Effort to bring lighting to East River Park running track gains support from elected officials

The grassroots campaign to bring permanent lighting to the East River Park running track has gained the backing of five local elected officials, who are urging the city to incorporate the improvements into the ongoing East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project. 

In an Oct. 27 letter to Department of Design and Construction Commissioner Paul Ochoa and Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura, Assembly Member Keith Powers, Council Member Harvey Epstein, State Sen. Brian Kavanagh, Assembly Member Grace Lee and Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal expressed their support for the proposal.

As we first reported in March 2025, the grassroots Light the Track campaign has been pushing for lighting that would allow runners and other park users to use the facility safely after dark.

In their letter, the elected officials noted that the track lacked lighting even before the ESCR project began, limiting its use and raising safety concerns. 

"With construction underway and no plans to address the lack of lighting, we believe the city is missing an opportunity to improve the new track and make it safer for track users and parkgoers," the letter states. 

The officials also pointed out that lighting would benefit New Yorkers whose schedules leave them with only early mornings or evenings for recreation. They offered to discuss how their offices could support the project's capital funding needs. 

Jason Froimowitz, organizer of the Light the Track campaign, told EVG the letter represents an important step, though securing funding remains the next hurdle. 

"Now that we have the elected officials' support, our next step is securing dedicated funding commitments in the annual city and/or state budgets," Froimowitz said. "This letter sets a critical foundation for including lighting in that budgeting process." 

Once funding is secured, the Parks Department and Department of Design and Construction would need to issue a change request to incorporate the lighting into the ESCR project. According to Froimowitz, both agencies have previously expressed support for the proposal, provided funding becomes available. 

"We're hopeful this can all come together as a part of the ESCR project," he said. "But depending on timing, we might be looking at a separate capital improvement project." 

Work on the northern section of East River Park is expected to wrap up at the end of 2027.