NEW YORK | New East River access

[SkyHigher]

wow but 3 bridges that look the same?? jersey to manhattan should be done first imo.

i can't workout from the description of how the lower manhattan one will work? can someone draw it on a map? it just sounds weird!

[SkyHigher]

Here we go.

‘Ribbon Bridge’ Concepts for Cyclists and Pedestrians Proposed Across Hudson and East Rivers
https://www.newyorkyimby.com/2020/07...st-rivers.html







I hope at least they are all unique in someway! Oh and 100 million each?? Pffffft yeh and the rest!

[phoenixboi08]

Originally Posted by SkyHigher

Here we go.

I hope at least they are all unique in someway! Oh and 100 million each?? Pffffft yeh and the rest!

...wouldn't it simply be more practical to repurpose all of the existing bridges (and possibly tunnels)?

[Crawford]

Existing tunnels and bridges are relatively narrow, and couldn't accommodate large expansions of walkways/bikeways, without reducing vehicle traffic to one lane in each direction. I wouldn't mind such a scenario, but I doubt it's feasible.

There have been no new bridges or tunnels to Manhattan since the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel was completed. Time for some new roadways, but exclusively bike- and pedestrian-centered.

[phoenixboi08]

Originally Posted by Crawford

Existing tunnels and bridges are relatively narrow, and couldn't accommodate large expansions of walkways/bikeways, without reducing vehicle traffic to one lane in each direction. I wouldn't mind such a scenario, but I doubt it's feasible.

There have been no new bridges or tunnels to Manhattan since the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel was completed. Time for some new roadways, but exclusively bike- and pedestrian-centered.

Removing lanes altogether from the use of private vehicles and/or reconfiguring traffic flow (eg. making some bridges one-way with contraflow, peak lane) is much more likely than building a half-dozen new ped-bike bridges.

The manner in which NYC utilizes streetspace is so wildly inefficient, that I can't help but wonder if people vastly understimate how much space there really is on these bridges.

The tunnels is a bit less of a clear picture, and I could be somewhat persuaded of the need for new trans-Hudson crossings - but it's not exactly an easy thing to do. Still, I can't help but imagine bus (and/or bike) facilities could not be accommodated in tunnels as well.

In any case, virtually no major capital expenses need to be spent to make any major structural changes (besides eventually making changes to any ramps that connect to local streets): it could be done with paint and signage, in the interim.

[urbanflight]

Originally Posted by phoenixboi08

Removing lanes altogether from the use of private vehicles and/or reconfiguring traffic flow (eg. making some bridges one-way with contraflow, peak lane) is much more likely than building a half-dozen new ped-bike bridges.

The manner in which NYC utilizes streetspace is so wildly inefficient, that I can't help but wonder if people vastly understimate how much space there really is on these bridges.

The tunnels is a bit less of a clear picture, and I could be somewhat persuaded of the need for new trans-Hudson crossings - but it's not exactly an easy thing to do. Still, I can't help but imagine bus (and/or bike) facilities could not be accommodated in tunnels as well.

In any case, virtually no major capital expenses need to be spent to make any major structural changes (besides eventually making changes to any ramps that connect to local streets): it could be done with paint and signage, in the interim.

I agree, and I like this illustrating proposal

[SkyHigher]

Yeh I like Phoenix's proposal instead, though be nice to have a NJ to Manhattan crossing finally.

[phoenixboi08]

Originally Posted by urbanflight

I agree, and I like this illustrating proposal

Yeah, I think the entire project is really great! It's getting close to the way I wish advocates would communicate repurposing streetspace to the public.

Originally Posted by SkyHigher

Yeh I like Phoenix's proposal instead, though be nice to have a NJ to Manhattan crossing finally.

It's from Vishaan Chakrabarti's studio, PAU. He used to be the Manhattan director for NYDCP (Department of City Planning)

But yeah...I think at a bare minimum, improving the GW Bridge should be a high priority. I've also always wondered if space could be redistributed in the Lincoln tunnel. But this is why the idea of simply making Manhattan car-free is so appealing: it frees up a lot of existing infrastructure for buses/cyclists while still accommodating freight/services.

[SkyHigher]

Originally Posted by phoenixboi08

Yeah, I think the entire project is really great! It's getting close to the way I wish advocates would communicate repurposing streetspace to the public.



It's from Vishaan Chakrabarti's studio, PAU. He used to be the Manhattan director for NYDCP (Department of City Planning)

But yeah...I think at a bare minimum, improving the GW Bridge should be a high priority. I've also always wondered if space could be redistributed in the Lincoln tunnel. But this is why the idea of simply making Manhattan car-free is so appealing: it frees up a lot of existing infrastructure for buses/cyclists while still accommodating freight/services.

Ah I see. Interesting article. Thanks for the link. Shocking statistics. I hope it will happen.....wonder what the chances are and time line though?!

As I said would love to see a new pedestrian/cycle bridge from Jersey City to Lower Manhattan at some point.

[NYguy]

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/06/n...-new-york.html

Floating East River Pool May Open to Public Next Year Under Hochul Plan
The state and city will provide financing for the project, known as + POOL, as part of a broader initiative meant to encourage New Yorkers to swim.





By Hurubie Meko
Jan. 6, 2024

A plan for a floating, self-filtering pool in the East River may soon become a reality, New York officials said on Friday.

With a $16 million investment from the city and state, the floating pool, an initiative of the group Friends of + POOL, is set to open for testing this summer, with a goal of opening to the public next year, Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a news conference in Central Harlem.

