The city plans to add miles of bike and walking lanes in the coming years so New Yorkers have additional transportation and recreation options.
The city Department of Transportation on Wednesday released its Greater Greenways: New York City’s Greenway Plan, a master plan that outlines all the upcoming greenway projects across the five boroughs.
In Brooklyn, major projects include improving the existing greenway on Eastern Parkway, connecting Evergreens Cemetery on the Brooklyn-Queens border to Ocean Parkway, the country's oldest bike path that needs major fixes, connecting southern Queens to Coney Island. Dubbed the Historic Brooklyn Greenway, this 12-mile path would also pass through Broadway Junction.
In addition, the DOT and Department of Design and Construction are currently constructing a portion of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway along the southwest side of Hamilton Avenue and the west side of Third Ave. This project will facilitate safe bicycle and pedestrian connections through an industrial area that is currently inhospitable to those traveling by bike or on foot and will fill a major gap in the greenway. This project also includes expanded sidewalks and new plantings.
Two projects look to upgrade the signed route connecting Cropsey Avenue to the Coney Island Boardwalk. One DOT project proposes on-street improvements including new and improved bicycle connections to Coney Island that would serve as an interim connection, while another project explores ways to build a dedicated bicycle and pedestrian bridge over the Coney Island Creek.
"New Yorkers love their parks and waterfront – and greenways are the way they increasingly reach and enjoy these wonderful spaces,” DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said in a statement. “Unfortunately, for too long, cyclists and pedestrians have mostly found greenways adjacent to the city’s wealthier neighborhoods."
Greenways are inherently cross jurisdictional, weaving between waterfronts, parks and streets, and are maintained by city, state and national agencies. In Brooklyn, there are about 100 miles of greenway, the report said.
The Shore Parkway Promenade and 4th Ave. Entrance project is in the design phase. This project will reconstruct 2.25 miles of the promenade from the American Memorial Veteran’s Pier to the 4th Avenue entrance to the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. The current design emphasizes expanding tree coverage, incorporating lawn areas instead of tree pits to promote healthy tree growth, and increasing site permeability, according to the report.
The city will also look into closing gaps in existing bike paths, including through DUMBO, Red Hook and Sunset Park, the report said. When completed, the 25-mile route along the Brooklyn waterfront will connect over twenty neighborhoods from Greenpoint to Sheepshead Bay.
Further upgrades are planned to better connect the Rockaways in Queens to Brooklyn's Flatbush, Seaview Avenue and Paerdegat Avenues.
The report also outlined the creation of brand new greenways that included a possible path alongside the Interborough Express (IBX), the light rail system currently being developed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
"The IBX route and project also provides a unique opportunity to incorporate a greenway along the same footprint," which would connect Jackson Heights and Sunset Park, the report said.
“There’s no better, safer, greener way to get around NYC than on a bike or by foot, surrounded by trees and with views of the water,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Jeff Roth.
