Exploring Nyc: The Length Of 2Nd Avenue's Bus Route

The M15 bus route in New York City runs from East Harlem's 125th Street to South Ferry in lower Manhattan, largely serving the city's East Side residents. The route extends 13.7 km with 16 stations and serves around 560,000 daily riders. The M15 Select Bus Service was launched in October 2010, improving transit, pedestrian safety, and bicycle access. The M15 is part of the Second Avenue Subway, which also includes the Q train and limited rush-hour N and R trains.

The M15 Select Bus Service

The M15 SBS utilizes Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) features such as off-board fare collection and bus-only lanes to increase speed and reliability. Off-board fare collection allows riders to pay their fare at the bus stop before boarding, reducing the time spent at each stop. The dedicated bus-only lanes help improve speed and reliability by separating buses from general traffic. These features have resulted in a 9% increase in ridership and a 15 to 18% improvement in bus speeds since the service began.

The M15 SBS also includes upgrades to bicycle lanes and pedestrian safety along its route. For example, the existing bike lane on First Avenue between 72nd Street and 125th Street has been upgraded, and pedestrian refuge islands have been installed at select intersections below 34th Street to reduce crossing distances and improve overall pedestrian safety.

The M15 SBS operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing consistent and reliable service for commuters. It is one of the busiest bus routes in New York City, serving 57,000 daily riders. The M15 SBS is an important part of the city's transportation network, connecting commuters to their destinations quickly and safely.

The Second Avenue Subway

The line was originally proposed in 1920 as part of a massive expansion of what would become the Independent Subway System (IND). In anticipation of the Second Avenue Subway being built, parallel elevated lines along Second Avenue and Third Avenue were demolished in 1942 and 1955, respectively, despite several factors causing plans for the Second Avenue Subway to be cancelled. Construction on the line began in 1972 as part of the Program for Action. It was halted in 1975 because of the city's fiscal crisis, leaving only a few short segments of tunnels completed. Work on the line restarted in April 2007 following the development of a financially secure construction plan. The first phase of the line, consisting of the 96th Street, 86th Street, and 72nd Street stations, as well as 1.8 mi (2.9 km) of tunnel, cost $4.45 billion. A 1.5-mile (2.4 km), $6 billion second phase from 96th to 125th Streets is almost ready to start construction.

Phase 1 is served by the Q train at all times and limited rush-hour N and R trains. Phase 2 will extend the line's northern terminus from 96th Street to Harlem–125th Street. Both the Q and limited N services will be extended to 125th Street. Phase 3 will extend the line south from 72nd Street to Houston Street in Manhattan's Lower East Side. Upon completion, a new T train will serve the entire line from Harlem to Houston Street. Phase 4 will again extend the line south from Houston Street to Hanover Square, maintaining the T designation for the entire line. The T will be coloured turquoise since it will use the Second Avenue Line through Midtown Manhattan.

The stations on the line were built to be wider than most other underground subway stations in the system. Tracks are built on rubber pads, which reduces noise from trains. The construction of the 8.5 miles (13.7 km) of the Second Avenue Subway underneath densely populated Manhattan will require the use of several construction methods, depending on the section of the line. The line's tunnels will largely consist of twin tunnels with diameters of up to 23.5 feet (7.2 m). About 90% of the tunneling is to be performed by tunnel boring machines. The rest will be done using the cut-and-cover method, or through the use of mined drill-and-blast, for sections averaging 275 meters (902 ft) in length, namely the station boxes.

The M15 SBS route

Some of the key features of the M15 SBS route include:

• Off-board fare collection
• Upgraded bike lanes
• Pedestrian refuge islands at selected intersections below 34th Street
• Bus bulbs at select stations between Houston Street and 125th Street
• Transit signal priority between Houston Street and South Ferry
• Parking-protected or curbside bike lanes from Houston Street to 34th Street

The M15 local route

The M15 Select Bus Service was launched in October 2010 by the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) and New York City Transit (NYCT). The service includes features such as off-board fare collection, bus-only lanes, and bus bulbs at select stations to increase speed and reliability. Since its implementation, ridership on the M15 has increased by 9% and bus speeds have improved by 15 to 18%.

The 2nd Avenue bike lane

The new design will also include additional bike parking and new layover spaces for delivery cyclists, helping to keep sidewalks clear for pedestrians. The existing 6-foot, parking-protected bike lane will be upgraded, following similar recent improvements to bike lanes on other avenues in Manhattan, such as Third, Ninth, and Tenth Avenues.

The redesign will also include safety upgrades for pedestrians, such as the installation of concrete pedestrian islands and curb extensions, as well as new painted pedestrian islands. These improvements are expected to reduce deaths and serious injuries among all road users by 35.5%.

The project is being led by the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) and is expected to be completed by the end of 2024. The goal is to improve commutes for the 57,000 daily bus riders and 6,000 daily cyclists on Second Avenue, making them faster and more reliable, while also enhancing safety for all road users.

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