[title]
A major $15.5 million overhaul of Prospect Park’s Ocean Avenue and Parkside Avenue perimeter has just broken ground, a project that will dramatically reshape how Brooklynites move around their favorite green space. The biggest headline is a new two-way, sidewalk-level protected bike lane that runs along Ocean Avenue, filling in a long-missing (and occasionally dangerous) gap in the borough’s cycling network.
The project stretches from Empire Boulevard down to Parade Place with the goal of making Prospect Park’s entire eastern edge feel less like a busy thoroughfare and more like an extension of the park itself. That means wider pedestrian space, reconstructed sidewalks, new trees, upgraded lighting and far fewer awkward bike-versus-car standoffs.
The new bike lane will connect directly to existing protected lanes on Flatbush and Parkside avenues, creating a more seamless route into Prospect Park Drive. But the glow-up doesn’t stop at cycling infrastructure.
One of the most noticeable changes will come at the Ocean Avenue and Parkside Avenue entrance, which is getting a full redesign. The plan calls for a new pedestrian plaza where cars once passed through (building on the park’s car-free shift that began in 2018) and turning the entrance into a proper gathering space.
That plaza will also feature a monument honoring Brooklyn-born Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress and the first to run for U.S. president. Down the line, a nearby building will be transformed into the Shirley Chisholm Pavilion, adding restrooms and exhibit space (though that portion is slated for a later phase). Construction will roll out in phases over roughly 18 months, meaning the transformation won’t happen overnight, but it will be noticeable.
Finally, Prospect Park’s east side is finally catching up to the rest of Brooklyn’s bike-friendly ambitions. And once it’s done, getting there might just be half the fun.