Press Releases
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 28, 2025
Contact: (212) 839-4850, press@dot.nyc.gov
Bike Month: NYC DOT Begins Constructing Harlem River Greenway in Bronx
More Than Four Lane Miles of Greenway Bike Lanes, New Pedestrian Space To Be Installed in 2025
The New Greenway Will Help Better Connect Bronxites to Their Waterfront and Connect Van Cortlandt Park to Randall’s Island Park With Public Open Space and Bike Path
Announcement Marks the Start of Project Implementation Season Across the Five Boroughs
Map of near-term Harlem River Greenway projects that NYC DOT will install in 2025. Credit: NYC DOT
NEW YORK –New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez, NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue, and NYC Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Andrew Kimball announced today the city will install more than four lane miles of on-street protected bike lanes to begin quickly building out the Harlem River Greenway in the Bronx, with the first project already completed in the Highbridge neighborhood of the borough and construction underway on a new waterfront park in the South Bronx, called Lower Concourse Park. The projects will be part of a new seven-mile greenway stretching from Van Cortlandt Park to Randall’s Island Park that will help better connect Bronxites to their waterfront with new open space and bike routes. Construction follows two years of greenway planning that concluded this April and will be summarized in the implementation plan report to be released in the coming months. Over the course of the planning process, NYC DOT spoke with hundreds of community members in both English and Spanish, both at three rounds of workshops and tabling at over 30 community events.
“These projects better connect Bronx residents to their waterfront and beautiful parks while also bringing dramatic safety upgrades and establishing new commuting routes for cyclists,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “Each project reflects feedback we’ve received from residents at our workshops and we’re excited to get to work to start quickly building out the greenway, with more upgrades to come.”
“Our city’s greenways and bike paths allow New Yorkers to get fresh air and exercise away from vehicle traffic, connect with other areas of the city, and interact with our incredible parks and greenspaces. The expansion of bike lanes for the Harlem River Greenway is filling important gaps in our biking infrastructure in the outer boroughs, while making the Bronx greener and healthier,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “We’re grateful to NYC DOT and the Adams administration for prioritizing the expansion of our city’s greenway network to ensure all New Yorkers have safe, accessible, and inviting places to bike.”
“The Harlem River Greenway is going to become the next great greenway for New Yorkers and cherished public amenity for the community,” said NYCEDC President & CEO Andrew Kimball. “We look forward to continuing to work alongside our partners at the Department of Transportation and NYC Parks to deliver this long-deserved waterfront access.”
NYC DOT announced Wednesday it had completed its first 2025 greenway project along the Depot Place and Exterior Street ramp in Highbridge. The project provides a critical connection for cyclists and pedestrians to cross over the Major Degan Expressway and Metro-North tracks to access the river waterfront’s Bridge Park and Roberto Clemente State Park. As part of the project, NYC DOT added a barrier protected bike lane as well as new pedestrian space. Depot Place is the only waterfront access point for over a mile in each direction.
Protected bike lanes have shown to improve safety for everyone on the road, whether you’re biking, walking, or traveling by car. Protected bike lanes reduce pedestrian deaths and serious injuries by 29.2 percent. The safety benefits are even greater for senior-aged pedestrians, reducing deaths and serious injuries among these road users by 39 percent.
Wednesday’s announcement also marks the start of NYC DOT’s implementation season for street redesign and safety projects across the five boroughs, which typically begin in the warmer spring weather. The agency is working on projects this year to redesign streets across the city to calm traffic, increase safety, improve traffic flow, and continue to build out the largest bike network in the country.
Harlem River Greenway Projects
Additional Harlem River Greenway projects that will be completed this year are listed below. Each of these projects are “near-term” greenway designs that could be upgraded with longer-term capital improvements that build out painted lanes with more permanent materials.
Van Cortlandt Park South and Bailey Avenue cycling and pedestrian connections (0.5 miles): NYC DOT will implement a dramatic intersection redesign of Van Cortlandt Park South and Bailey Avenue to improve cycling and pedestrian safety as well as connectivity to the cherished Bronx park and to the existing Putnam Trail. As part of the project, NYC DOT is realigning an off-ramp, closing a slip lane, and expanding cycling and pedestrian space to naturally slow turning vehicles and improve safety. Once a project that would take years, if not decades, through a capital redesign process, NYC DOT’s recently expanded concrete resources will allow the agency to deliver this large-scale upgrade in-house this year.
Bailey Avenue protected two-way bike lane (1.8 miles): NYC DOT will install new pedestrian islands, redesigned intersections, and a two-way bike path on the west side of Bailey Avenue, from Van Cortlandt Park South and West 225 St/W Kingsbridge Rd. The project will better connect cyclists and pedestrians to Van Cortland Park from Kingsbridge and Kingsbridge Heights and enhance safety on a truck route with 18 serious injuries and two fatalities between 2020 and 2024. The project stems from community requests to address dangerous speeding and cyclist safety on the corridor.
