Park access shifts again: What's open and closed in East River Park starting Memorial Day as constructions moves to the north

Demolition work at East River Park is moving north. 

Starting Tuesday, the East 10th Street pedestrian bridge will close, along with the adjacent playground, BBQ area, and basketball courts — marking the next phase of park shutdowns tied to the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) Project. 

In addition, the northern esplanade with access to Stuyvesant Cove Park (through 18th Street) will be shut down. Officials offered no alternative route. (Photos below by Robert Miner.)

Here's the community advisory on these closures ...

Field 6 will remain open until July 1... and by the end of the summer, the track located off of the Sixth Street pedestrian bridge will shut down, at which point the complete north end of East River Park will be shuttered. When this takes place, East Village-based park-goers must head south to access any East River Park amenities.

This PDF provides more background on the timing. 

However, with the closures, several refurbished East River Park areas around the Williamsburg Bridge will reopen on Memorial Day, including the south tennis courts. 

The city has said it would maintain public access to at least 42% of the park throughout construction, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. 

The "phased work operations" in East River Park began in November 2021 in Project Area 1 between Montgomery Street and 15th Street. Workers have been burying the park under fill and cutting down hundreds of trees as part of the billion-dollar-plus ESCR. They are elevating the land 8 to 10 feet above sea level to protect the area from future storm surges.