The entire northern section of East River Park, including the running track, closes on Sept. 8

Beginning Monday, Sept. 8, the entire northern stretch of East River Park, from Houston Street north, will close as crews working on the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (ESCR) continue clearing the land.

The closure means that the three East Village access points to the Park — from Houston, Sixth and 10th streets — will shutter, and all park access, including the track and field area and esplande off of the Sixth Street Overpass, will no longer be available to residents for the duration of the billion-dollar stormproofing, expected to be complete by the end of 2026. 

The 10th Street overpass and access closed on July 13.

The city spent $2.8 million to upgrade the running track off of Sixth Street during a year-long renovation in 2017-18.

Meanwhile, the Corlears Hook Pedestrian Bridge will reopen on Thursday, Sept. 5, reconnecting the Lower East Side to the waterfront via a new overpass. The day will also bring back the flagpole area at Corlears Hook Park, plus a batch of long-awaited East River Park Phase 1 upgrades: six more tennis courts, a new amphitheater, esplanade and seating areas, and direct access to Pier 42 and the Corlears Hook Ferry Terminal. 

This map shows the areas that will be open and closed as of Sept. 8...

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 commenced in November 2021, in Project Area 1, located 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.

Farewell to the old East 10th Street pedestrian bridge

This weekend, workers will begin the months-long demoliton of the 10th Street pedestrian bridge that leads from the East Village to East River Park.

According to community notices, the work begins at 12:01 a.m. Sunday. (Late Saturday night!) 

Per the notices: 

Activities related to the removal of the East 10th Street Bridge will necessitate overnight work. This operation can be disruptive and loud. Because this work includes full and partial FDR Drive closures, we are required to perform it at night to minimize traffic disruptions. Noise, vibration, and air quality monitors are in place. We apologize for the disturbance and thank you for your patience as we make these critical upgrades.  

The bridge, along with the adjacent playground, BBQ area, and basketball courts, closed on May 27 as the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) Project moved north. 

 

Here's a view of the now tree-less area, taken from the still-open section off of the Sixth Street pedestrian bridge.

The Sixth Street section, which includes the running track and a stretch of the walkway along the river, is expected to close at the end of the summer.

Several refurbished East River Park areas around the Williamsburg Bridge reopened on Memorial Day, including the south tennis courts. By the start of fall, East Village-based park-goers must head south to access any East River Park amenities. 

The city has stated that it will 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 commenced in November 2021, in Project Area 1, located 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.

Checking out the newly reopened area of East River Park

On Memorial Day, the city opened parts of the refurbished East River Park a little north and south of the Williamsburg Bridge. 

This marked the first time these areas have been open to the public since demolition work began as part of the $1.45 billion East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (ESCR) in late 2021. 

New amenities in this area include six regulation tennis courts, two basketball courts, picnic and BBQ facilities, water sprinklers, a passive lawn, and a flexible-use space.

The city will officially mark this reopening at 11 a.m. today. Several city leaders and local elected officials are expected to attend, including NYC Deputy Mayor for Operations Jeffrey Roth, DDC Commissioner Thomas Foley, Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue and local City Council Member Carlina Rivera. 

We visited the newly opened section on Monday and found plenty of others doing the same. The BBQ area and tennis courts were mostly full, while the lawn was about half occupied with sunbathers and others enjoying the day's low-70s temperatures. 

Here's a look at this section of East River Park, which is currently accessible only via the new Delancey Street pedestrian bridge...

People we talked with liked the well-tended plantings, BBQ area and brand-new amenities. 

Still, it feels pretty sterile at the moment — especially without much shade (thanks to the hundreds of mature trees that were cut down as workers raised the park eight to 10 feet to help protect against future coastal storms and tidal flooding). 

According to DDC officials, 600 new trees have been planted in areas reopening, along with more than 21,000 new shrubs, grasses, and perennials. (In total, officials say they will eventually plant upwards of 2,000 trees in the new East River Park.) 

You can find some shade in the shadow of the Williamsburg Bridge and the (metal!?) umbrellas in the BBQ area. There are also new drinking fountains...

Here's the area around the former Fireboat House, which remains in place for now...

We were happy to be able to walk under the Williamsburg Bridge again and take in the water views. Still, you can't help but feel a little trapped, as park access is limited in either direction until the whole project reaches its expected completion date in late 2026.

This new space promises to get more crowded soon. The 10th Street pedestrian bridge closed along with those adjacent amenities on Tuesday. By the end of the summer, the complete north end of East River Park will be shuttered for the duration of the project. 

