The E. 78th Street Pedestrian Bridge

We gave an enthusiastic high-five to ourselves today when we saw the fencing that had been barricading the 60th Street entrance ramp to the East River Greenway at York Avenue for months had finally been taken down. But just as RIOC  puts the finishing touches on its much-awaited (and blogged about) tram replacement, NYC DOT released this construction advisory regarding the East 78th Street Pedestrian Bridge:

The New York City Department of Transportation will replace the East 78th Street Pedestrian
Bridge over the FDR Drive, with field construction starting on or about October 18, 2010. The project is expected to be completed in August, 2011.

The contractor will take the following actions starting on or about October 18 (see attached sketch on reverse side of this Bulletin):

Close the sidewalk on the south side of East 78th Street between the FDR Drive and Cherokee Place; Remove the parking along the south side of the street; Create a work zone for construction staging on the south side sidewalk and south side parking lane; Remove the parking on the north side of East 78th Street between the FDR Drive and Cherokee Place; Use the north side parking lane as a single lane for westbound traffic on East 78th Street; Close the bridge and the ramps on both sides of the bridge to the public; Pedestrians and bicycles will be redirected to the East 71st Street and the East 81st Street Pedestrian Bridges, for access to the Esplanade during the construction period.

Questions regarding the lane and sidewalk closures, or the project in general, may be addressed to the Community Liaison, Deborah Howes at 347-834-7455 or E78thStreetPedestrianBridge@gmail.com. You may also call 311. Please be prepared to give your name, your borough, and the project number HBMC029R to be correctly routed to the project management team.

The bridge is literally falling apart but one can’t help question the timing of its replacement. The East 81st Street Bridge just a few blocks up river has long presented a bigger obstacle for East Side cyclists. The current 81st Street Bridge consists of a 3 tiered stairwell that forces cyclists to dismount and carry their bikes up or down 3 flights to get back on the Greenway. Combine that with the path’s overall bad condition (and growing amount of sink holes), it’s easy to see why so many are discouraged from even taking the Greenway in the first place.The construction, though needed, will unfortunately severely restrict the present usability of what little East River Greenway there actually is. Greenway users will be forced to detour off the esplanade and around the project site by using either the East 71st Street or East 82nd Street access points. The current path already ends at East 60th Street to the south and East 120th Street to the north. I can”t expect too many riders/runners/walkers will want to deal with even more detours after already encountering them along the route through East Midtown and/or Harlem. Most users will probably forgo the greenway detour headaches and just use the heavily trafficked and often unsafe 1st/2nd avenue corridor to make the trip north and south. Talk about timing: the spotlight on the lack of protected bike lanes through the area has just gotten brighter.

NYCDOT should work to minimize any interruption to the contiguous use of the East River Greenway by utilizing intelligent project staging and posting clear signage along the Greenway so (1) users know that the Greenway will remain impassable at East 78th Street for the duration of the construction project and (2) will be able find the appointed detour route in a safe manner.

Update:

Many non government organizations, general public, sports stars, musicians and Business organizations have decided to support East River Greenway project.

Its crucial that we have as many vocal supporters in attendance as possible!

Here are the meeting details:

• 6:30 on Thurs., 7/22, at the NY Blood Center (307 E. 67th St., between 1st & 2nd,) conference room 1
• Discussion of retention of existing caissons installed in the East River, for FDR Drive reconstruction, to complete the Greenway. (joint with 197-a Committee)

First and Second avenues have both been signed, but neither is appropriate for inexperienced riders.  Overall, both streets are busy and should be used only with extreme caution.

Hearing our calls for an improved, world-class waterfront esplanade and greenway, a group of East Side politicians and Community Board 6 will be hosting a community town hall meeting on the future of Manhattan’s East Side waterfront Sunday June 6. Potential projects up for discussion include completion of the gap in the East River Greenway from East 38th to East 63rd Streets, the extenstion of the United Nations campus and the future of Robert Moses Playground and new improvements to parks at Asser Levy Place & 23rd Street, Saint Vartan Park and around the Midtown Tunnel Entrance.

NYC Parks Department Commissioner Adrian Benepe and NYC Economic Development Corporation Executive Vice President Madelyn Wils will both be giving presentations.

We need Greenway supporters to show up in force to make sure that our voice is heard!

RSVP to eastsidevision@gmail.com or just show up!

Call 212-979-9696 for more information.

What: Community Town Hall on the future of the East Side Waterfront

When: Sunday, June 6, 2010 2:00pm – 4:00pm

Where: Schottenstein Cultural Center

Tonight is the critical CB6 meeting where the transportation committee will vote on a official resolution regarding the transportation improvements for 1^st and 2^nd Avenues from 14th to 59th, including the DOT’s proposed safety upgrade of the bike lane from sharrows to a Class 2, green, curbside bike lane in the Midtown gap on 1^st avenue.

