New York City’s greenways are undergoing a massive expansion project across five outer borough corridors to improve existing infrastructure and add protected bikeways.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez, NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue, and NYCEDC announced the addition of 40+ miles of greenway to fill gaps in the outer borough network and ease transportation between the five boroughs earlier this week during a press conference.
“This historic expansion of our city’s greenways in Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Staten Island will transform the ways New Yorkers live, work, and get around. And with more New Yorkers biking than ever, it will connect every corner of our city with this safer, greener mode of transportation,” said Mayor Eric Adams.
Specific outer borough corridors were chosen based on but not limited to merits of equity, park access, transportation utility, and economic development. The five selected corridors include: Queens Waterfront Greenway (16 miles), Historic Brooklyn Greenway (12 miles), Staten Island Waterfront Greenway (10 miles), South Bronx Greenway (15 miles), and the Southern Queens Greenway (seven miles). Together, the selected corridors are comprised of 60 miles of new and existing greenway.
“By identifying and expanding our greenway network in an equitable way, we will bring much-needed upgrades to our transportation and open space networks in traditionally underserved areas while also improving the work commutes that many New Yorkers use via greenways,” said NYCEDC President and CEO Kimball.
The entire project will be a collaborative effort between DOT, NYC Parks, and NYCEDC and take years to complete. Progress has already been made on the Harlem River Greenway in the Bronx, whereas planning will start next year for the Queens Waterfront Greenway. Additional implementation plans for the other corridors will occur about every six months for the next two years.
Learn more here.