Gowanus Expressway & 3rd Avenue at 56th Street

Gowanus Expressway, 3rd Avenue and 56th Street meet at a six-way junction in Sunset Park (West), Brooklyn. Between 2021 and 2025, 21 police-reported crashes were recorded here, against a median of seven crashes for a Brooklyn corner. Martin Luther Playground is 630 feet away. The nearest subway, 53 St, is about five minutes on foot, and two subway lines stop within a ten-minute walk. Within a five-minute walk are 16 public places, seven of them religious buildings, and 14 places to eat.

Safety record
14 hurt
21 police-reported crashes, 2021–2025
Nearest subway
53 St
0.3 miles · 5 min on foot · R
Nearest bus stop
140 feet
3 Av/56 St · B37
Within a walk
16 places
7 religious buildings, 5 schools and 3 more kinds, within five minutes

Map

Layers
Gowanus Expressway & 3rd Avenue at 56th Street Nearby corners, linked

Getting there

How walks are measured

Subway

The nearest subway station is 53 St, 0.3 miles from this corner, about five minutes on foot.

  • 2 lines within a ten-minute walk
  1. 53 St R
    0.3 miles
    R

Next trains at this station

Manhattan
1 line
  1. R …
Southbound
1 line
  1. R …

Also within a walk

  1. 59 St N, R
    0.3 miles
    N R

The MTA's permanent art catalog lists “Untitled” (2017) by Mickalene Thomas at the 53 St station.

Bus

The nearest bus stop is 3 Av/56 St, 140 feet away, for the B37.

  • 4 routes within a ten-minute walk
  1. 3 Av/56 St B37
    140 feet
    B37

Next buses at this stop

  1. B37 …

Live arrivals

Cycling

  • 4 bicycle racks within 820 feet
  • 1 more bike-share station within a five-minute walk

Nearest bike-share station

  1. 56 St & 2 Ave 35 docks in all
    820 feet

By car

The nearest highway entrance is the ramp to the Gowanus Expressway eastbound at 3rd Avenue & Connector, 0.4 miles by car along the streets.

  1. 5705 2nd Avenue Gas station
    0.3 miles
  2. 140 58th Street Charging for electric cars, two Level 2 chargers
    0.6 miles

Safety record

How crashes are counted

Between 2021 and 2025, police reported 21 crashes at this corner, more than the median of seven crashes for a Brooklyn corner.

  • 14 people injured
  • 0 people killed
  • 4 of those hurt, on foot
  • 1 of those hurt, on a bike

The most recent crash recorded here was in January 2025.

What the city has done here

  • Leading pedestrian interval, March 2019

About this corner

Where facts come from
ZIP code
11220
Community board
Brooklyn Community Board 7
City Council district
38
Police precinct
72
Neighborhood (City Planning area)
Sunset Park (West)

The streets

  • Up to two travel lanes
  • Three of the streets are one-way

Homes

About 1,700 homes stand within 820 feet of this corner, a mix of apartment buildings and smaller houses. The buildings holding them mostly went up between 1901 and 1931.

Since 2014 at least 2 new affordable homes have been completed within 820 feet.

Trees

NYC Parks records 41 trees within 330 feet; the most common is the pin oak.

Parking on the streets meeting here

How signs are read
  • 29 signs on these blocks
  • 9 different rules

The sign wording is DOT's, as recorded between October 2016 and January 2025, and the sign on the street decides.

East side of 3rd Avenue

  • No parking 4 signs NO PARKING MONDAY 9:30AM-11AM

West side of 3rd Avenue

  • No parking 3 signs NO PARKING MONDAY 9:30AM-11AM
  • No parking 1 sign NO PARKING MONDAY THURSDAY MIDNIGHT-3AM
  • Truck loading only 2 signs TRUCK LOADING ONLY 7AM-7PM EXCEPT SUNDAY

North side of 56th Street

  • No parking 4 signs NO PARKING MONDAY 9:30AM-11AM
  • No parking 4 signs NO PARKING THURSDAY 11:30AM-1PM
  • No standing 1 sign NO STANDING ANYTIME

South side of 56th Street

  • No parking 4 signs NO PARKING WEDNESDAY 11:30AM-1PM
  • No parking 6 signs NO PARKING WEDNESDAY 9:30AM-11AM

Schools, parks and places within a walk

How places are listed

Sixteen public places are within a five-minute walk.

  • 7 religious buildings
  • 5 schools
  • 2 hospitals
  • 1 day care or pre-K site
  • 1 playground

Schools and child care

  1. Young Risers Infant, toddler and preschool care, ages 0 to 5 · Pre-K
    850 feet
  2. Al Madrasa Al Islamiya School
    930 feet
  3. MS 936 Arts Off 3rd School
    1,020 feet
Show all 6
  1. Sunset School of Cultural Learning School
    1,020 feet
  2. P.S. 503: the School of Discovery School
    1,060 feet
  3. P.S. 506: the School of Journalism & Technology School
    1,060 feet

Parks, playgrounds and gardens

  1. Martin Luther Playground
    630 feet

Health care

  1. Calvary Hospital
    1,290 feet
  2. NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn Hospital
    1,290 feet

Houses of worship

  1. Bethelship Norwegian United Methodist Church House of worship
    790 feet
  2. St Jacobi Lutheran Church House of worship
    1,030 feet
  3. Salem Gospel Tabernacle House of worship
    1,170 feet
Show all 4
  1. The Light of the World Church House of worship
    1,280 feet

Supermarkets

  1. Pioneer Supermarkets Supermarket
    0.3 miles
  2. CTown Supermarket
    0.4 miles
  3. Bravo Supermarket
    0.5 miles

Food stores and places to eat

Within a five-minute walk there are 14 places to eat and 14 food stores.

Not on record for this corner: a designated landmark or historic district within 820 feet.

Nearby corners

The eight nearest of the 9 corners within a three-minute walk:

See every intersection along 3rd Avenue, 56th Street or Gowanus Expressway.

Sources: NYPD, NYC DOT, MTA, New York City's bike-share system, NYS Environmental Conservation, NYC City Planning, US Department of Energy, NYC Housing Preservation and Development, NYC Parks, NYC Technology and Innovation, NYC Health, NYS Agriculture and Markets and USDA, retrieved September 18 – October 6, 2026.