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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 271-03
September 30, 2003

MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES THE FIRST PHASE TOWARDS THE COMPLETION OF THE MANHATTAN WATERFRONT GREENWAY

Mayor Fulfills State of the City Pledge To Create 32-Mile Continuous Loop Around Manhattan And Increase Access To The Waterfront

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced that the first phase of the project to complete the Manhattan Greenway has been achieved at the historic Harlem Speedway, the newest portion of the trail in Northern Manhattan. During his 2002 State of the City Address, the Mayor pledged to create an interim, continuous 32-mile pathway all the way around Manhattan, and today’s announcement marks the completion of the City/State effort towards realizing that goal.  Over the last ten years, various City and State agencies have built portions of the Manhattan Greenway but not until this year had they worked together to connect the existing portions.  This phase of the plan uses $6 million in City and State funds to connect existing waterfront esplanades, create new waterfront pathways and, where necessary, establishes on-street routes that will serve as interim links between the waterfront paths. The 32-mile trail around the island of Manhattan provides cyclists, joggers and pedestrians with a continuous route that includes over 23 miles of waterfront pathways and facilitates access to over 1,500 acres of parkland throughout the borough. 

NYS Department of Transportation Commissioner Joseph Boardman representing the Governor, Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields, NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Iris Weinshall, Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe, Sports Commissioner Ken Podziba, and Olympic cyclists Deirdre Murphy and Oscar Pineda joined the Mayor at the Harlem River Speedway for the announcement.

“Today’s announcement is the fruit of our collective labor, and is indicative of this administration’s commitment as outlined in my State of the City address, to restore access to our great waterfront and improve the quality of life for all New Yorkers,” said Mayor Bloomberg.  “Too much of our 578 miles of riverbank and coastline had been inaccessible and neglected for too long. This phase of the Manhattan Greenway builds on the amazing work of the past ten years to complete a 32-mile continuous trail and I will continue to work with Governor Pataki to improve this path and reclaim more of our Manhattan waterfront.” 

“The creation of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway continues our commitment to providing pedestrian-friendly options for commuters and recreational cyclists, in-line skaters, runners, and others, while simultaneously giving New Yorkers access to their majestic waterfront,” said Governor Pataki. “Together with Mayor Bloomberg and the people of this great City, we will continue to work to improve the quality of life of all New Yorkers for generations to come.”

“This is an important day in Manhattan as we open a key stretch of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway,” said Manhattan Borough President Fields. “We must continue to find new ways to increase access to the waterfront so we can enjoy the great features of this borough by bike and by foot, up close and naturally.”

In 1993, the Department of City Planning issued a Greenway Plan for the City, which called for the development of a 350-mile network of greenways through all five boroughs including a continuous waterfront greenway around the island of Manhattan.  At that time, only six miles of the waterfront were accessible to cyclists and pedestrians. Since that time, City and State agencies have built portions of the greenway but until 2003, had not worked together to connect the existing portions of the pathways. With $4.5 million in City funds and $1.5 million in State funds, first phase of the plan to connect the entire Manhattan Waterfront Greenway has been completed.

To coordinate construction of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, the Mayor’s Office under the direction of Deputy Mayor for Economic Development & Rebuilding Dan Doctoroff, forged a working group including NYC’s Parks & Recreation, Department of Transportation, Economic Development Corporation and Department of City Planning.  To complete the path, the team worked in conjunction to:

  • Pave over three miles of path in city parks
  • Make improvements to over 6.8 miles of on-street routes
  • Build 14 new pedestrian ramps
  • Create six new crosswalks
  • Manufacture and install over 750 Greenway signs

The working group also partnered with the State Department of Transportation, which, in addition to constructing the Harlem River Speedway on-ramp, created a new safety fencing system along the FDR Drive between 13th and 15th Streets.

The announcement occurred at the Harlem River Speedway, a two-mile stretch of waterfront open space that runs adjacent to the Harlem River between 163rd and Dyckman Streets.  As part of that effort, Parks & Recreation built a bike and pedestrian path along the Speedway, the NYC Economic Development Corporation reinforced Greenway infrastructure and the NYS Department of Transportation built an exclusive bike and pedestrian ramp at the southern end of the Speedway. Built in 1898 as a racing ground for the carriages of the City’s elite, the Speedway had fallen in to disrepair and, since the mid-1960’s offered severely limited access to the general public. 

In addition to the Harlem River Speedway, City and State agencies collaborated on uniform signage for the entire length of the Manhattan Greenway to safely guide users, particularly bikers, along the path with recognizable trailblazers. For example, the entire route is marked with the Greenway logo, a round, green medallion, and includes directional signage and indicates areas where the Greenway widens to provide two paths – one for pedestrians and one for cyclists. In addition, where necessary, on-street signage exists to provide links between Greenway portions.

“I commend the Mayor and Governor’s commitment to creating the Manhattan Greenway system throughout the City of New York,” said Parks Commissioner Benepe. “This phase of the Greenway will not only link New Yorkers to their waterfront, but to expanded recreational opportunities for walking, jogging, biking, and in-line skating, improving the health and well being of New Yorkers of all ages.  While New Yorkers travel along the Greenway, they can enjoy over 1,500 acres of City and State parklands. We ask that bicyclists and skaters go cautiously and yield to pedestrians.”

“At DOT, we have enjoyed working cooperatively with the Mayor, with other City agencies and State agencies on this exciting project,” said DOT Commissioner Iris Weinshall. “We were involved on many levels, most notably, in implementing street markings and signs.  New York City is a great walking City and it is a great City for people for bicycles.  We are creating a tremendous opportunity here for the bicycling community, and we are proud to be a part of it.”
 
The next phase of the completion of the Greenway includes The Battery, now an interim route, which will have a world-class bikeway around its perimeter connecting the East and Hudson Rivers.  The Battery project will advance as soon as plans for the MTA’s 1/9 South Ferry Station project and the State DOT reconstruction of Battery Place are finalized.  Secondly, the City is working with State DOT to improve the connection from 25th to 41st Streets.  Parks and the Economic Development Corporation are working with the United Nations on a proposal to create an esplanade and greenway connection from East 41st to 51st Streets should the UN’s consolidation plan advance.  Thirdly, plans for creating a waterfront connection through Riverside Park between 83rd and 91st Streets are in the design phase and the City is working to secure remaining capital dollars needed to construct this segment of the path. Fourth, the fully funded West Harlem Piers is expected to be complete in spring 2005. Lastly, the City will build the second phase of Harlem River Park from East 139th to 142nd Street path in next two years, thereby extending the newly completed first phase of the park from 135th to 139th Streets. 

To obtain a hardcopy of the Manhattan Greenway map, New Yorkers can call 311 or download it from the City’s website at www.nyc.gov.







MEDIA CONTACT:


Ed Skyler / Jennifer Falk   (212) 788-2958

Mollie Fullington (Governor)   (212) 681-4640

Megan Sheekey   (Parks)
(212) 360-1311

Tom Cocola   (DOT)
(212) 442-7033




More Resources
See Manhattan's Greenway map
See Manhattan's Greenway brochure
Watch press conference in 56k or 300k