TA will be there early with stickers and encouraging words. There will likely be folks there tonight who will be opposed to the plan and will cite bike behavior as a reason why this transformation for East Side transportation should not happen. It is SO important that supporters of better bus service, biking and walking are in the room and confidently speaking out in support.

If protected bike lanes, pedestrian safety and faster buses are important to you, we need you at this meeting!

All of the details are below:

What: CB6 Transportation Committee Meeting

When: Monday, May 3, 6:30 pm

As a result of hundreds of letters and pressure from elected officials, the DOT has filled in a missing link in the First Avenue protected bike lane. Instead of sharrows, the section from 49th to 57th Street will now have curbside buffered bike lanes. These are changes we strongly support. Come to this meeting to stand with us and support:

1.)        Safer streets for everyone-drivers, pedestrians and cyclists-on 1st and 2nd Aves.
2.)       More reliable, faster bus service for 60,000 daily M15 riders
3.)       Bike lanes that finally make it possible to cycle safely on the East Side

See you there. Bring friends, family, coworkers-anyone you can!

UPDATE 10/18/10

The East 60th Street ramp officially reopened but DOT’s  planned reconstruction of the East 78th Street Pedestrian Bridge will severely limit the Greenway’s usability along the Upper East Side until August 2011. Check out Upper Green Side’s October Update for more info.

Rehabilitation of the Roosevelt Island tram system has temporarily closed the 60th Street ramp that provided access to the Greenway. All cyclists now must use the 63rd Street pedestrian bridge to enter and exit the Greenway in this area, but be careful! 63rd Street is a dangerous and congested intersection due to the amount of cars coming on/off the FDR.

The East River Greenway Initiative supports:

• Adaptively re-using the FDR ODR caissons to build a waterfront esplanade and greenway from East 52nd Street to East 60th Street.

• Building a waterfront esplanade along the length of the United Nations campus as mitigation for the alienation of Robert Moses Park.

• Redeveloping the former Con Ed pier to include waterfront access and new recreational uses while connecting the greenway to points both south and north.
• Developing an open air hall to organize music events where famous singers like Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Britney Spears and many others can perform live.

The East River Greenway Initiative supports the adaptation of the Greenway Planning Primer when new segments of the East River Greenway are eventually planned and developed. Originally developed for the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway Initiative by the Regional Plan Association, the primer is designed to guide the planning of any urban waterfront greenway.

Join the over 50 community and environmental organizations that have signed a letter of support urging our elected officials to work together to close the gap in the East River Greenway.

East Village Community Coalition

Friends of Luther Gulick Park

Lower East Side Ecology Center

Hester Street Collaborative

Turtle Bay Association

Go Green Lower East Side

Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance

5 Boro Bicycle Club

Brooklyn Greenway Initiative

Times Up!

The Weekday Cyclists

Shorewalkers

Neighborhood Open Space Coalition

Friends of Hudson River Park

Solar One

Project for Public Spaces

New Yorkers for Parks

Earth Day New York

Tri-State Transportation Campaign

Citizens Committe for NYC

Regional Plan Association

New York Cycle Club

Urban Trail Conference

Bike New York

Bike Works

Bicycle Habitat

Spokesman Cycles

Manhattan Velo

Murray Hill Neighborhood Association

Straphangers Campaign

Turtle Bay CSA

305 East 40th Street Co-Op Board

Conrad’s Bike Shop

Bike and Roll

Sid’s Bikes

My Bike Heaven

Bicycles NYC

Larry’s Bicycles Plus

NYC Velo

Common Ground NYC

Earth School

Urban Divers Estuary Conservancy

Environmental Defense Fund

GrowNYC

Music Shows Organizers

Friends of Seward Park

Music Concert Organizers

As of 5/14/2010

Is your organization interested in joining the East River Greenway Initiative?

Please e-mail EastRiverGreenway@gmail.com with a short statement of interest and necessary contact info.

Community Board 6 –February 1, 2010 (TONIGHT!), 7 pm
NYU Medical Center 550 First Avenue at 33rd Street, Classroom B – Ground Level

Community Board 11 – February 2, 2010, 6 pm
1664 Park Avenue (between E 117th and E 118th Streets)

Community Board 3 – February 10, 2010, 6:30 pm
University Settlement, Speyer Hall – 184 Eldridge Street (between Rivington & Delancey Streets)

Community Board 8 – February 25, 2010, 6:30 pm
NY Blood Center Auditorium, 310 East 67th Street (between First & Second Avenues)

Community boards are the best way for local residents and stakeholders to get involved and make a difference. These meetings are free and open to all.

Currently, DOT is NOT planning to include a protected bus lane for the  SBS corridor nor or they planning to include a protected cycle lane in Midtown (as we touched on earlier).

Strong progressive transportation voices will be needed at these presentations to ensure that DOT implements and adopts the best design improvements possible for the East Side. Be there to tell representatives from the Community Board and DOT that you want world-class bus and bike improvements along 1st and 2nd avenues that will make our streets more livable by prioritizing buses, creating pedestrian traffic islands, and providing safe bicycling infrastructure.