Federal Funds Can Fix Worn-Out East Harlem Bridge, City Hopes

EAST HARLEM, NY — One of the first city projects to be funded through a new pot of federal infrastructure money could be the replacement of a decaying pedestrian bridge above a dangerous East Harlem intersection, which neighbors say has overstayed its welcome.

The T-shaped red footbridge runs across East 128th Street at Third Avenue, branching off in two directions to connect with Harlem River Park on its east side and soaring above the Third Avenue Bridge's vehicle on-ramp to the west.

But the pedestrian bridge is now "past its useful life," according to a letter drafted last week by East Harlem's Community Board 11.

Besides being ADA-inaccessible, the bridge is in disrepair after multiple vehicles crashed into its support columns, and pedestrians often avoid the bridge entirely — choosing instead to traverse the heavily-trafficked street-level intersection, which lacks any crosswalks or signals, the letter states.

Now, the bridge and the intersection have come under scrutiny by the city's Department of Transportation (DOT), which thinks it could be eligible for funding through the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program: a $1 billion component of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill enacted by Congress last fall.

That program, a whittled-down version of what was initially a $10 billion proposal to tear down highways that tore up cities across the U.S., is intended to help heal divides that had been caused by transportation infrastructure. In June, the federal government set aside $195 million in funding for the next fiscal year that local governments could apply for by Oct. 13.

The city DOT confirmed to Patch that it would apply this week to get federal funding for the bridge and intersection. The agency had asked Community Board 11 to draft a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg expressing support for the funding request, and the board's transportation committee approved the letter at its Oct. 7 meeting.

As envisioned by the city, the federally-funded project would remove the "outdated" pedestrian bridge, build a new raised bicycle connection in its place, and add extended sidewalks, crosswalks and pedestrian signals to the intersection below, according to the board's letter.

The changes would improve safety at the intersection, which has seen 15 crash injuries in the last four years, and help reconnect the adjacent Harlem River Park, nearby elementary schools and tenants of the NYCHA Jackie Robinson Houses, the board wrote.

The safer intersection would also forge a clearer path to the pedestrian side of the Third Avenue Bridge, which connects East Harlem to the South Bronx: "a growing residential and commercial district," the board wrote.

"The proposed project will improve these conditions by creating a safe, convenient, and accessible connection to the park in a neighborhood that has been historically disinvested in," the letter continued.

Board member Wanda Hopkins said improving or replacing the existing bridge would be a big help for the senior citizens who live nearby, and struggle to cross the chaotic intersection.

"We have a lot of people with wheelchairs that definitely need that ramp," she said.

DOT did not say what other projects it was submitting to the federal government for Reconnecting Communities funding, nor how much money it was seeking. But a spokesperson said the East Harlem project would help further the agency's broader street-safety goals.

"We welcome the support of Community Board 11 and look forward to continuing to work alongside community stakeholders to connect East Harlem residents to our parks," spokesperson Tomas Garita said.