A new reversible lane — the first of its kind on any MTA bridge or tunnel — will connect existing High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes on the Staten Island Expressway with those on the Gowanus Expressway in Brooklyn beginning in 2017. The MTA has not disclosed, however, what type of HOV lane it will be. Currently, the HOV lane on the Gowanus Expressway is designated for buses and vehicles with three or more passengers (Bus/HOV 3+). The existing HOV configuration on the SIE is Bus/HOV 2+, but is projected to be operating as Bus/HOV 3+ in 2013 – something that TSTC has been calling for since 2009.
The MTA and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) must agree to operate the reversible lane on the Verrazano as Bus/HOV 3+. Bus/HOV 2+ lanes do not provide the congestion mitigation or level of public transit service that Bus/HOV 3+ lanes provide. Designating the reversible lane Bus/HOV 3+ would create a real traffic and transit enhancement along the I-278 corridor for very little cost.
It’s good there will be HOV on the bridge, preferably HOV3 to keep buses moving. But there is still no way to travel by foot or bike across the bridge.
Will the MTA-B&T/TBTA ever install the outboard bike/ped paths that fit the VNB the same way the paths fit the George Washington? The paths would fit without removing any space from the motor lanes.