City to speed up LaGuardia bus ahead of World Cup with new Jax Heights bus lane
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Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn announced a new dedicated bus lane along Broadway in Queens that will improve commutes for LaGuardia Airport bus riders during the World Cup. Photo via Department of Transportation
By Ryan Schwach
While New Yorkers and potential visitors are bracing for transportation headaches when the World Cup comes to town in June, City Hall is hoping to ease the pain and speed up buses in the World’s Borough.
A new bus lane will be coming to Queens that city officials hope will improve commutes to and from LaGuardia Airport during the international soccer tournament and beyond, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn announced Wednesday.
The dedicated bus lane will run down the center of Broadway between 69th Street and Roosevelt Avenue, the route taken by the Q70-SBS “LaGuardia Link” bus, which connects the airport with several subway routes and the LIRR.
“The World Cup may come and go, but the investments we made to our streets and public transit must serve New Yorkers for decades to come,” Mamdani said. “Arriving in New York City should be fast, affordable and reliable all year round — not just during major events. This new bus lane will help welcome visitors from around the world this summer while delivering faster commutes every day for the thousands of working class New Yorkers who rely on the Q70.”
The DOT will present the proposal to the local community board later this month.
If approved, the agency expects to complete the project before World Cup matches begin in June.
“With the influx of visitors expected for the World Cup, the Mamdani administration will be working with urgency to ensure New Yorkers, and soccer fans from across the world, will be able to get where they’re going efficiently,” Flynn said. “We look forward to discussing this project with the community in the coming weeks before installation.”
The bus lane will remain long after the World Cup trophy is lifted and all the soccer-loving tourists head home.
Even without the influx expected from the tournament, the Q70 runs slow.
Buses on the corridor move around 2.7 mph during the evening rush hour, the DOT said, which is slower than the average walking pace.
“Congestion on Broadway in Queens means it can be faster to walk this portion of the Q70-SBS route in Jackson Heights,” said Flynn.
The announcement comes as World Cup visitors and New Yorkers prepare for exorbitant transportation costs to get to the matches being played in New Jersey at MetLife Stadium.
New Jersey Transit announced this week they would be dropping prices, but only by $7, meaning riders are still staring down a $98 ride to East Rutherford from New York City.
In the face of high transportation costs and even higher ticket prices, the Mamdani administration has attempted to provide cheaper soccer-centric events while the World Cup is on.
Last week, the mayor announced "Soccer Streets," a series of field days in all five boroughs where streets outside schools will be turned into soccer pitches with room for other community programs.
There will also be a number of free fan zones across the city, including the flagship fan zone in Queens. From June 11 to June 27, Queens soccer fans and visitors can head to the Billie Jean King Tennis Center for live World Cup match watch parties, cultural events, and programming from local businesses.
