City To Invest More Than $100M In Uptown Waterfront Fixes

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS-INWOOD, NY — The city is investing more than $100 million to rehabilitate existing waterfront infrastructure in Inwood and Washington Heights as part of the Inwood NYC initiative which includes the city's controversial plan to rezone the neighborhood.

Mayod Bill de Blasio's administration is pledging $15 million for fixes at the Dyckman Street waterfront on the Hudson River and $88 million for fixes along the Harlem River from Dyckman Street to West 155th Street, the city Parks Department announced Thursday.

Both projects are being launched to ensure that existing piers, greenways, roads and other waterfront structures are safer and more accessible, officials said.

"We live in a city that is hundreds of years old, where some of the most vital parts that need care are invisible to the eye—our City’s critical waterfront structures," Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver said in a statement.

The Dyckman Street waterfront project will feature repairs to the multiple structures including the Inwood Canoe Pier and its nearby timber bulkhead and the Dyckman Street pier, officials said. The Harlem River project will feature safety improvements on the parks and roadways along the waterfront's edge.

City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez said the investments will benefit the Inwood and Washington Heights communities in a number of ways.

"An accessible waterfront can open opportunities for STEM and sports education that can level the playing field for our children and make them more competitive students and professionals," Rodriguez said in a statement. "Investments in our waterfront will provide great recreational space for all of our residents and allow for farmers to bring fresh, healthy produce to our community."

Both projects are considered key components in the Inwood NYC "neighborhood planning initiative," city officials said. The initiative also includes the controversial plans to rezone much of the neighborhood for greater residential and commercial density and a redevelopment of the Inwood library into a multi-use building.

Photo courtesy city Parks Department.