Bike Month: Construction Begins at Harlem River Greenway in The Bronx

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
More than four lane miles of Greenway bike lanes.
New pedestrian space to be installed in 2025.
The new Greenway will help better connect bronzes 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

(00:21):
across the five boroughs. The city will install more than
four lane miles of on St. protected bike lanes to begin
quickly building out the Harlem River Greenway in the Bronx,
with the first project already completed in the High Bridge
neighborhood of the borough and construction underway on a new
waterfront park in the South Bronx called Lower Concourse

(00:43):
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
Bronze it's to their waterfront with new open space and bike
routes. Construction follows 2 years of
Greenway planning that concludedthis April and will be
summarized in the ImplementationPlan report to be released in

(01:05):
the coming months. Over the course of the planning
process, NYC dot spoke with hundreds of community members in
both English and Spanish. Both had three rounds of
workshops and tabling at over 30community events.
NYC dot announced Wednesday it had completed its 1st 2025

(01:25):
Greenway project along the DepotPlace and Exterior St. ramp in
Highbridge. The project provides a critical
connection for cyclists and pedestrians to crossover the
Major Deegan 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

(01:49):
lane as well as new pedestrian space.
Depot places the only waterfrontaccess 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 bycar.
Protected bike lanes reduce pedestrian deaths and serious

(02:12):
injuries by 29.2%. The safety benefits are even
greater for senior aged pedestrians, reducing deaths and
serious injuries among these road users by 39%.
Wednesday S announcement also marks the start of NYC dot S
implementation season for St. redesign and safety projects

(02:33):
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

(02:56):
Additional Harlem River Greenwayprojects that will be completed
this year are listed below. Each of these projects are near
term Greenway designs that couldbe upgraded with longer term
capital improvements that build out painted lanes with more
permanent materials. Van Cortlandt Park South and
Bailey Ave. Cycling and pedestrian
connections 0.5 miles NYC dot will implement A dramatic

(03:21):
intersection redesign of Van Cortlandt Park South and Bailey
Ave. 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 pedestrianspace to naturally slow turning

(03:44):
vehicles and improve safety. Once a project that would take
years, if not decades, through acapital redesign process, NYC
dot S recently expanded concreteresources will allow the agency
to deliver this large scale upgrade in house this year.
Bailey Ave. protected 2 way bikelane 1.8 miles NYC dot will

(04:08):
install new pedestrian islands, redesigned intersections and a
two way bike path on the West side of Bailey Ave. from Van
Cortland Park South and West 225St.
West 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.

(04:30):
With 18 serious injuries and twofatalities between 2020 and
2024, the project stems from community requests to address
dangerous speeding and cyclist safety on the corridor.
Exterior St. Two way bike path 0.8 miles.
NYC dot will add a barrier protected 2 way bike lane on a

(04:52):
southern portion of Exterior Street from the 145th St.
Bridge to the Madison Ave. Bridge.
This project will add a bike lane on the closest continuous
St. to the river while improvingaccess to the Madison Ave.
Bridge toward Manhattan and creating a new connection to the
new Lower Concourse Park. Lower Concourse Park 2.3 acres

(05:13):
Later this year, the NYCEDC 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 St., bringing
infrastructure upgrades and muchneeded open green space and
waterfront access to South Bronxcommunities.

(05:38):
The park is one key part of the city's 194,000,000 Lower
Concourse Infrastructure Plan, ahistoric 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 Blvd. two way bike lane

(06:00):
1.2 miles NYC dot will install new pedestrian islands,
redesigned intersections and a two way bike path on Bruckner
Blvd. from Lincoln Ave. to Cypress Place to fill a Greenway
gap and enhance safety for school children accessing 2
schools along the corridor. Dream Charter School and the
South Bronx Charter School for International Culture and the

(06:24):
Arts Willow Ave. two way bike path 0.05 miles.
NYC dot will add a short two waybike path on Willow Ave. between
E 133rd St. and E 132nd St. to help connect cyclists from
Bruckner Blvd. to Randall S Island.