Williamsburg Bridge Plaza Bus Terminal
Williamsburg Bridge Plaza | |
---|---|
Passengers | |
Daily | 150,000 |
The Williamsburg Bridge Plaza, sometimes called Washington Plaza
This bus terminal is near the
The bus terminal is one of three plazas at the foot of the bridge that constitute Washington Plaza, along with Continental Army Plaza and LaGuardia Playground across South 5th Street, which are run by the Parks Department.[3][6][7]
Layout
As a streetcar terminal
The original Washington Plaza trolley terminal occupied both blocks between Broadway to the south and South Fourth Street to the north. The right-of-way of South 5th Street ran through the center of the plaza, occupied entirely by a pair of trolley tracks which fed into the Williamsburg Bridge. These tracks were used by the lines of the New York Railways Company and Third Avenue Railway from Manhattan. Both blocks were occupied by numerous balloon loops, which streetcars used to reverse direction. The plaza was originally open-aired. At some point afterwards, shelters were added for loading and unloading passengers.[1][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]
The plaza served as a hub for Brooklyn surface trolleys, particularly those of the
The northern half of the terminal has since been replaced by LaGuardia Playground, named after former New York City mayor
As a bus terminal
The current bus terminal lies on the southern block of the former trolley terminal, with Broadway to the south and South 5th Street to the north. The terminal consists of five lanes or bays, numbered 1 to 5 from north to south. Lane 6 was rebuilt as a station house with MetroCard Vending Machines, and as of 2015, is out of service. Each bay contains a low-level sidewalk platform with several shelters. Buses enter the terminal from the west, where there is a layover area. Buses can exit the terminal to either Broadway or South 5th Street at the east end of the block.
Current bus routes include:
Lane | Route | Destination |
---|---|---|
1 | B39
|
Lower East Side, Manhattan Delancey Street and Allen Street |
B60 | Canarsie Williams Avenue and Flatlands Avenue | |
2 | B24
|
Greenpoint Greenpoint Avenue and Manhattan Avenue |
Q54
|
Jamaica, Queens 170th Street and Jamaica Avenue | |
3 | B46 |
Kings Plaza Shopping Center Avenue U and Flatbush Avenue |
4 | B44 Local
(Late nights only) |
Sheepshead Bay Nostrand Avenue and Emmons Avenue |
B44 SBS
Select Bus Service |
Sheepshead Bay Knapp Street and Emmons Avenue (full route) or Avenue U and Nostrand Avenue | |
5 | N/A | N/A |
Broadway
and Roebling Street |
Q59 | trains) |
B32
|
trains) | |
B62
|
trains) | |
Roebling and
South 8th Streets |
Downtown Brooklyn Boerum Place and Livingston Street |
History
The bridge plaza terminal has existed at least since the opening of the Williamsburg Bridge in December 1903, and possibly earlier.[19][20] On November 6, 1904, BRT streetcars began crossing the bridge to Lower Manhattan.[21][22] At this time, many streetcar routes that terminated at Broadway Ferry were re-routed to terminate at Washington Plaza, or to go over the bridge to the Delancey Street terminal in Manhattan.[23] Meanwhile, four Manhattan trolley routes from the New York Railways Company were extended across the bridge to Washington Plaza.[23][24] The Third Avenue Railway also operated streetcars from Manhattan to Washington Plaza.[10][24] In 1919, the plaza was renamed "Washington Plaza".[2] That year, New York Railway cars ceased operating to the plaza from Manhattan, while Third Avenue service continued to operate.[24]
On December 1, 1923, service on the now-
On December 6, 1948, the last of the streetcar lines to run over the bridge, the "Williamsburg Bridge Local" shuttle between the Manhattan and Brooklyn trolley terminals, was converted into the
The New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) is planning to renovate this terminal. The project will bring new benches, a sleek, glass-paneled indoor waiting room, public restrooms, and widened sidewalks to the eight bus lines serving in the terminal. The project was unveiled in October 2013, with NYCDOT officials planning to begin construction in spring 2014 and complete the project in summer 2015.[35][36][37]
References
- ^ a b c d Linder, Bernard (April 2016). "Municipal Operations of Williamsburg Bridge Trolley Cars". New York Division Bulletin. 59 (4). Electric Railroaders' Association: 3–5. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Waite, Thomas L. (February 20, 1989). "About-Face for 'Valley Forge' Statue? Maybe". The New York Times. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
- ^ .
- ^ "Nostrand Ave. Trolley Makes Way for MTA New York City Transit Select Bus Service". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. October 10, 2013. Archived from the original on July 3, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
- ^ a b c "MTA Neighborhood Maps: neighborhood". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- Brooklyn Daily Eagle (1923). "Washington Plaza". Brooklyn Public Library. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ISBN 978-1-4396-2045-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7385-3884-6.
- ISBN 978-0-7385-8786-8. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Washington Plaza trolley station". New York Transit Museum. February 12, 1940. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ "Metropolitan Street Railway - Fourth Avenue and Williamsburg Bridge Line". New York Transit Museum. 1905. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- S2CID 145085237.
- ^ a b "Buses Replacing Nostrand Ave. Trolleys; Horsecars Opened Flatbush Line in 1882". The New York Times. March 31, 1951. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Through Service on Bridge to End" (PDF). The New York Times. November 22, 1923. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Kahn, Alan Paul (1973). The Tracks of New York Number 1: Metropolitan Street Railway 1907. Seymour Durst, Electric Railroaders' Association. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ a b "Restores Bridge Service: B.M.T. Abolishes 2-Cent Fare Today on Through Traffic" (PDF). The New York Times. February 15, 1931. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- ^ a b "Municipal Operation of Williamsburg Bridge Trolley Cars Began 80 Years Ago". New York Division Bulletin. 46 (12). Electric Railroaders Association: 1, 4. December 2003. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
- Brooklyn Standard Union. Fultonhistory.com. December 5, 1923. p. 14. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bans Trolley Lines on East River Span". The New York Times. January 21, 1932. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ^ "Buses Take Over Williamsburg Run: Trolleys End Bridge Service-Old Underground Station No Longer in Use" (PDF). The New York Times. December 6, 1948. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "City Buys Buses On No-Bid Basis: Emergency Approval Granted by Board-130 Vehicles to Cost $16,500" (PDF). The New York Times. November 8, 1947. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Meredith Hoffman (October 10, 2013). "Transit Hub by Williamsburg Bridge to Get New Restroom, Waiting Area". DNAinfo.com. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013. Retrieved November 1, 2013.
- ^ Tanay Warerkar (October 11, 2013). "City unveils plans for bus plaza near Williamsburg Bridge". NY Daily News. Retrieved November 1, 2013.
- ^ NYCDOT (June 19, 2012). "Nostrand Avenue / Rogers Avenue Select Bus Service" (PDF). nyc.gov. NYCDOT. Retrieved November 1, 2013.
External links
- Media related to Williamsburg Bridge Plaza Bus Terminal at Wikimedia Commons