Sign the petition to close the gap:
http://www.change.org/actions/view/close_the_gap_2

I often bike in NYC and have wanted this fixed for a long time. Please post updates on any progress here, so we can stay informed.

You can also forward this SeeClickFix page to the petition signers, and to neighborhood groups or elected officials in the area, inviting them to post comments and concerns.

Getting more votes, and sending this out to local bloggers is also a good way to raise the level of the concern and possibly get the newsmedia to write a piece on it. Let's raise the profile of this issue!

Please consider joining the Transportation Alternative's East Side Committee. Their Google Group site is at:
http://groups.google.com/group/TAEastSideCommittee?hl=en
and I have posted extensive documentation, as have some others, on the Gap and other issues related to getting bike lanes on the East Side.
The biggest contribution I have made is my 20 page photo-article: Closing the Gap (in .pdf), which documents, with lots of pics, the Gap, the alternate (and dangerous) route, the stats on bike fatalities from 1995-2007, and the proposed remedies to Close The Gap.

That's really great to see, Scott. Have you tried forwarding this out to elected officials to get their responses? Getting more cyclists to leave their comments here and "vote" to have it fixed (perhaps by forwarding this issue on to the TA listserv, or posting a few fliers in the area where the Greenway currently ends) is also a good way to raise the profile of the issue over time. When activists have promoted issues with 50 or 100 (or more) votes, it has been interesting to watch how more and more attention gets drawn to them.

We are (tentatively) scheduled to have a Close The Gap bike ride co-sponsored by Transportation Alternatives and the Vanderbilt YMCA on Sunday, 9/27/09. It will start at 9:00am from Glick Park, east of the FDR at 37th Street (enter through the underpass). We will ride the Gap up First Avenue, then east on 54th, then north on York to the Greenway entrance at 60th, then all the way up to 125th on the East Side Greenway. Then, we'll reverse the whole thing, going down York/Second & ending at the Y at 47, between 2 & 3 Avenues for some refreshments & pictures.
Check the TA site for more details, or the Google Group:
http://groups.google.com/group/TAEastSideCommittee

Anyone interested in Closing the Midtown Gap should come to the CB6 Waterfront Committee meeting on 10/26, or the Transportation Committee meeting on 11/2, both at the NYU Medical Center Basement Classrooms C or D.
The State has given the city a deadline of 1/1/10 to use the caissons in the East River as part of the Esplanade, or LOSE them forever! Come and encourage the CBs to demand the Greenway be completed NOW, while we have this rare opportunity.

The original Close the Gap Ride was rained out. We are rescheduled to ride THIS Sunday at 11am-2pm, starting at Glick Park at 37th and the East River. Enter through the 37th street underpass below the FDR. The Gap is still not closed. Worse, the state has imposed a deadline for the city to use the leftover caissons in the East River for an Esplanade or they will be removed (apparently, it would cost millions to preserve them if they are not preserved as part of an Esplanade construction). The city's Economic Development Council will meet on this issue THIS month and report back to CB6.

Thanks to all 30 or so riders who showed up to Protest the Gaps yesterday! Now you see what we are fighting for. It was a great day to cycle from Glick Park at 37th to the Harlem Gap at 125th.

This just in from Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance:

- East Midtown Waterfront Park and Esplanade Manhattan Greenway, UN segment
The City's Small Business Services and EDC will advance planning and preliminary design for waterfront amenities along the East River
between East 38th Street and East 61st Street. When completed, the project will fill a major gap in the Manhattan Greenway, a 32-mile
waterfront path around Manhattan that remains disconnected in parts.
In this section, the FDR Drive and the United Nations campus block waterfront access.

* Total Project Cost: $800,000 Amount Awarded: $400,000

Also, somewhat related (note the location) is the following:

- East River Blueway Trail
The Manhattan Borough President will complete plans for the future Blueway Trail in the East River from East 38th Street to the Brooklyn
Bridge. Christine Datz-Romero, executive director of the Lower East Side Ecology Center, explained that the Blueway Trail will focus on
waterfront access and is complementary to the NYC Water Trail. "We are very interested in a floating swimming pool in the stretch below
14th Street," she added. "The pool would be a way to address the issue of water quality in the East River. You need people to get in the
water to care about it."

