Yikes: East River Greenway At 72nd Street

Marine Borers (worm termite things) have been munching away on the wooden pilings (that support the platform on which the East River Greenway and the FDR Drive sit) for at least a decade. The city has been aware of the infestation since at least 2000 and is only finally addressing it today. Emergency repairs have been underway near E. 53rd Street since January 2010 and work to deal with the rest of the area is scheduled to begin in January 2011 and continue until November 2014. (See the NYC DOT's 2009 Bridges and Tunnels Annual Condition Report.)



Why was an East River Esplanade Task Force made up of all our Upper East Side Politicians (Council Member Jessica Lappin, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Senator Liz Krueger, Senator Jose M. Serrano, Assembly Member Jonathan L. Bing, Assembly Member Micah Z. Kellner and Council Member Daniel R. Garodnick) formed in March 2010 to " to assess the damage to the esplanade, estimate the cost of repairs, secure funding sources and develop a timeframe” for fixing the East River Greenway (see March 31, 2010 letter from Jessica Lappin and Carolyn Maloney to NYC Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe) when all this was already done and THEY KNEW IT.

Why wasn’t the public informed that according to the NYC DOT, a red flag condition (one with potentially serious danger to life and public safety) existed and that the failure of these worm termite eaten timber piles could and CAN lead to the sudden collapse of the East River Esplanade and the FDR Drive. Isn’t this exactly what is happening now???!!! Why are we not being warned?

If more of Manhattan is like that lets pray a earthwak never hits us

Wait, so the whole thing is just... hollow like that?

There are plenty more holes like this in the low 100s uptown. Here's a picture I took of one from 2008.

Put the mosque on Carl Schurz Park.

Wow. It seems that Randy at #4 is channeling my thoughts. And I also sometimes run on the Greenway.

I've looked into the suburbs, and unfortunately they don't seem worth it once you factor in property taxes and the costs of commuting. But I can see the equation changing if some current trends continue.

Hit the Jump button, quick! (Blee-dop!)

G'mist needs to send one of it's intrepid reporters on a spelunking mission. There could be a whole series of tunnels down there.

Why the disparity between the Hudson River and East River greenways? Look at all the beautiful new work along the Hudson in Tribeca and above Chelsea Piers. Where does that money come from and why aren't they spending any along the East River?

Actually the west side has a beautiful greenway because various community groups and the West Side Waterfront Task Force fought for years, for improvements along Route 9A to develop a liveable replacement for the old Miller Highway that collapsed back in the late '70s. Hudson River Park was funded with a combination of City, State, and probably Federal dollars. By comparison, the East Side Greenway is the responsibility of the City.

I think it has something to do with more expensive residences being located on the west side, and that's where the tourists go, so this is the first area that should look presentable....

I live on the LES. Is the "boardwalk" near the tennis courts now finally finished? They've been "working" on it for years. It's a disgrace.

It's a shame the east side waterfront doesn't get the same attention as the west side.

I'd love to bike to work (UES)

Seriously, what's the deal with the east side? I was able to ride from Houston to 145th St on the Hudson the other day in half an hour with absolutely no distractions or problems. I tried ONCE to ride home from around 14 St to the QB Bridge on the East Side, and the path was intermittent, stopping and starting again. I had no idea where I was supposed to be half the time and then it's nonexistent for stretches. Really screws us BK/Queens residents.

Mostly because on the west side, along the southern segment of the greenway, they built the bike path along old piers and their service roads, which served as a buffer between Route 9A and the Hudson, with commercial/residential development to the east of Route 9A. Then above 72nd Street, the greenway runs along Riverside Park, Ft. Washington Park, etc. On the east side, on the stretch you describe, the greenway is interrupted at around 23rd Street by some shithole called Waterside Plaza, then some restaurant and its parking lot, then a Heliport parking lot, then the U.N., which they don't like people biking in front of for some reason. Can't really do much about those things, so keep complainin'!

Somebody needs to adopt the greenway.

Yeah, forget that ADOPT-A-HIGHWAY sign right there. Someone needs to rescue the greenway from the equivalent of a f'd up abusive foster-path situation.

That solution looks like it was taken directly from the MTA repair manual...

Ooooh, like that scene in Ghostbusters right before they enter the apartment to battle Zuul!

Damn. I live in Yorkville and go running on that path occasionally, but feel now that I'll have to reconsider my route. I've always noticed the fenced-off portions of the path, but I didn't realize the whole damn thing was falling apart so badly.

You know, before I started college I loved the idea of New York City. Now, after suffering through an overpriced NYU education, MTA price increases with service decreases, ConEd screwing me on my bill monthly, Albany being completely corrupt, rising crime crime rates, etc etc etfuckingc, I'm starting to really see the appeal in living in the suburbs again.

Definitely scary, but not quite as eerie as the big gaping hole that is 95th and 2nd. I don't like being able to see the underground pipe work of the bar on the corner on a daily basis.

And I'm in the same situation as you and with you re: everything else. Just not suburbs of NYC. The time you spend commuting to and from work cancels out the money you may (but probably won't) save by living outside the city.

I agree with your point, but if I was moving back to the suburbs I'd probably try to get a job there as well. I'd probably have more success there anywhere. I mean Christ, I graduated with a double major (Marketing/Finance) and a Mathematics minor, several internships, and SATs that bested Al Gore, John Kerry and (obviously) Dubya. I've been job searching for over a year and have only landed a FT paid internship. What the hell?!?!

i love how the placement of the barricade is totally random.

"that part of the path? oh, that's very dangerous. 12 inches south? no problem!"

Totally—it doesn't inspire much confidence.

Wouldn't contacting ur council member be better than 311? If they haven't fixed this shit up in years I doubt calling 311 is going to do any good.

Agree - just sent the link to Council Member Lappin.

Inception?

hahaha.