What's Up With The East River Esplanade In The 70s?

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY – East Siders may have noticed that the East River Esplanade is closed between 71st and 74th streets due to the ongoing construction of the Hospital for Special Surgery's (HSS) new Kellen Tower.

As a result, although those who wish to access the East River may do so at 71st Street and 78th Street, they face a gap in the greenway, forcing them to detour around the construction zone before rejoining the Esplanade at 78th Street.

When will the Esplanade in the area reopen?

HSS is currently targeting “as early in 2025 as possible,” a spokesperson told Patch.

“HSS remains committed to re-opening the Esplanade to the public as soon as possible,” the spokesperson continued.

“We plan to provide an update to the community board later this fall once we finalize logistics. Currently, HSS is in the process of making an award to a contractor; we also continue to work with Parks on their related stabilization project which has areas that overlap with HSS’s beautification work.”

Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible for HSS to provide an alternative pathway during construction.

“The East River Esplanade is very narrow [in] the area of 71st Street and adjacent to the busy FDR Drive, making it logistically infeasible to safely create enough space for a temporary walkway and enable the work to beautify the park area. HSS has sought the guidance of many contractors who work on similar beautification projects, but it is just not feasible.”

On the north side of 71st Street, a narrow entryway leads to a ramp, and, eventually, a bridge over FDR Drive, which leads to a second ramp.

If you’ve made it this far, the river beckons, and the intrepid wanderer will be amply rewarded with glorious views of the Queensboro Bridge.

This section of greenway, which currently stretches south as far as 53rd Street, will one day extend all the way to 41st Street, after the completion of a $120 million expansion project being overseen by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC).

Work on that section is scheduled to conclude in 2028.