* Total Project Cost: $2,874,878 Amount Awarded: $650,000

Anyone thinking of writing to DOT about the Greenway, beware. I received the following response today. Well, at least we know who to direct our request to.

Dear Mr. Baker,

Thank you for email regarding an East Side Greenway Issue.

Our Bicycle Programs Division reviewed your email and has determined that it not within the New York City’s Department of Transportation jurisdiction. This issue will be properly addressed by the Office of Environmental Coordination. You can contact them directly with the following link:
http://nyc.gov/html/mail/html/mailoec.html

The safety of our residents is of primary concern to the NYCDOT. Your participation in transportation issues which affect your community is greatly appreciated.

Customer Service Division
New York City Department of Transportation
ccu-09-4500

This is the Greenway that might be...

It has just been brought to my attention that a recent amendment to a Proposed Transportation Improvement Program includes the midtown Gap:

Subject: NYMTC: TIP Amendment Public Comment Period

Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:28:59 -0400

From: NYMTC-Public-Info NYMTC-Public-Info

To:

Notice of Comment Period

Topic: Proposed Transportation Improvement Program Amendments
Period: March 29, 2010 through April 7, 2010
Comment Period:

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC) announces a comment period for proposed amendments to the 2008-2012 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The ten day public comment period will begin on Monday, March 29, 2010 and end on Wednesday, April 7, 2010.

The proposed amendment adds two new projects:

1) The Empire Corridor Planning project, which advances the evaluation of high speed rail enhancements through the Empire Corridor from Niagara Falls to New York City, and

2) The East Midtown Waterfront Park and Esplanade project, which involves planning and design for proposed waterfront open space amenities along the East River waterfront between East 38th Street and East 61st Street in Manhattan.

Details on the proposed amendments are available on the NYMTC website at: http://www.nymtc.org/abouttip-down.cfm. Comments are due in writing by 4 p.m. on Wednesday April 7, 2010 to the contact for the
project area below.

Comment Submission: New York City
TCC
Attn: Carl King
47-40 21st Street, 9th Floor
Long Island City, NY 11101
ck...@dot.state.ny.us
Ph: (718) 482-4559

Mid-Hudson South TCC
Attn: Jean Shanahan
4 Burnett Blvd
Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
jshana...@dot.state.ny.us
Ph: (845) 431-7921

Background: The New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC) is a regional council of governments that is a collaborative forum for transportation planning for New York City, Long Island and the lower Hudson Valley. In order to be more responsive to transportation planning needs at the local level, NYMTC is comprised of three Transportation Coordinating Committees (TCCs). The Mid-Hudson South
TCC covers Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties; the Nassau/Suffolk TCC covers Nassau and Suffolk counties; and the New York City
TCC covers the five boroughs of New York City.

I rode the second Annual Close the Gap protest ride this past Sunday, with councilman Dan Garodnick, some reporters, a district leader and a rep from Council member Jessica Lappin's office. At least they now understand, first hand, the hazards of riding up First/York avenues! But still, I keep hearing that the city is broke, we are waiting for the U.N./Federal Government to do something, and there's no new significant source of funding.
Well, I suggested to Garodnick the implement a Land Value Tax on the surrounding Land owners (including me), who will be the ultimate beneficiaries of any new Greenway, when they sell or develop the land.
This is a time-tested proven strategy of development, and as President of Common Ground-NYC, I have 238 peer-reviewed articles and many, many more contacts and research, to prove it!
Waiting for the U.N. to trade land for Esplanade is like waiting for Godot. We need to have a plan B.

Add another Gap to the East Side Greenway!!!! There is now construction work on the 79 street bridge, meaning in effect that the route is blocked both up and down and you have to take the 71 street bridge (a twisty affair), and then rejoin the route at 89th on Carl Shultz Park - after riding up dangerous First Avenue which has barely a bike lane after 72 street (frequently used by double-parkers) and East End Avenue.