Exterior Street two-way bike path: (0.8 miles) NYC DOT will add a barrier-protected two-way bike lane on a southern portion of Exterior Street from the 145th Street Bridge to the Madison Avenue Bridge. This project will add a bike lane on the closest continuous street to the river while improving access to the Madison Avenue Bridge toward Manhattan and creating a new connection to the new Lower Concourse Park.
Lower Concourse Park (2.3 acres): Later this year, the NYC EDC and NYC Parks plan to open Lower Concourse Park, a 2.3-acre park that will be located along the Harlem River between 144th and 146th Street bringing infrastructure upgrades and much-needed open green space and waterfront access to South Bronx communities. The park is one key part of the city's $194 million Lower Concourse Infrastructure plan, a historic investment into this portion of the Bronx led by the NYC EDC, and will bring new infrastructure upgrades, make streets safer, and create new connections to the waterfront.
Bruckner Boulevard two-way bike lane (1.2 miles): NYC DOT will install new pedestrian islands, redesigned intersections and a two-way bike path on Bruckner Boulevard, from Lincoln Avenue to Cypress Place to fill a greenway gap and enhance safety for school children accessing two schools along the corridor, DREAM Charter School and the South Bronx Charter School for International Culture and the Arts.
Willow Avenue two-way bike path (0.05 miles): NYC DOT will add a short, two-way bike path on Willow Avenue between East 133rd Street and East 132nd Street to help connect cyclists from Bruckner Boulevard to Randall’s Island.
“I want to thank NYC DOT, NYC Parks, and NYCEDC for their incredible work in cultivating more safe and accessible greenways and waterfront parks to The Bronx. As chair of the Senate Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation, I believe investments in recreation and green spaces are vital for the health and happiness of communities,” said State Senator José Serrano. “This project includes much needed protected bike lanes, new green spaces, and pedestrian-friendly upgrades that will help to reconnect our communities along the Harlem River. I am proud to celebrate this milestone alongside the organizations and my colleagues who are helping build a brighter future for The Bronx!”
“The installation of a new seven-mile greenway from Van Cortlandt Park to Randall’s Island Park is the next exciting chapter of the Harlem River Greenway,” said State Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz. “Not only will it create a continuous cycling and walking path to better connect Bronx residents to our beautiful waterfront, but it will also allow Bronxites to enjoy the entire north-south corridor safely, whether for commuting purposes or recreation.”
“As a long-time transportation advocate, I am excited to see this expansion of the Harlem River Greenway come to fruition for pedestrians, transit users and cyclists,” said Councilmember Pierina Sanchez. “The Bronx has only 6 percent of the city’s bike infrastructure, compared to the 75 percent located in Manhattan and Queens. With additional investment on Bailey Avenue, more Bronxites will be able to walk and ride safely, whether to work, school, or nearby parks. I look forward to full implementation of this ambitious project so we can forge much-needed connections throughout our neighborhoods. This is, and will be, an incredible opportunity for the Bronx.”
“Reconnecting Bronx residents to the Harlem River is a priority for the New York - New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program and the Bronx & Harlem Rivers Urban Waters Federal Partnership,” said Robert Pirani, director of New York - New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program at the Hudson River Foundation. “The Harlem River Greenway - and the implementation actions announced today - will help ensure that families can safely access the wonderful City and State parks and public spaces along its shoreline.”
“This is a landmark moment, the culmination of more than 30 years of unwavering vision and tireless advocacy by community members and advocates,” said Chauncy Young, of the Harlem River Working Group and the NYC Greenway Coalition. “For too long, Bronx communities have been severed from their own waterfront, a historic harm largely inflicted by the era of Robert Moses and his damaging infrastructure projects like the Major Deegan and the Cross Bronx Expressways, projects designed to allow automobiles to travel through our neighborhoods, but also cut off our own neighborhoods from their most vital resources. The Department of Transportation's plan for the Harlem River Greenway is not just about building paths and connecting parks and communities; it's about healing old wounds, restoring access, and reclaiming a vital resource for the people of the Bronx. We celebrate this crucial first step by the Department of Transportation, which begins to rectify these past injustices and fulfill the long-held dream of a continuous, accessible, and vibrant Harlem River waterfront for all. This greenway will provide essential open space, promote healthier lifestyles, and foster a renewed connection to the river that has been denied for generations. We look forward to working with the city and community stakeholders to ensure this vision becomes a fully realized and cherished asset for the Bronx and is part of a larger New York City Greenway Network to provide all New Yorkers a safe and accessible way for families and commuters to enjoy and traverse all of New York City.”
“Residents of the Bronx and across New York have been advocating for a Harlem River Greenway for decades, and we applaud this important milestone in reconnecting the Bronx with its waterfront and starting to repair the harm of previous decades,” said NYC Greenways Coalition Co-Hair Hunter Amstrong. “The NYC Greenways Coalition looks forward to working with NYC DOT and the City of New York to push for implementation of this plan and connecting the Harlem River Greenway to a larger New York City greenway network.”