MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) -- Visitors and neighbors want to know what’s happening to a well-known pathway in Manhattan along the East River.
A detour redirects pedestrians and cyclists when they arrive at an area between East 71st and 78th streets. People have to travel seven blocks on York Avenue. It has been in place for about four years.
Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) is building a new tower over the FDR Drive at the point of closure. The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation also has to repair sinkholes in the area.
Friends of the East River Esplanade have been advocating for two decades to bring attention and improvements to the entire stretch.
Jennifer Ratner founded the group, and she wants more from the hospital and city.
“It makes me really angry when I see this. Waterfront parks are contiguous like the West Side and Brooklyn. This has cut it off for four springs and summers. I’ve asked them many times to do something at the entrance. At night, it’s scary,” Ratner said.
The parks department is creating new signs to navigate the detour.
“We remain committed to growing greenways: through our Vital Parks for All plan, there is an investment of more than $1 billion by Parks and City agency partners to meet the growing demand for biking and walking connections that link parks to one another and to business districts, improving livability, health, and the environment in disadvantaged communities across the five boroughs,” wrote the spokesperson in an email to PIX11 News.
HSS expects to finish construction this fall and open the new facility for patients in the first half of 2026.
“In conjunction with the construction of the Kellen Tower, HSS is planning a beautification project of the East River Esplanade from 72nd to 78th streets, including new pavers, landscaping, and an area for exercise equipment,” wrote Melissa Kiefer, HSS vice president for Project Development, Planning, Design, and Construction.
HSS work on the esplanade is scheduled to begin this summer and to be completed in spring of 2026, “pending the progress of the Parks project that has overlapping areas of improvement work,” Kiefer added.
Ratner wants to see improvements this year.
“HSS used the esplanade for free, and it needs to do the work. Parks has said it would do infrastructure work for years, but hasn't. Signage is not enough,” Ratner said.
The elevated path runs in sections from Lower Manhattan to Harlem. In 2023, a major new area of parkland opened in Midtown.
Parts of the uptown section have been closed for repairs.
English (US) ·