City crews prepped the road along the marathon path on Bedford Avenue through the Bedford-Stuyvesant, Williamsburg and Greenpoint sections of Brooklyn Friday afternoon.

WSJ: Marathon Hits Wall Amid Criticism

With the slow-yet-steady infusion of new businesses, the contrast between the east end of Williamsburg and the trendier, more gentrified pocket of Bedford Avenue in north Williamsburg is beginning to fade.

WSJ: East Williamsburg Loses Some of Its Grit

"The women come through on bikes, and they're not dressed properly, " said Joel Weiser, a Hasidic musician who lives in the area, echoing complaints heard during the backlash that forced the removal of a painted bike lane on Bedford Avenue.

WSJ: Bike-Share Rides Past Neighborhood

Mr. Kennedy made it his mission to find the blueprints in the early 1990s after he stepped out of a subway near the Ebbets Field site at Bedford Avenue and Sullivan Place in Crown Heights and was astonished to see that there was no plaque marking the location of the iconic stadium.

WSJ: Soon on Display in Brooklyn: 'Holy Grails' of Baseball