Please join us for a 32 mile bike ride around the perimeter of Manhattan. The ride will be a very easy going pace (10-12mph). We will explore existing portions of the East Coast Greenway which include the 13 miles of the Hudson River Greenway from Northern Manhattan all the way down to Battery Park. We will also ride the East River Greenway and highlight some of the gaps which exist. The ECG is working in collaboration with other groups to close these gaps along the East River Greenway. The ride will finish at Glick Park at 37th Street around 2:00 PM.
RSVP here: http://manhattangreenway.eventbrite.com/

We had a great ride around Manhattan, despite the gaps! 40 bikers took the entire loop around Manhattan, gaps and all. Read more about it here:
http://greenway.org/ny1.aspx
and click on this link:
NY Events calendar for May & June: download here.

The Greenway detour from 71-89 is still undone. It was supposed to be finished in late August, 2011. Most days there is not even a crew there. This is a chronic problem on all the Greenway sections left to be done. Work will get started; a bunch of equipment and materials will get left, and then no one, or at most, a crew of three, will show up. I bike there every week, during the weekdays, and it is empty of workers half the time. When they work, the work comes out well, but too many projects are left half done, behind schedule, and an obstruction. This goes for the area between the Governor's Island ferry and the Seaport, the area just north of the Seaport, the new Ferry dock at 34th, and most of all, of course, the U.N. Gap, where an M.O.U. was signed in October. When will work actually start? How long do New Yorkers have to wait?

This sinkhole near CostCo on the Greenway threatens to bisect the esplanade entirely!

Protest the gap!

Join us for a ride on the

EAST COAST GREENWAY

A Manhattan Loop Ride! All 32 miles!

Starting point: East River Greenway entrance @ 60th St. & York Ave.
Ending Point: East River Greenway @ E 34th St. & FDR Drive

Sunday August 12, 2012 9:00 AM

Please join us for a 32-mile guided bike ride around Manhattan using the East and West Side Greenways. The ride will proceed at a very easy-going pace of 10 - 13 MPH.

Plan on returning on your own. Bring water, snacks, a spare tire, and wear a helmet. We usually ride rain or shine but if the weather is particularly unpleasant, you will receive a cancellation email at 7:45AM on the day of the ride.

The leaders will be Anthony Savarese and Scott Baker, volunteer for the East Coast Greenway Alliance. For more information, contact me at anthony.savarese@gmail.com or ssbaker305@yahoo.com.

To join this ride please become a member of the East Coast Greenway Alliance at our website: www.greenway.org Join at a special new member outreach rate of $20! As a member you can join us on this ride as well as any of the other 8 events we have planned for 2012.

For information about the ECGA NY Committee and its activities – including additional rides this season – visit www.greenway.org/ny1.php.

Work has started on the Con Ed Pier - 38-41 streets - but nothing yet on the rest of the gap! It looks like the first of the two UPTOWN gaps will be closed first - 123-133 street.

