All photos courtesy of DDC
City officials on Thursday celebrated the opening of new public spaces in East River Park, just in time for summer. Closed since 2021 as part of the project to protect the Lower East Side from rising sea levels, the south end of the park’s new amenities include picnic and barbecue areas, six tennis courts, two basketball courts, a passive lawn, a nature exploration area, and a multi-use area. These areas are currently only accessible via the new Delancey Street pedestrian bridge.
East River Park is being built 8 to 10 feet higher than the original park to conceal a floodwall under the city’s ongoing East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (ESCR). Additional sections of East River Park and nearby Corlears Hook Park are expected to open in August, along with the replacement of four bridges to improve access to the park.
Much of the park’s southern end closed in late 2021, when the city’s Department of Design and Construction (DDC) began work on the $1.45 billion ESCR. The initiative includes a 2.4-mile-long flood barrier stretching from Montgomery Street to Asser Levy Playground on East 25th Street.
Roughly 600 new trees have been planted across the reopened sections so far, along with more than 21,000 shrubs, grasses, and perennials.
“Today marks another important step forward in protecting and revitalizing our city’s waterfront. The newly opened section of East River Park—featuring basketball and tennis courts, picnic areas, and hundreds of new trees—shows what’s possible when we invest in both resilience and recreation,” Mayor Eric Adams said.
“As part of the historic East Side Coastal Resiliency project, we’re not just building infrastructure, we’re creating a greener, safer, and more accessible future for the East Side.”
Thursday’s opening will soon be followed by new closures on the park’s northern end to allow ESCR work to continue. Under an agreement with the community, DDC pledged to keep at least 42 percent of the park open at all times.
The entire project is expected to be completed in early 2027.
As part of the ESCR, the city is installing raised parkland, floodwalls, berms, and 18 swinging or sliding flood gates to form a continuous line of protection against sea level rise and increasingly severe coastal storms caused by climate change.
In February 2022, the city installed the project’s first floodgate, which measured 42 feet long, 10 feet high, and weighed 32,000 pounds.
The project also aims to improve waterfront access by reconstructing bridges and entry points, while upgrading existing sewer systems to better capture and manage stormwater runoff.
“Opening large sections of the new East River Park represents a major milestone in the generational work to create a more resilient New York City,” DEP Deputy Commissioner for Coastal Resiliency Laurian Farrell said.
“This critical project will not only protect the vulnerable Lower East Side of Manhattan from future coastal storms, it is also doing double duty as beautiful recreational space that is sorely needed for the neighborhood.”
To support the community while the ESCR is underway, NYC Parks has upgraded nearby parks and open spaces and planted over 1,300 trees. The ESCR will also bring more than 1,800 new trees to East River Park, including 50 different species chosen for their diversity and resilience.
Additionally, Parks and the NYC Economic Development Corporation have transformed Pier 42, located near the southern end of the ESCR, into a new waterfront open space. The revamped pier now features a recreation deck with a soccer field, tennis courts, half-basketball courts, adult fitness equipment, and picnic tables. A new upland park includes a playground, public restroom building, open lawns, and a dedicated bike path.
The Corlears Hook and East 10th Street bridges will also be replaced with gently sloping entryways designed to improve accessibility for all New Yorkers. The Houston Street entrance will also be rebuilt as an at-grade entry from the park to the street.
In September, the city reopened Ballfields 1 and 2 at East River Park with an advanced drainage system and upgraded amenities designed to withstand climate impacts, and also unveiled a new Delancey Street pedestrian bridge to improve park access. The $32 million, 215-foot-long bridge was manufactured in Italy and assembled in the park in just one evening.
RELATED:
Get Insider Updates with Our Newsletter!
Source link
