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Construction of Pulaski Bridge Bike Lane to Start Next Month

 A cyclist rides over the Pulaski Bridge.
A cyclist rides over the Pulaski Bridge.
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DNAinfo/Jeanmarie Evelly

LONG ISLAND CITY — Construction of a long-awaited bike lane on the Pulaski Bridge will finally start next month, city officials said this week.

Work on the bike path, which will link Greenpoint and Long Island City, will start this April, after the plan was delayed last year because of a drawn-out contracting process, according to the Department of Transportation.

Cyclists currently share a narrow 8 1/2-foot pathway on the span with pedestrians, but now a Brooklyn-bound traffic lane will be removed to create a new 9-foot-wide bike lane, the agency said.

The bike path will be installed on the west side of the bridge next to the existing shared path, which will be converted into a pedestrian-only walkway, according to the DOT's plans. Barriers will also be placed there to protect cyclists from traffic.

The construction is expected to be completed by the end of this year, the DOT said.

Brooklyn Assemblyman Joe Lentol has long pushed the city to build a bike lane on the bridge to accommodate the booming population in the neighborhoods nearby, he said.

"The populations of North Brooklyn and Long Island City have exploded over the past several years, and as a result, the New York City Department of Transportation has stepped up to the plate in creating a safer and more diverse transportation network," he said in a statement.

The Pulaski isn't the only Queens bridge that's getting more bike-friendly — the DOT is also planning to build a bike lane on the Greenpoint Avenue Bridge this spring, DNAinfo reported earlier this month.