This is the second new area of East River Park to reopen. The adjacent ballfields 1 and 2 debuted last September. 

The folks at East River Park Action, who have advocated for a more resilient flood control plan for East River Park, share their thoughts on the new section in this post.

A look inside the former Fireboat House in East River Park as it faces an uncertain future

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Sitting barren along a tree-less stretch of under-renovation East River Park below the Williamsburg Bridge, the former Fireboat House — most recently home to the Lower East Side Ecology Center — now stands silent and abandoned. 

Built in 1941 for Marine Company 66, the two-story Moderne-style building replaced an earlier fireboat station that had operated off Grand Street since the 19th century.

Inside, it sits in quiet disarray — scattered papers, peeling paint and the faint echo of a place once full of purpose.

It will be the last National Register-eligible structure left in East River Park following the demolition of the Track House and Tennis Center as part of the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project. 

According to an ESCR spokesperson, the Fireboat House is still undergoing a federal review known as the Section 106 process, which is required to ensure that historic buildings or sites are not negatively impacted by construction projects. 

Currently, city agencies — including the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Design and Construction, and the Parks Department — are reviewing feedback received from groups involved in the process. Once those responses are finalized, they'll be shared with everyone involved, the spokesperson said via email. (The LES Ecology Center will be housed further south in East River Park.)

Although its future use remains uncertain, there is hope that this resilient structure might be spared.

The new Delancey Street pedestrian bridge reopens today

Photo last week by William Klayer 

The new Delancey Street pedestrian bridge is back in service starting today. [Updated: We walked across it. Photos here.]

The city also announced that East River Park Ballfields 1 and 2 are now available for "permitted and open play." 

Also, notably: "The bridge will provide access to Ballfields 1 & 2 only, with no outlet to other areas of the park. Please note there is no water service on-site, so plan accordingly to bring your own supply."

The bridge is also only open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., so there are no night games on those fields, which are surrounded by an active construction zone, as the map on the Community advisory below shows...

Crews installed the new bridge, one of the new access points for East River Park, overnight on June 8. (The previous bridge was removed in early 2022.) According to the City Department of Design and Construction, the 215-foot-long bridge weighs 125 tons (much larger than the previous one) and is fully ADA-accessible. 

It's nice to see a little progress, as nearly three years in, much of the 57.5-acre park looks like a barren wasteland — especially below the Williamsburg Bridge.

 

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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 many trees as part of the billion-dollar-plus East Side Coastal Resiliency project. They are elevating the land 8 to 10 feet above sea level to protect the area from future storm surges. 

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

You can find more updates and construction notices at this link.

Building the ramp to the new Delancey Street pedestrian bridge

EVG regular William Klater shared this photo from yesterday morning, which shows the ramp to the new Delancey Street pedestrian bridge under construction.

Crews installed the new bridge, one of the new access points for East River Park, overnight on June 8. (The previous bridge was removed in early 2022.) 

According to a City Department of Design and Construction spokesperson, the 215-foot-long bridge weighs 125 tons (much larger than the previous one) and is fully ADA-accessible. 

There's a partial-lane closure this week on the FDR from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. while work continues. It is expected to be ready for pedestrians early next month. 

Here's a video from June showing workers assembling the new bridge...

  

The "phased work operations" in East River Park began in November 2021 in Project Area 1 between Montgomery Street and 15th Street. As part of the billion-dollar-plus East Side Coastal Resiliency project, workers have been burying the 57.5-acre park under fill and cutting down many trees. They are elevating the land 8 to 10 feet above sea level to protect the area from future storm surges. 

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

You can find the latest updates and notifications at this link.

Take a look at the all-new Delancey Street Pedestrian Bridge

From a distance, the only thing seemingly happening with East River Park's ongoing demolition and reconstruction is just more scorched earth and downed trees.

However, in a noticeable sign of progress, crews installed the new Delancey Street Pedestrian Bridge, one of the new access points for East River Park. (The previous bridge was removed in early 2022.) 

Work took place late this past Saturday night. (Both sides of the FDR were closed overnight from Exit 2, the Brooklyn Bridge, to Exit 5, Houston Street and the Williamsburg Bridge.)

According to a City Department of Design and Construction spokesperson, the $32-million bridge weighs 125 tons (much larger than the previous one) and is fully ADA-accessible. 

The 215-foot-long bridge was manufactured in Italy, assembled at the project site, and then installed by crane. It is expected to open for use by Sept. 1. 

Here's a look at the bridge installation action from late Saturday (pics courtesy of the DDC)...

A second bridge will be installed at Corlears Hook later this summer. 