Circle Manhattan by Bike!
Sponsored by Common Ground-NYC
& East Coast Greenway Alliance
Ride the Manhattan Greenway all the way around Manhattan - including gaps!
Event Start: Sun, June 30 (rain date July 7): 9:00am Event End: ~1:00pm (~4 hours)
Circle Route includes: Greenways, On-street bike lanes, On-street but no bike lanes www.greenway.org
Helmets required
Bring: Lunch, Water, Sunscreen
Free: Waiver Required, RSVP
Distance: ~32 miles
Nearest Public Transit: 4,5,6 train to 59 Street
Starting Point: Just south of East 61 Street Dog Run at
the bottom of the 60 Street & York Avenue ramp (See
Starting point on map).
The Route: Ride the Greenway counterclockwise (including
gaps) from the bottom of the ramp. Ride north to 120th Street
footbridge - after checking out the Gap at 124th - up the
Harlem Gap to Harlem River Park Greenway (10 blocks).
Continue onto Speedway at 165th Street, then to Dyckman
Street, west to Greenway, then south to Battery Park, after
stopping for lunch midway! Loop east, then head north on
the Lower East Side Greenway, ending at Glick Park at 37th
Street - See Ending Point on map!
We will stop for breaks/lunch at the symbols.
Optional final 23-block Gap Protest Ride back up First/York
Avenue Gap (the red lines on the map) back to starting
point.
Restrictions: No children under 16 and under 18 only with
adult supervision. There are some streets and traffic to
negotiate, especially on the east side, but mostly on-street
bike lanes. There are some hills on northern sections.
For moderately or better-conditioned riders only.
Contact
http://manhattanloopride2013.eventbrite.com or
http://bikenyc.org/event/642 to register.
Sign the petition to Close the Gap!
http://www.change.org/petitions/close-the-gap-2
Rights to the Products of Earth for All, and Rights to the Products of Labor for Each.
Tax Land Not People
Common Ground – NYC
Scott Baker, President: SSBAKER305@YAHOO.COM
http://www.commongroundnyc.org/
East Side Esplanade Gap Closure Proposal 09/20/2011
For a relatively small cost the East Midtown neighborhood could have an enjoyable amenity, a vital and
safe passageway for bikers, park-goers and other New Yorkers, for decades to come.
This proposal would raise $200 million over 10 years, to fund the construction of a new Esplanade (aka
Greenway) to run from the current end of Glick Park on the East River at 38th street, to the beginning of
the uptown portion of the Esplanade at approximately 61rst Street. It takes into account rough current
estimates to complete this “last mile” of the Esplanade, but not any other plans or monies that might
come forth for various parts (e.g. the rebuilding of the Con Ed pier or Andrew Haswell Green Park).
A proven approach to collecting money for infrastructure projects that also fosters growth is the Land
Value Tax. This is a tax on Land, not on improvements. Landowners are incentivized to build on
underused land, or to sell to someone who can. Developers are rewarded for improving their sites.
Since the new Esplanade would directly benefit the neighborhood from 38th – 61rst, east of Second
Avenue, that is what was used when calculating the Land Value Tax to be collected. Collecting a tax
from the Local Improvement District (LID) has been done and proposed before, recently on the west
side to pay for upkeep on the west esplanade: Hudson River Park Tax Bid Could Affect More Properties:
The plan — which has to be approved by the City Council before it can go forward — had
previously only included a two block-wide strip located directly next to the park, which runs from
Battery Park City to 59th Street. It would have assessed a small fee of about five cents per
square foot on property owners in order to raise up to $10 million a year.
In the plan proposed here, some $20 million would be raised, but it is for a larger area, and only a tax on
land, not on developments, for reasons cited above. Since the money would be collected over time, I
propose issuing a low-yield 10-year bond to pay for the immediate costs, which will be covered in the
normal manner of most such bonds through ROI over time.
There is ample evidence for substantial ROI in similar projects. See this story on the booming success
of the Highline:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/06/nyregion/with-next-phase-ready-area-around-high-line-isflourishing.
html?scp=5&sq=highline%20park&st=cse
which shows:
…the High Line as a public park revitalized a swath of the city and generated $2 billion in private
investment surrounding the park….Amanda Burden, the city’s planning director, emphasized the
boost to property values, saying that in one building that abuts the lower section of the High Line,
the price of apartments had doubled since the park opened, to about $2,000 a square foot.
Clearly, property owners would benefit far more in the long run, than they would pay out in the short run.
I used New York City’s GIS mapping system (http://gis.nyc.gov/doitt/nycitymap/) and Common Ground-
NYC’s proprietary database, with data from NYC’s Department of Finance, to calculate total square
footage, total taxable building and land values, and the current tax bill and percentages paid.
Currently, the average tax paid on both building and land values is 4.69% for this area. The proposal
seeks to increase the total tax by .32% to 5.01% (a 14.6% increase) but since the tax would be on land
only, the land value tax would go up by .93% and the building tax by 0%. This would add $4.20/square
foot to the total 4,765,802 square feet for all 38 taxable blocks in the designated area.

Aside form new work on the Con Ed pier - 38-41 streets - that Con Ed was contractually obligated to do under conditions of sale of its old steam plant at the site, there appears to be NO work on closing the U.N. Gap from 38-61 streets, not even at the proposed Andrew Haswell Green Park from 58-61 streets. The U.N. plan has been on the board for at least 10 years, and just keeps getting punted, even though the state and city agreed to it 2 years ago. With the city Administration changing, we can expect the next Traffic commissioner and Mayor to be less bike friendly, and maybe even to rip up some street-based bike lanes. So...we need the east side Greenway gaps closed more than ever! The middle gap form 123-133 looks like it will be closed over the next 1-3 years, as it is now a staging area for small bridge rebuilding across the Harlem River. But the U.N. Gap and Harlem Gap (145-165) are seeing no work at all! Time to get moving!

