Pedestrians and Cyclists Get Room to Breathe on South Street

The completion of the boardwalk to the left has opened up room for pedestrians and cyclists... Photo: David Meyer
The completion of the boardwalk to the left has opened up room for pedestrians and cyclists... Photo: David Meyer

The pace is slow, but the city is making progress on the East River greenway in Lower Manhattan.

The South Street section of the greenway, a project of NYC EDC, has been under construction for the better part of the last decade. Phase one wrapped up between Wall Street and Maiden Lane in 2011, followed by subsequent projects between Wall Street and Broad Street and between Pike Street and Pier 35 that opened in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

For at least the past few years, crews have been working on an esplanade just north of the old Fulton Fish Market, and during construction people walking and biking had to squeeze into a narrow, poorly paved shared path. Now that work has wrapped up, giving people on foot direct access to the waterfront and giving cyclists a smooth, dedicated two-way path.

...while the boardwalk was under construction, people walking and biking had to share this narrow path. Photo: Jon Orcutt
…while the boardwalk was under construction, people walking and biking had to share this narrow path. Photo: Jon Orcutt

South of the new promenade, cyclists and pedestrians still share a makeshift path around the old Fulton Fish Market, known as the Tin Building, which is being redeveloped by the Howard Hughes Corp.

Cyclists and pedestrians must share this narrow, unpaved path shoved between construction to the east and a massive parking lot to the west. Photo: David Meyer
Cyclists and pedestrians must share this narrow, unpaved path shoved between construction to the east and a massive parking lot to the west. Photo: David Meyer

Here are some more photos of the new esplanade and unencumbered bike path, courtesy of Streetsblog reader William Farrell:

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