Major Upper West Side Bike Path Gets Rerouted: What To Know

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — A major Upper West Side bike was rerouted Wednesday due to construction at the 79th Street Rotunda in Riverside Park.

The Rotunda will now be closed to bicycle traffic, which means that bikers will instead journey down the promenade, and around the loop near the running track at 72nd Street.

The Parks Department has also set up bike and pedestrian lanes in the immediate area to help separate the two types of travelers.

"Pedestrians will follow signs within Riverside Park to pass under the Henry Hudson Parkway, down the stepped ramp on the north side of the Rotunda, through the Rotunda Plaza level, to the waterfront," reads an explanation from the Parks Department.

The reroute is expected to last at least two years, which is the timeline for the Rotunda reconstruction.

The Rotunda has been a long-standing tricky area for bikers, with no protected bike lanes, bicyclists have to make their way around the circle as the majority of cars continue on their way onto on and off-ramps for the West Side Highway.

As part of the restoration, the DOT will create an updated painted lane in the traffic circle for cyclists.

Since the first design of the project was announced, though, local advocates have been pushing for a physically protected bike lane.

In a report, the DOT said that a two-way physically separated bike lane on the Rotunda would be "infeasible" due to the direct impact on the operation of the Rotunda ramp to the garage level.

Read More: New Design Of Controversial UWS Rotunda Reignites Cyclists' Anger