Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Release #11-51

Contact: Seth Solomonow/Montgomery Dean (212) 839-4850

NYC DOT Launches Online Portal to Gather Community Input on Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway

Online outreach tool to create 14-mile foot and bike path connecting Brooklyn neighborhoods

Third round of public workshops to be held in coming weeks to discuss final route

New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan announced the launch of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway online portal, giving New Yorkers a new and innovative tool to gather community input on this project that will connect neighborhoods from Greenpoint to Sunset Park to each other and to the waterfront via a 14-mile pedestrian and bicycle path. The portal, accessible through the DOT Web site at nyc.gov/dot/projects/greenway, provides an overview of the project, including the progress that has been made so far and upcoming events. Visitors to the portal can comment on any aspect of the project and ask questions about proposed improvements. This information, together with feedback gathered at community workshops, will help shape the Greenway route and make Brooklyn’s waterfront more attractive and inviting. With funding secured by Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez, the project is intended to enhance waterfront access, improve safety and increase recreational opportunities in areas that are currently underused and difficult to access.

“This project is all about opening up the Brooklyn waterfront to the public, and we’re also opening up the planning process to learn what the community wants to see there,” said Commissioner Sadik-Khan. “Together with our workshops, this portal will help as many people as possible participate in creating a greenway that works for everyone.”

“Opening up Brooklyn’s waterfront will mean greater opportunities for all,” said Congresswoman Velázquez. “The new online portal and public workshops will enhance public participation in the planning process, ultimately ensuring the Greenway benefits all the neighborhoods it touches.”

The online portal provides an interactive map visitors can use to explore the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway, view proposed and existing sections of the route, find out where it connects to the rest of Brooklyn’s bicycle network and look at photos of the Greenway’s features. A timeline keeps visitors posted on upcoming meetings and workshops, and information from past meetings is posted for public review. Feedback can be sent through the portal for consideration in the project, providing an opportunity for visitors to play a role in developing the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway and complete route connections. This is the third online portal launched by DOT after similar tools were unveiled this year for the Jackson Heights Neighborhood Transportation Study and the Chinatown Curbside Management Study.

The portal also includes a complete background of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway since a waterfront route was first identified in the Department of City Planning’s Greenway Plan for New York City in 1993. For over a decade, the community-based Brooklyn Greenway Initiative (BGI) worked to make the greenway a reality before the DOT joined the process in 2009 to formalize the community-led initiative.

Last year, in collaboration with BGI and the Regional Plan Association (RPA), DOT hosted two rounds of workshops in neighborhoods along the Greenway route to discuss route planning and route selection. Incorporating feedback from those constructive sessions, a third round of public workshops will be held in four neighborhoods along the proposed route this fall. Dates will be published to the portal and members of the public are invited to attend any of the upcoming workshops to hear DOT’s presentation on a final route and share their input. These meetings will be held in cooperation with BGI and RPA in Greenpoint/Williamsburg, Downtown Brooklyn, Red Hook and Sunset Park.

For more information, visit nyc.gov/dot.

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