The "phased work operations" began in November 2021 in Project Area 1 between Montgomery Street and 15th Street. As part of the billion-dollar-plus East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project, workers have been burying the 57.5-acre park under fill and cutting down trees. They are elevating the land 8 to 10 feet above sea level to protect the area from future storm surges. 

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

The DOT wants your feedback on the future of East River Park waterfront access

The following invite is via the Department of Transportation about a public meeting this coming Monday evening...

We are writing to invite you to join us at East Village/Lower East Side Waterfront Access Study's upcoming Community Workshop #3. The study is evaluating opportunities for improvements in the FDR Drive corridor from Montgomery to 14th Street considering mobility, circulation, safety, accessibility, open space, environment, resilience, and stormwater management. 

The workshop will be held at the Lower Eastside Girls Club, Baker Hall, 402 E. Eighth St. near Avenue D, on Monday, Oct. 23, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. 

At the meeting, you'll have the opportunity to share your feedback on improvement concepts for Montgomery St., Jackson St., Delancey St., Houston St., and E. Sixth St. along the FDR Drive corridor.

You can register for the workshop here. 

East River Park is currently being gutted as part of the $1.45 billion East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project, estimated to be completed by the end of 2026.

Despite hazardous air quality, ESCR work continued this past Wednesday afternoon

Photos and video by Marcella Durand

This past Wednesday afternoon, as smoke from wildfires in eastern Canada settled over NYC and the rest of the Northeast, the Air Quality Index here reached 484 — the worst in city history and the world on that day.

Despite the level that officials labeled as "hazardous," work continued on the $1.45 billion East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) Project in East River Park... with the machinery's black smoke mixing into the yellow-orange haze...

 

The Department of Design and Construction (DDC) eventually shut down the site later in the day.

"Health and safety is the number one priority to the DDC. Due to the Canadian wildfire smoke effects in the area, DDC has halted late work shifts for [June 7] and suspended work for [June 8]. The City will monitor the conditions as the week progresses," the community construction liaison told a concerned nearby resident after 5 p.m.

An ESCR fact sheet on air quality monitoring (PDF here) states there is an Action Level for air pollution and that "[i]f it is determined that the construction is not meeting the standards set by oversight agencies, work will be halted and further assessed to assure protection to residents and park users."

ESCR watchers said that this "could be interpreted as only taking action if the construction itself causes the air pollution" and not necessarily from, say, wildfires. 

Meanwhile, ICYMI: The DDC has pushed back the timetable for completing vital elements of the project. Officials revealed the new schedule during an East Side Coastal Resiliency Community Advisory Group meeting on May 25. (A video of the meeting is here.) 

According to the presentation (deck here), officials moved the work's completion date south of Grand Street from this summer to June 2024... while work between Grand and Stanton changed from 2024 to early 2025.

As Hellgate reported in its coverage of the meeting: 

DDC staffers explained that the delay on these sections, which are currently closed off to the public, is due to a reallocation of construction efforts to the large section south of Houston Street, where massive floodwater conveyance systems are now being buried underground. Soon, they say, they'll begin to infill the land in that section, and raise the park between eight and ten feet, before reconstructing it entirely.

Despite the delays, officials said they'll still hit their end-of-2026 completion date.

The "phased work operations" began in November 2021 in Project Area 1 between Montgomery Street and 15th Street.

Workers have been burying the 57.5-acre park under fill, cutting down trees and elevating the land by 8-to-10 feet above sea level to protect the area from future storm surges. The city has said they will maintain public access to at least 42% of the park throughout construction. 

Residents still have access to the park via the FDR overpasses on 10th Street and Sixth Street and the north ramp at Houston.  

Workers demolish the south ramp to East River Park at Houston Street

Photos by William Klayer

The demolition/reconstruction of East River Park continues its northern march. Most recently workers have demolished the south ramp at the Houston Street overpass...

The north ramp remains open for park access. 

And here's a look at the work to date... with what looks like nearly half of the park closed down and gutted...

This is part of the $1.45 billion East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project. Workers have been burying the 57.5-acre park under fill, cutting down trees and will eventually elevate the land by 8-to-10 feet above sea level to protect the area from future storm surges. The city has said they will maintain public access to a minimum of 42 percent of the park throughout construction, which is expected to be complete by the end of 2026. 

The "phased work operations" began in November 2021 in Project Area 1 between Montgomery Street and 15th Street.

Last week, CB3's Parks, Recreation, Waterfront, & Resiliency Committee received an update on the project. You can find a PDF of the presentation here.