Schedules Unkept, East River Park Promenade cut off for 10 years

27 photos

New York City is doing to us what it did before--making our waterfront inaccessible for years:

In July 2001, New York under Mayor Rudy Giuliani put up a chain link fence, closing off the 1.2 mile riverfront esplanade because of damaged pilings. It wasn't until 2005 that reconstruction started. Years would go by with no work being done, but the chain link fence always blocked the way to the water.

It took until 2012 to completely reopen, and it was wonderful. (See https://patarnow.zenfolio.com/p313418955)

In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy's 14-foot storm surge flooded the park and our Lower East Side. The park recovered (though more than 250 trees did die--and a thousand big trees lived!)

Meantime, the old pier 42 at the Southern end of the park remain blocked by chain link--though it was scheduled to be redone by 2007.

Judging from previous missed timelines for the park, the new three-year plan for rebuilding is unbelievable--and terrifying.

We need hurricane protection, but we also need our park.
Click on any photo to enlarge it. Ask for permission for use. © Pat Arnow

Chain link and mud in 2006, the fifth year without a promenade.

2006, the squirrel gets the unblocked view.

In 2006, a promising trench. It took another six years to become a walkway again.

The chain link fence overgrown with weeds blocking the waterfront in 2008.

Sometimes we could get through the chain link and see the lovely mess.

Runners, walkers, bikers used the rutted noisy path by the FDR 2001-2011.

Noise from the FDR, no charm, but we need a park so here we are.

Just because East River Park was a mess doesn't mean people stayed away.

Steve looks longingly through the fence to the river.

Sometimes the machinery would sit idle for years.

In 2007 a forest gets a start because no work has been done here for a long time.

I poked my camera through the chain link fence

At least we could see the river--some of the park was open.