GREENPOINT — Construction of a dedicated bike lane on the Pulaski Bridge is back on track after officials initially predicted the work would be delayed until next year, a local elected official said.
Assemblyman Joseph Lentol, who for years has been advocating for the bike lane on the bridge connecting Greenpoint and Long Island City, said in a statement Thursday that the Department of Transportation will start work on the lane Sept. 14.
It could be finished as early as this year, he noted.
The project has been delayed several times.
Last year, contracting issues prevented the city from starting construction before winter hit.
The DOT was then expected to start construction this past spring, with a plan to finish the lane by the end of the summer.
But engineering issues with barriers that would separate cyclists from cars further delayed the project, and the city said it didn't expect to complete the project until 2016, according to Streetsblog.
However, Lentol said on Thursday that the barrier issue was resolved quicker than expected.
“I am delighted that this project could potentially be completed before the winter," he said in a statement. "We have been fighting for a long time for this dedicated bike lane, and the community was certainly upset to hear they would have to wait longer."
Currently, pedestrians and cyclists share a narrow path on the bridge.
The plan calls for removing one lane of Brooklyn-bound traffic to create a 9-foot-wide bike lane on the west side of the bridge, with a barrier protecting cyclists from vehicle traffic, according to DOT.
The current shared path will be turned into a pedestrian-only walkway.
DOT did not immediately respond to a request for more information.
