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/rib...posed-across-hudson-and-east-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/nyregion/floating-pool-swimming-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-greenway-andrew-haswell-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/designcommission/downloads/pdf/04-15-2024-pres-EDC-DPR-p-ERE-107Pier.pdf



https://www.nyc.gov/assets/designcommiss...5-2024-pres-EDC-DPR-c-ERE-107pierArt.pdf

[NYguy]

Technically not the East River (which technically isn't a river)



https://www.6sqft.com/new-york-liberty-a...art-80m-practice-facility-in-greenpoint/

New York Liberty unveil state-of-the-art $80M practice facility in Greenpoint









By Devin Gannon
March 27, 2025

The New York Liberty’s new practice facility is fit for champions. The reigning WNBA champs on Thursday unveiled plans for an $80 million state-of-the-art training building on the waterfront in Greenpoint. Designed by Populous, the design team behind the Sphere in Las Vegas, the 75,000-square-foot facility will be one of the few dedicated practice spaces for a WNBA team and the first to be designed with insight from players.

Just three WNBA teams had dedicated facilities last season, but more franchises have announced plans to build better practice spaces. Since buying the Liberty in 2019, Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, also minority owners of the Nets, promised to invest in the team, first and foremost by bringing them to Brooklyn after the team played at the Westchester County Center in White Plains.

https://liberty.wnba.com/news/new-york-l...of-the-art-practice-facility-in-brooklyn

New York Liberty Announce Dedicated State-of-the-Art Practice Facility in Brooklyn
New York to Build 75,000 Sq. Ft. Facility in Greenpoint, Brooklyn – Designed by Players, For Players


Mar 27, 2025

The reigning WNBA Champion New York Liberty today announced that the team will build an $80-million-dollar state-of-the-art practice facility, spanning 75,000 square-feet, located in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, on Newtown Creek and overlooking Manhattan’s iconic skyline. Projected to open in 2027, the Liberty’s training center underscores the organization’s dedication to providing its world-class players with unparalleled year-round resources that produce championship results and sustained success, developing groundbreaking investments throughout Brooklyn, and enabling community opportunities.

“We are a player-first organization and investing in health and wellness has always been a priority for us. The New York Liberty deserve a facility of their own: one that reflects their tremendous talent, work ethic, and ambition,” said Clara Wu Tsai, Governor of the New York Liberty. “This facility is a sign of our commitment to the team, to the city of New York, and to the advancement of women’s sports.”

The facility construction costs will be fully-funded by the Liberty’s ownership group – further solidifying the team’s commitment and investment to its home borough. The new facility will also include additional opportunities for community engagement, expanding the team’s impact in Brooklyn and throughout New York City.

The New York Liberty continue to ensure player insights are woven in across the organization. Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, and Breanna Stewart, on behalf of the Liberty players, collaborated with leading global design firm, Populous, to provide insights that are unique to women, optimize player performance and best accommodate their multi-faceted lifestyles. As the first-ever facility “designed by players, for players,” the New York Liberty practice facility will include elements derived by athlete insights:

-Revolutionary locker room concept – in lieu of traditional lockers, surrounding the player lounge area, each player will have their own private suite, equipped with a full height wardrobe and sneaker storage, a vanity with face-illuminating mirrors and lighting, and a seven-foot daybed for lounging and recovery.

-Two full practice courts equipped with remote cameras and data tracking technology, as well as multi video displays for on-court film review.
Outdoor basketball court that allows for easy player access to visit and participate in clinics and to interact with the community. The Liberty are committed to growing the Brooklyn Basketball program that they and the Brooklyn Nets together support, empowering the next generation of young girls and boys.

-Roof deck player dining area featuring indoor and outdoor seating with skyline views and in-house private chefs to provide an elevated dining experience.

-Indoor and outdoor two-story strength training room allowing players and the team’s performance staff to create dynamic programming through its uniquely crafted, spacious layout including a cardio balcony deck overlooking the practice courts.

-Full recovery suite featuring steam, sauna, massage rooms and a range of the latest in rehab and recovery technologies, including hydrotherapy, hyperbaric chamber, infrared, and red-light therapy.

-In-house player hair, nail, and makeup studio ensuring players can book appointments amidst their busy schedules.

-Two private family lounges including separate family and nursery areas.

Additional key Liberty practice facility features will include a rooftop patio and lounge area, a broadcast and podcast studio, a dedicated media workroom, and three floors of office space for the Liberty’s growing front office staff. As a dedication to its fan base, the Liberty will also build a fan-facing immersive experience, hospitality, and a retail storefront.

The facility will pay homage to Brooklyn’s history, while looking ahead to the future. The preexisting structure, a four-story former lightbulb factory, will bring authentic character to the staff offices, dining, and administrative spaces by highlighting original exposed brick, wood flooring, and wood beams. A newly constructed 40,000 sq. ft., two story extension, will predominantly focus on the players amenities, including the locker room, training room, weight room, roof decks, recovery suite, and practice courts.

