New York City to Redesign Deadly Third Avenue in Sunset Park

More than a decade of calls for safety improvements in Sunset Park have finally led to a major redesign of Third Avenue. On October 26, 2026, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that the Department of Transportation (DOT) will overhaul a 2.1-mile stretch of the avenue from 62nd to 20th Streets, starting next year. The redesign aims to address years of fatal traffic incidents and ensure safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists.

The current Third Avenue has six to eight lanes for vehicle traffic, along with parking lanes on both sides. The redesign will reduce the number of car lanes to four and add a barrier-protected bike lane in each direction. New pedestrian islands and curb extensions will be added at intersections, significantly reducing the width of the avenue in some sections. The first phase will target the most dangerous section between 62nd and 43rd Streets, with additional bike lanes on 60th Street.

This redesign comes in response to the deaths of 17 people, more than half of whom were pedestrians or cyclists, over the last decade. The project also takes into account the concerns of local businesses, who were worried about the potential impact of a protected bike lane in front of their storefronts. The community's push for safety improvements was reignited after another nurse, Jiayi Zheng, was killed by a hit-and-run driver in August 2026.