, while Riders Alliance said the plan did not go far enough and skipped Mamdani’s Bronx event, arguing that Bronx riders deserved a true busway.