SEE: Fourth Avenue Bike Lane Begins Extension Past First Street

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — Transportation officials have painted an extension of the Fourth Avenue bike lane from First Street to Flatbush Avenue, starting the process for the long-awaited northern portion of the path.

Crews began outlining the new 15 blocks of the bike lane with white paint early this week, about a month after they first announced that the lane extension would be coming to the corridor.

Green paint for the path and beige paint for pedestrian islands will be the next step in finishing the protected lane, according to the DOT Tweet.

The paint will likely be a welcome addition for cyclists who have long advocated for the Fourth Avenue lane to extend up to Flatbush Avenue. Another unfinished section on the southern end of the bike lane was completed last year after elected officials and advocates condemned the city's delay in putting in the path.

The First Street to Flatbush Avenue portion of the lane will make it so cyclists can travel, largely uninterrupted, between Bay Ridge, Sunset Park and Park Slope. Gaps between 18th and 13th streets still exist.

The northern extension also comes with street improvements between Flatbush Avenue and First Street, according to DOT. Those will include updated parking regulations, more metered parking and pedestrian islands near intersections.

A Department of Transportation spokesperson did not immediately answer Patch's questions about when riders can expect the bike lane extension to be fully installed.