B61 Split into Two Routes

B61 and B62 Set to Begin January 2010

In order to improve service reliability, the B61 bus route will be divided into two shorter routes – the B61 and B62, MTA NYC Transit announced today. Currently, the B61 route is 9.7 miles long, linking Brooklyn's Red Hook section with Queens Plaza. The route is subject to delays due to traffic congestion, especially in the area of Downtown Brooklyn. The B61 serves approximately 18,500 customers on weekdays, 10,800 on Saturdays and 7,400 on Sundays.

"In responding to feedback from customers and community organizations who have long complained about the unreliability of B61 service, we are breaking up one long, cumbersome route into two that will be more manageable, both of which will be more reliable than the single route that exists today," said NYC Transit President Howard H. Roberts, Jr.

The southern B61 route will travel between the Ikea Terminal in Red Hook and Downtown Brooklyn (Smith Street and Livingston Street). The northern B62 route will travel between Downtown Brooklyn (Boerum Place and Livingston Street) and Queens Plaza and will be rerouted past the Williamsburg Bridge Plaza Bus Terminal. Taking the route past the bus terminal will allow a Transit dispatcher to monitor the route, thus increasing reliability and providing more convenient road reliefs for bus operators.

"We recognize that there are rapidly growing new residential areas along the Williamsburg waterfront," added Roberts. "The B62 will also provide convenient bus and subway connections for these customers to the Williamsburg Bridge Plaza transit hub which is served by six bus routes and the Marcy Avenue JMZ subway station." Implementation is planned for January 2010.

Customers may call our Travel Information Center at 718-330-1234 from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, or log onto www.tripplanner.mta.info to use Trip Planner to plan their trips. Customers with web enabled phones or PDAs can use our Trip Planner On-the-Go! by going to www.tripplanner.mta.info/mobile; in addition to planning their trips, Blackberry users can download the free icon for one touch access to the service.

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