[Busy Bee]

Kind of a weird waste of land considering it's a prime location for highrise residential. Zoning limitation because of the (G) subway tunnels?

[NYguy]

https://www.6sqft.com/east-river-park-se...assive-lawn-courts-and-flood-protection/

East River Park section reopens with new passive lawn, picnic areas, and courts





By Aaron Ginsburg
May 30, 2025

City officials on Thursday celebrated the opening of new public spaces in East River Park, just in time for summer. Closed since 2021 as part of the project to protect the Lower East Side from rising sea levels, the south end of the park’s new amenities include picnic and barbecue areas, six tennis courts, two basketball courts, a passive lawn, a nature exploration area, and a multi-use area. These areas are currently only accessible via the new Delancey Street pedestrian bridge.

East River Park is being built 8 to 10 feet higher than the original park to conceal a floodwall under the city’s ongoing East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (ESCR). Additional sections of East River Park and nearby Corlears Hook Park are expected to open in August, along with the replacement of four bridges to improve access to the park.

Much of the park’s southern end closed in late 2021, when the city’s Department of Design and Construction (DDC) began work on the $1.45 billion ESCR. The initiative includes a 2.4-mile-long flood barrier stretching from Montgomery Street to Asser Levy Playground on East 25th Street.

Roughly 600 new trees have been planted across the reopened sections so far, along with more than 21,000 shrubs, grasses, and perennials.

Thursday’s opening will soon be followed by new closures on the park’s northern end to allow ESCR work to continue. Under an agreement with the community, DDC pledged to keep at least 42 percent of the park open at all times.

The entire project is expected to be completed in early 2027.

As part of the ESCR, the city is installing raised parkland, floodwalls, berms, and 18 swinging or sliding flood gates to form a continuous line of protection against sea level rise and increasingly severe coastal storms caused by climate change.

In February 2022, the city installed the project’s first floodgate, which measured 42 feet long, 10 feet high, and weighed 32,000 pounds.

[NYguy]

I haven't biked over here in few years, I'll have to see how I like the changes, but it looks great.



https://afasiaarchzine.com/2025/05/the-big-u-east-river-park-new-york-big/

[NYguy]

https://www.tribecatrib.com/content/towering-and-immersive-titanic-experience-pitched-seaport

Towering and Immersive, a Titanic 'Experience' Is Pitched for the Seaport






Carl Glassman
06/03/25

A Titanic experience at the Seaport?

That’s the aim of a group of descendants of the famed fated voyage who have organized an effort to erect a 12-story “one-of-a-kind city attraction” on Pier 16. As yet undesigned and unfunded, the ambitious project, called Beacon of Hope, would be a towering tourist attraction in the form of a futuristic lighthouse. “From construction to discovery,” it would tell the story of the ship as visitors ascend the structure, leaning heavily on virtual reality and other “immersion” technology rather than museum-style artifacts.

“It’s a timeless story about bravery and sacrifice and one that only descendants can tell,” Adrian Saker, president of the non-profit Titanic New York, told Community Board 1’s Waterfront, Parks and Cultural Committee during a presentation last month.

It would also be a big commercial draw to the Seaport, he said, noting that Titanic Belfast drew 800,000 visitors in 2023. (The Titanic was built in Belfast.) “You can see the profits there,” he said.

Saker, who is not a descendant, said he was looking for CB1 support as a first step in gaining political backing for the estimated $39 million project and, eventually, the investors to fund it. The design would emerge from a competition.

“Many other cities in the world have created stunning pieces of architecture on their waterfronts, and there’s an opportunity here in the Seaport to do that,” Saker said.

Although rescued survivors aboard the Carpathia disembarked at Pier 54 on the West Side (where there is a commemorative plaque), Saker insisted that the proposed Titanic lighthouse belongs at the Seaport because “historically there was a lighthouse there,” referring to the Coenties Slip tower.

Saker’s group proposes that the beacon-topped tower be included in a future redo of Pier 16 as part of the FiDi and Seaport Climate Resilience Plan.

The committee was not enthusiastic about a towering addition to the Seaport. “Lukewarm at best,” is the way that committee chair Paul Goldstein later put it.

“It strikes me as a theme park that we would be approving on the waterfront that is celebrating the sinking of a ship over a hundred years ago,” said Richard Corman.

Fellow committee member Jess Coleman said he liked the idea as a concept but “if you came to us with something that was more modest, more open to the public, I think there’d be a better reception.”

Saker later told the Trib over the phone that his group will be addressing some of the questions raised by the committee, “but initially we’re going to go forward and look for sponsorships and funding and business partners to develop this project.”