Months after Mayor Zohran Mamdani vowed to move forward with a redesign of 34th Street between Third and Ninth Avenues, the bus lane project remains stalled. The plan would create a dedicated busway for over 28,000 daily riders, aiming to speed up service that currently averages just five miles per hour. The initiative was halted by the Trump administration over truck and emergency‑vehicle access concerns, and despite renewed communication with federal officials, no construction has begun. Transportation Department spokesman Vincent Barone says work will start soon, but commuters and Community Board 6’s Jason Froimowitz report no progress. The broader goal is to improve bus speeds by up to 20 percent on 50 major corridors, though fare‑free service remains blocked by the MTA’s $1 billion revenue loss risk. Previous mayors, including Michael Bloomberg and Eric Adams, also faced obstacles on this stretch near Macy’s Herald Square.

Mamdani’s administration continues to push the project, emphasizing its importance for New York’s sluggish bus network serving 2.6 million riders each weekday. The 34th Street busway would operate daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., opening to other traffic during off‑peak hours. While the city hopes to wrap up redesign work by fall, critics worry the delays could persist.

The stalled bus lane reflects a broader challenge: balancing congestion relief with commercial and emergency access in one of Manhattan’s most trafficked corridors.