Some barge work was done from 38-41 street, at the Con Ed pier, but then it stopped and nothing else has been forth-coming. The old land-swap deal is still there, but no one has gotten the U.N. to agree to it. The entire General Assembly has to agree, and when have they agreed on anything?
An alternate proposal to raise $200m via a special improvement tax over 10 years, and use that to Close the Gap, can be found here: http://www.slideshare.net/ScottOnTheSpot/land-value-tax-gap-closure-proposal-29529037

Protest the Gap! Come join the 4th Annual Bike Around Manhattan Ride, including all the gaps, on August 3. We've had 15-65 people in past years, and this year looks like it will be more popular than ever. Details here: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/east-coast-greenways-manhattan-loop-ride-2014-tickets-11041755187

The Con Ed funded work to rebuilt the pier from 38-41 continues, albeit slowly. Once this is done, and assuming additional money can be raised, Glick Park will be extended to 41 street. This still will not close the Gap, however, from 41 to 61 street.

Our 5th Annual Manhattan Loop Ride will be August 2nd this year. It's 32 miles, completely around Manhattan, and all 3 gaps! Come, ride, learn about the gaps and have fun! Check the Eventbrite site or Transportation Alternatives.

I attended a CB8 meeting recently, which featured a presentation form Council member Ben Kellos. Although there are plans to repair and upgrade the esplanade between 62-78, and more for Carl Shurtz Park, there is next-to-nothing planned for the Gap area - 38th - 60th, except for a meager incursion, in 3-4 years, by Andrew Haswell Green Park down to 59th...maybe. Funding is not all there yet, however.

There is some new work going on on the rebuilt pier from 38th - 41st street and also from 59th - 60th. However, the main section from 41-59th is being completely neglected and this still needs some $200m invested for a new ODR.

Nothing much has changed except the U.N. rejected the long-standing MOU. This may be the only workable plan now: https://www.change.org/p/close-the-gap-2

The extension to Glick Park is now open, meaning that the esplanade now continues to a bit beyond 41 street northbound. The extension to Andrew Haswell Green Park on the upper part of the U.N. Gap is slowly being worked on too, and should be open to 60th street by this summer.
So, the gap by the end of 2017 should be down to 19 blocks from 41 - 60 streets. However, these remaining blocks include sections over the East River and will be considerably more expensive and tougher to fill.

The Gap is still open, but we are still gamely biking around it. See our upcoming rides on Urban Cyclist: https://www.meetup.com/

Mayor de Blasio has committed $100 million to completing half the esplanade gap from 61 down to 53, though 61-59 was already planned for completion in 2019 as the new Andrew Haswell Green Park extension anyway. It's unclear if there will be an entrance/exit as 53 at Sutton Place. If not, it is a useless deadend.
This will not even be completed until 2022!
We still need to close the remaining gap down to the new Glick Park extension at 41, 12 more blocks.

Presentation on the East Coast Greenway, which includes the gap area, on Sept. 18, 9:00-10:00 am at Marriott Courtyard on 3rd Avenue and 52nd.
Our gap is still there...

I went to a EDC presentation at a CB8 meeting. The timeline shows half the U.N. gap should be closed by 2022...if there are no delays and if the money isn't withdrawn. This will only take us down to 53 from 60th. The remaining blocks from 53-41 are not even scheduled to be completed.
The system is rotten, like our infrastructure.

The pier Con Ed was required to replace takes the Greenway up to about 43 & 1/4 Street. There is still a gap between 43 - 60th.
The city is still proposing to close the gap from 60th down to 53, but there is controversy over the new bridge to be installed at 53rd, which would essentially obliterate the small Sutton Place Park there. A counter-proposal by the residents to extend the existing 51st Street bridge would require extending the new section 2 blocks further, even though it shows to already be done, more narrowly, on Google Maps. See attached photo.

Things have not improved. Now, Glick Park, from 36 - 38 Streets, will be closed for Hurricane Sandy repairs until summer 2019. There is no work currently going on to close the gap either, just RFPs going out for the half closure from 53-60th.

Winter hiatus brings no resolve to the issue.

A recent complexification is the city's plan to close down the LES Greenway/East River Park for 3.5 years in order to raise it by 8-10 feet to prevent flooding, from Montgomery to 25 Streets. This will impede bike traffic and make the Gap area less noticeable.

