UES Esplanade Sinkhole Opens Up Again, Alarming Borough President

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Only two years after the city spent thousands to repair it, a sizeable sinkhole has reappeared on the East River Esplanade, alarming one elected official who says it exposes structural flaws in city government.

A section of the walkway near East 76th Street began to cave in near the end of summer, with the buckled asphalt now surrounded by barricades and caution tape.

It's an eerie repeat of recent history: on a summer night in 2020, the same spot caved in dramatically, forcing emergency repairs that took three months to carry out. That project, which also included seawall reconstruction, cost the city $875,000.

Even before that, nearby sections of the Esplanade had collapsed into the river in 2017 following a rainstorm, and long sections further uptown are in infamous states of disrepair.

Fearing further collapses, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine sent a letter to the Parks Department last month, asking officials to take "immediate steps to address the emerging sinkhole" near East 76th Street. (Gothamist first reported on the letter.)

CAUTION: there was a collapse of part of the East River Esplanade today at 77th st. NO ACCESS southbound or northbound from E77th. Please share to other esplanade users! @EsplanadeFriend @kallos @CB8M #ues #eastriver #eastriveresplanade pic.twitter.com/DgL8DYpf7m
— Tricia Shimamura (@Tricia4NYC) July 20, 2020

In a statement, Parks spokesperson Crystal Howard responded that "Wear and tear on this nearly 100 year old esplanade’s infrastructure is common and justly mitigated through our inspection program."

"We have a strong program that with sister agencies is actively working [on] 22 projects in our pipeline," Howard said.

What's more, Levine argues, the pattern suggests that the city needs a standalone agency devoted to the waterfront, since the Parks Department has its hands full with other obligations.

"I fully recognize that waterfront infrastructure is incredibly difficult to maintain and sinkholes repairs are complicated, requiring specialized expertise and dedicated resource," Levine wrote.

"At the same time, the construction, maintenance, governance and operation of waterfront infrastructure is not a primary mission of your agency and as much as your Department wants to address these issues with the Esplanade, it must compete with the other fundamental priorities of the agency."

Levine said the imagined agency would work alongside the Parks Department and allow the city to invest more time and money into its vulnerable coastlines, which span more than 500 miles across the five boroughs.

Howard, the Parks spokesperson, said the agency is reviewing Levine's letter "and will respond directly."

Elsewhere on the Esplanade, the city is in the early stages of a series of projects that will reconstruct several sections between East 59th and 125th streets, and has completed a number of infrastructure projects in recent years that rebuilt stretches from 63rd to 68th streets and 72nd to 78th streets; added a pedestrian bridge on East 81st Street; and more.

Meanwhile, a long-awaited extension of the Esplanade down to 53rd Street, known as the East Midtown Greenway, is moving ahead, with a publicly stated completion date of late 2023.

Related coverage:

• East River Esplanade Sinkhole Repaired After 3 Months
• UES Board Renews Demand For East River Esplanade Inspections
• Giant Sinkhole Opens Up On East River Esplanade