Lower Manhattan just got a major waterfront upgrade.
The Battery Bikeway has officially reopened in South Battery Park City following the completion of a massive $221 million flood-resiliency project designed to protect the southern tip of Manhattan from rising sea levels and storm surge.
The newly reopened bikeway offers cyclists a dedicated route with sweeping views of New York Harbor, connecting the Hudson River Greenway to the East River Esplanade along the waterfront.
And while the finished project looks like a beautiful new stretch of public space, there’s much more going on beneath the surface—including flood protection designed to help safeguard Lower Manhattan for decades to come.
🚴🏻 What’s New on the Battery Bikeway? Reconnecting Manhattan’s 31-Mile Loop
The reopening of the bikeway closes a critical gap in New York City’s cycling network. Sweeping through Battery Park City, the path guides cyclists past iconic landmarks—including the Museum of Jewish Heritage and Pier A Plaza—before linking directly with the historic Battery.
- Unrivaled Harbor Views: Offers cyclists, runners, and pedestrians front-row vistas of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the harbor skyline.
- The Missing Link Restored: Completes an uninterrupted 31-mile waterfront greenway encircling the entire island of Manhattan.
- Years in the Making: Replaces long-term detours, reopening sections closed during heavy construction—notably Wagner Park (closed since November 2022) and the Battery connector (closed since October 2023).
📏 Why is everything 10 feet higher?
The bikeway is part of the larger South Battery Park City Resiliency Project, which was designed to protect the neighborhood from flooding and storm surge. One of the most noticeable changes is at nearby Wagner Park, where much of the 3.5-acre park was elevated by 10 feet as part of the project.
The raised landscape helps conceal a floodwall beneath the park’s central lawn, creating a protective barrier without turning the waterfront into a wall of concrete.The project also includes a 63,000-gallon underground cistern, new landscaping, stormwater improvements and other infrastructure designed to better manage heavy rainfall and flooding.
🌳 The Broader Vision: Lower Manhattan’s Multi-Billion-Dollar Climate Shield
The South Battery Park City Resiliency Project is only one piece of the city’s ambitious Lower Manhattan Coastal Resilience (LMCR) initiative—a connected matrix of civil engineering projects designed to shield the financial hub from climate threats.
- East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR): A $1.45 billion flood-mitigation project reshaping 2.4 miles of the East River waterfront with deployable gates and raised parklands.
- Brooklyn Bridge–Montgomery Coastal Resilience (BMCR): Deploys flip-up flood barriers and enhanced pedestrian promenades around the historic bridges.
- South Battery Park City Project: Acts as the critical southwestern anchor of the defense perimeter, shielding low-lying real estate from harbour surge.
After years of construction and a multimillion-dollar investment, New Yorkers can once again ride along the southern tip of Manhattan, take in the harbor views and connect between the Hudson River and East River waterfronts.