When will the $100m be spent to extend the Greenway south from 60th to 52nd? There's been no start to this,just some moving around of equipment at the unfinished part of Andrew Haswell Green Park.

Still no real progress on closing the gap. Some movement around what will someday be Andrew Haswell Green Park, but not actual construction of the park. Meanwhile, the city wants to demolish and raise the LES East River Park 10'!

Still no progress on the planned extension of Andrew Haswell Green Park, despite the promise to begin in 2019 to extend the park down to 52nd Street.

Some slight new work begun near Andrew Haswell Park, and promised to be completed this year (2020). We will see...

It's possible we won't see this gap closed anytime soon with all the Covid-19 restrictions in place. The gap from 60-53, however, is pre-funded hurricane Sandy money and ought to proceed.

Still no progress, and the city is mostly on hold for big capital projects now. Still, we will ride around it in September: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/east-coast-greenway-alliance-manhattan-loop-ride-tickets-87554669373

Work has FINALLY begun on the section from 52-61, where the current esplanade begins. It is supposed to take 4 years, however, and this only covers half of the gap from the former Con Ed pier that ends around 41 Street, to 52, all of which will require in-river extension for a bike lane/esplanade. The current work is estimated to cost $100m, so the remaining half can be expected to cost at least that much too.

Work continues on the 52-61 gap, visibly making progress downtown with multiple huge cranes and barges constructing the outboard esplanade. The Sutton Place Park is closed for at least 2 years, while ramp-building and a general staging area are in effect.

The half gap continues to move toward closure, with Sutton Place park now closed for the new bridge to the anticipated esplanade from 52-61 Streets by 2023. No word on when, or if, the rest of the gap will be closed. However, mayor de Blasio pledged to close ALL the Manhattan gaps around the shoreline by 2029, though he leaves office in 2022, so who knows what his successors will do.

The half gap continues to move toward closure, with Sutton Place park now closed for the new bridge to the anticipated esplanade from 52-61 Streets by 2023. No word on when, or if, the rest of the gap will be closed. However, mayor de Blasio pledged to close ALL the Manhattan gaps around the shoreline by 2029, though he leaves office in 2022, so who knows what his successors will do.

There is steady progress on closing the half gap from 52-61 streets. But nothing has been done about the rest of the gap from 43-52.

The bridge at Sutton Place is almost complete, and the newly redesigned Sutton Place park is mostly open too. The basic flyover esplanade is complete but still needs walls, interiors etc.
Nothing has been done to close the gap from 41 to 52 streets.

The section between the current Red Sculpture park and John Finley Walk has been demolished down to the river level. https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7596862,-73.9570981,18.94z It will need to be rebuilt before the future esplanade down to 52 street can be accessed. That portion has seen progress lately too.

The esplanade extension continues with fresh concrete pours onto the FDR-spanning bridge, the walkway etc. But the section between the old heliport and John Finley Walk is still open river and needs to be rebuilt before anyone can even think of using this expansion. It looks like that will be the last part to be redone.

The city's proposed redistricting could effect the ability to continue to Close the Gap.
Hearings are scheduled for the upcoming week.

The New York City Districting Commission will hold its Manhattan hearing about their preliminary maps for 51 new City Council districts this Monday, 8/22, from 5:30pm to 9pm at the Schomburg Center, 515 Malcolm X Blvd., Harlem.
You can register to speak, virtually or in-person, at https://bit.ly/3AeDrQt or submit written testimony to PublicTestimony@redistricting.nyc.gov, or mail to NYC Districting Commission, 253 Broadway, 3rd Floor, NY, NY 10007.

Here is the letter I wrote to the Districting Commission today:

NYC Districting Commission
253 Broadway, New York NY 10007
212-676-3090
nyc.gov/districting

Dear Commissioner:

I am writing in opposition to the proposed redistricting of Manhattan City Council 5 (CD5), moving Sutton Place and parts of the UES into Queens City Council district 26. See also letters (attached) from Friends of the East Side Esplanade and the counter-proposal from Community Board 8, whose respective positions are aligned with each other, and with mine.

