East River Park north of Houston Street now closed until the end of 2026

Photos from Aug. 31

Starting today, the Sixth Street overpass, the last access from the East Village to East River Park, will close.

The shutdown means the three East Village access points to the park, at Houston, Sixth and 10th streets, will all be sealed off. The closure also takes away the track and field area, the outdoor gym, as well as the esplanade off the Sixth Street Overpass, which will be demolished at a later date. 

Residents will not have access to this section of East River Park until the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (ESCR) wraps up, which the city says will be by the end of 2026.

The running track, rebuilt in 2017-18 during a $2.8 million renovation, is among the facilities now off-limits. And say goodbye to the trees along the Sixth Street entrance: they will be cut down as part of this phase of the work.

This marks the latest milestone in the city's phased plan. The southern half of East River Park closed in late 2021, and sections have been reopening in stages.

The rebuilt Delancey Street pedestrian bridge reopened last September, along with East River Park Ballfields 1 and 2. Other amenities returned to areas just north and south of the Williamsburg Bridge on Memorial Day.

And this past Friday marked the opening of the new Corlears Hook Pedestrian Bridge. This return also comes with several new East River Park Phase 1 amenities: the flagpole area at Corlears Hook Park, six additional tennis courts, an amphitheater (of sorts), an esplanade with seating areas, and direct access to Pier 42 and the Corlears Hook ferry. (We will post a few photos later this week.)

Meanwhile, in the East River Park area near the East Village, the 10th Street pedestrian bridge access closed on May 27. Later, workers demolished the bridge overnight in July, which prompted partial shutdowns of the FDR.

And the tree-less view of the area once accessible via 10th Street...

The city has stated that it will maintain public access to at least 42% of the park throughout construction.

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