The gap in the East River Greenway is approximately 1.2 miles long, stretching from Glick Park at East 37th past the Queensborough Bridge around East 60th street. The official route of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway in this area detours users inland, forcing pedestrians and cyclists to negotiate the highly congested and dangerous avenues of East Midtown.
Though the gap is relatively small (1.2 miles) as compared with the overall length of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway (32 miles), its presence has an enormous impact on the Greenway’s overall use and the communities of Manhattan’s East Side.
Location
Many people forgo using the East River Greenway altogether because of the dangerous detours. New York City’s own Department of City Planning 2004 Manhattan Waterfront Greenway Master Plan states that:
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.
In fact, the area of the Greenway detours remains one of the most unsafe spots for both cyclists and pedestrians in the entire City according to the high numbers of crashes compiled by CrashStat 2.0. Completing the Greenway would provide an off-road path for pedestrians and cyclists to safely avoid the dangerous avenues of Midtown.
Residents from East Harlem to Murray Hill currently look west with jealousy. Husdon River Park is one of the City’s great parks, providing unique open-space and transportation amenities to many West Side residents. The completion of the Hudson River Greenway is also responsible for spurring the significant rise of people who commute to work by bicycle over the past few years. Completing the East River Greenway would similarly provide new waterfront access, parkland and recreational options for hundreds of thousands of people along the East Side of Manhattan. The Greenway would also serve as the backbone of a sustainable transportation network that will foster an already growing population of people commuting by bicycle both north and south of the gap.
Brief History
City administrations, local agencies, community organizations and elected officials have long advocated for completing the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway along the East River. However, some of the best laid plans to finally close the gap have recently come to a screeching halt. See how the Greenway got to this point.
- Timeline