The financing for the unique pool was one of several swimming-related projects that Ms. Hochul, who was joined by Mayor Eric Adams, announced on Friday as part of a broad effort to help “every New Yorker learn how to swim and keep people safe in and around the water.”

The governor said her administration would invest millions of dollars in building new pools around New York, addressing a statewide lifeguard shortage and increasing the amount of swimming instruction available to state residents.

New York City, like many municipalities, has struggled to keep pools and swim programs open in recent years amid a lifeguard shortage. The lack of lifeguards has meant reduced pool capacity, unannounced pool closings, long lines at public pools and the cancellation of free swim lessons.

Last summer, the city entered the swimming season facing its worst lifeguard shortage on record. To attract new lifeguards, officials increased pay and retention bonuses, eased the city’s notoriously difficult swim test and advertised for lifeguards at high schools, job fairs and bus shelters.

A spokeswoman for the city’s parks department said on Friday that it was too early to know whether there would be a lifeguard shortage this summer; qualifying exams began last month and will go through February.

On Friday, Mr. Adams said that building new pools, including + POOL, was vital for communities that have historically been denied access to free public pools, like those where he grew up.

“I had a water hose, and hopefully the fire hydrant was turned on,” he said. “That was my pool.”

The goal is to make + POOL free and open to the public, said Kara Meyer, the managing director of Friends of + POOL, a nonprofit that also runs free swim classes for beginners and other swimming programs.

The project for the self-filtering pool has faced many obstacles because the idea at the heart of it is “so out of the box,” said Mark Levine, the Manhattan borough president. It has been in the planning stages for more than a decade.

But the infusion of money from the state and city, which will allow the project to proceed under newly created safety regulations, creates the potential for similar pools elsewhere in the city in the future, Mr. Levine said.

“The vision is that you could have several — three or four, even — in New York City’s waterways,” he said.

Swimmers crowd into open sections of the Astoria Pool in Queens after sections were closed because of a lack of lifeguards in 2022.

[NYguy]

https://www.6sqft.com/east-midtown-g...ll-park-opens/

East Midtown Greenway opens, with nearly 3 acres of public open space on the waterfront





By Aaron Ginsburg
December 20, 2023

New York City has taken a major step forward in its effort to expand the greenway network. The city’s Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and NYC Parks on Tuesday officially opened the East Midtown Greenway and the second phase of the Andrew Haswell Green Park, delivering nearly three acres of public open space, a new pedestrian walkway, a pedestrian bridge, landscaping, and a separated bike lane stretching from East 53rd Street to East 60th Street along the East River. The $197.6 million investment fills a significant gap in the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway.

The greenway features a 20-foot-wide bikeway and a 20-foot-wide pedestrian zone with a walkway, a planting area, a pedestrian bridge on East 54th Street, and a public art installation created by artist Stacy Levy called “Diatom Lace.”

Andrew Haswell Green Park, which represents roughly $42.6 million of the total investment, includes renovations to the East 60th Street ramp, a new lawn, landscaping, lighting, and an amphitheater with seating, according to Patch.

Designed by Stantec and constructed by Skanska in collaboration with the city, the project expands the East River Esplanade by 1.1 miles. The design phase of the project began in 2017, and work broke ground in 2019.

The opening of the East Midtown Greenway builds upon a larger initiative by the Adams administration to expand the city’s greenway network by 40 miles and bring the total length of greenway corridors to 60 miles. The corridor completes a gap in the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, a continuous 32.5-mile loop around the borough that will connect a network of green spaces with more than 1,000 acres when completed.

“In Manhattan, green space is at a premium; if we have to get creative and add to the island to deliver it, that’s what we’ll do,” Deputy Mayor of Operations Meera Joshi said.

“A crucial component of our broader Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, which piece by piece is delivering a 32.5 mile loop around Manhattan, the Midtown East Greenway and Andrew Haswell Park will welcome more New Yorkers than ever to bike, run and walk with the sun in their faces– and further develop our city’s work-play waterfront.”

In August, Mayor Eric Adams announced that the city had received a $7.25 million federal grant to be put towards the creation of five new greenway corridors in the outer boroughs that will fill in the existing gaps and better serve historically underserved, low-income neighborhoods.

NYC will begin conducting public outreach for its first outer-borough greenway project, the 16-mile Queens Waterfront Greenway, in early 2024. The project will connect Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City to Little Bay Park in College Point.

Other projects include the Harlem River Greenway in the Bronx, a seven-mile continuous walking and biking path that will link Randall’s Island and Van Cortlandt Park. The transformative project aims to reconnect Bronx residents to the Harlem River waterfront, which has been largely inaccessible since the construction of the Major Deegan Expressway in the 1930s. The city has already begun hosting workshops and pop-up engagements for the project.

The Harlem River Greenway will connect to another future project, the South Bronx Greenway, which will span 15 miles from Randall’s Island Park to SUNY Maritime in Fort Schuyler, further expanding Bronxites’ accessibility to waterfront space.

Additional projects include the Historic Brooklyn Greenway, stretching 11 miles from Coney Island to Highland Park, the Staten Island Greenway, spanning 10 miles from the Goethals Bridge to the Verrazzano Bridge, and the Southern Queens Greenway, running seven miles from Spring Creek Park on the Jamaica Bay shoreline to Brookville Park in Springfield Gardens.

Over the next two years, NYC will begin a new implementation plan for each proposed corridor every six months. The city will conduct extensive outreach with local community members where expansions are planned.

[NYguy]

More improvements to the Manhattan connection and 107th St pier...


https://www.nyc.gov/assets/designcom...RE-107Pier.pdf



https://www.nyc.gov/assets/designcom...107pierArt.pdf