City Moving To Close Gaps In East Side Greenway

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY – Nothing compares to Riverside Park, which stretches from 72nd Street to 158th Street along the Hudson River on Manhattan’s West Side.

But strolling, running, or biking along the East River – or Harlem River – has its own appeal, and the East Side may one day have a continuous stretch of riverside parkway to rival the greenway along the Hudson.

The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) is currently looking for contractors to oversee the construction of an above-river esplanade between East 41st and 53rd streets, according to a recently released request for proposals (RFP).

The project will close a significant gap in waterfront greenway, which presently stretches from 120th Street, in East Harlem, to the Battery, at the tip of Manhattan.

City capital funds will pay for the project, which is estimated to cost approximately $120 million, according to the RFP. Work is scheduled to be completed in 2028.

"The release of this RFP is another critical milestone towards completing the remaining gaps in the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway," said NYCEDC spokeswoman Adrien Lesser.

"Following last year’s opening of the East Midtown Greenway segment and Andrew Haswell Green Park, [the] RFP represents another major step forward by the Adams Administration and NYCEDC to finish the long-envisioned Manhattan Waterfront Greenway. These remarkable capital projects will not only improve quality of life for New Yorkers but expand opportunities to commute by bike or foot while enjoying spectacular views on the East River."

Additional Gaps

The greenway isn’t only incomplete near the United Nations. The most significant and most conspicuous remaining gap is along the Harlem River, between 120th Street and 155th Street.

But a number of smaller gaps persist below 120th Street, and a patchwork of city agencies, including NYCEDC, the Parks Department, the Department of Transportation (DOT), and the Department of Design and Construction (DDC), are involved in the work along the East River and Harlem River.

The “Pinch”

At East 14th Street, the greenway is incredibly narrow – a “pinch” – to the point where it feels as if you’re either walking, running, or biking with or against traffic on FDR Drive.

If you haven’t been, Patch doesn’t recommend it, although the pinch is currently open.

“We know that neighborhood residents want this addressed,” said DDC spokesperson Ian Michaels.

To remedy the pinch, the department is considering a bridge that would be located above FDR Drive, on the water side of the highway.

“The flyover bridge at 14th Street is funded and is happening,” Michaels told Patch.

“The footings for the bridge are being built as part of the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) Project, but the bridge will be a separate project. ESCR is due to be completed by the end of 2026.”

The bridge is currently being designed, and “several different alignments could happen,” Michaels said.

No date is yet available for its construction, which will be a DOT project, according to Michaels.

71st to 74th Street

Work on another section of the East River Greenway, between 71st and 74th Street, is linked to a major expansion of the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS). Construction in the area is being handled by HSS, according to the Parks Department.

HSS anticipates work will continue through mid-2025, per its website.

114th to 117th Street

Further uptown, this section of greenway was completely barricaded when Streetsblog visited in the fall of 2023.

In 2024, a major redesign was unveiled. The design phase has been completed and the project is in procurement, according to the Parks Department.

Under Construction

Sections of the East River Greenway between the Brooklyn Bridge and Montgomery Street, as well as between Montgomery Street and East 12th Street, are currently under construction, according to Parks.

“We are currently undertaking a multi-phase rehabilitation project to bring the deteriorated esplanade into a state of good repair,” a spokesperson for Parks told Patch, in reference to all of the department’s efforts on the East Side.

“Rebuilding the East River Esplanade is a priority for us at NYC Parks, and we are working to fix this vital infrastructure so that New Yorkers can enjoy the full stretch of the East River and Harlem River for decades to come. We are also focused on working with our sister agencies to better connect New Yorkers in the outer boroughs with our citywide greenway network.”

Overall, a significant amount of work is in progress on Manhattan’s East Side, but it may be a few years before the 32-mile coastal circumnavigation of Manhattan – today a serious adventure – is an easily accessible jaunt.

Do you have questions about work on the East River or Harlem River? Are there other missing or closed sections of the greenway that you'd like Patch to investigate? Email michael.mcdowell@patch.com.