I have been particularly concerned with the completion of the East Side Greenway gap from (now) 41st - 60th streets for over a decade, maintaining a See Click Fix online request since 07/08/2009: https://seeclickfix.com/issues/6823. See the link for another link to a petition to "Close the Gap" as well as embedded responses and proposals to effectuate this closure. The incredibly long multi-decade timeline just to close these 20 blocks speaks to how difficult it is to accomplish a benefit to the community, even when it is only spread across just a couple of city council districts and community boards. It will be exponentially harder to accomplish if the city moves forward in splitting up parts of the upper east side and combines them with Queens district 26, whose needs for housing, affordable and market rate, shoreline development, etc. are significantly different from the needs of the upper east side community.

As the attached CB5 letter says, "splitting the community goes against four of the criteria set forth in City Charter Section 52 (1) (c) (d) and (e) and Section 52 (2). The violation of those criteria results in districts where:
· neighborhoods and communities of interest are not kept intact,
· the proposed district is not compact,
· the proposed district results in an extreme crossover district, and
· the proposed district is very oddly shaped."

Even though I am from CB6 and CD4, I support the proposed alternative plan put forward by CB8 and its related plans to re-imagine CD4, which is also negatively effected by the preliminary CD redistricting proposal. The CB8 plan is better for CD4 too, even if that is not the primary focus. It keeps CD4 intact, recognizing our East and Central midtown community, as well as its residential continuation through Kip's Bay and Stuyvesant Town etc.

CD4 and CD5 work well together on common projects that overlap their respective districts. There is little to no history of Queens CD26 doing so, and except for a poorly updated Ed Koch/59th Street Bridge connection, not much in common to both districts (that bridge bike/pedestrian path has been the subject of repeated promises to be split into northern and southern bridge paths for over a decade too, and I joined Transportation Alternatives in the protest walk across the current normally over-crowded path recently. Despite speeches and participation from local Pols, this action was too little avail apparently, as the city still plans to delay the change for 2 more years).

I cannot be there in person because, like a lot of people, I already had vacation plans to be out of the city during the inconveniently scheduled testimony period. But I hope you will take my, and more importantly, the respective community's, opposition and counter-proposals into strong consideration during your redistricting plans.

Progress continues on the upper half of the esplanade gap closure project, with a new bridging section in what will be the new Andrew Haswell Green Park from 59-62 streets. The old section was completely torn down to the waterline and the new section will form the entrance and about 1/3 of the park when completed next year.
Sutton Place Park at 56-57 & York Avenue has reopened and looks nice, while the foot/bike bridge from that to the esplanade is still being completed, slowly. The new esplanade is getting decking and railings now.

A new section bridging the gap from the decommissioned helicopter building to Andrew Haswell Green Park has been mostly completed. There's a good chance the full 41-62 street esplanade will open sometime in the summer, closing half the gap from 52-62 streets.
The lower half, from 41-52 has begun its design phase but there is no funding to build this yet.

The center section of the new Greenway segment is done except for vegetation, but the bridge at 52 still needs work, and the new Andrew Haswell Green park at 60-62 was rebuilt form the water level up, and needs to be completed as a park.
Meanwhile, the yawning gap between just north of 41, to 52, is going to undergo design phase, but no money has been allocated beyond that to actually build this final section of midtown east.
The gap remains for the foreseeable future.

Yesterday, my C/M Keith Powers announced there will be a small park on 34th and the East River waterside, where there's a small parking lot now. This is fine, but when will the remaining gap from 41-53 be closed? 53-60th will open in the Fall, but this gap past the U.N. is all the more glaring then. Just 12 blocks to go!

The new Andrew Haswell Green park looks very close to being completed and should open in December.
This week, mayor Adams office made a big announcement in several media outlets to complete more esplanades and Greenways, but the ambition is almost entirely unfunded.
It cost $100m just to complete the 53-61 Street section so don't expect that kind of expense - which was expiring hurricane Sandy money - to become available again anytime soon.

The new Greenway extension from 53-61 streets is open now for bikes and pedestrians. It is wide and well laid out. Cons: lots of noise from the nearby FDR underpass, no shade due to immaturity of trees, but this will improve over time.
The gap from 41-52 streets remains and there is no funding to close it in the near future.

The new Greenway extension is beginning to see heavier use as the weather warms up, but users will be frustrated by the long-term construction starting at 71 Street, which requires them to exit the Greenway through a narrow, twisting temporary bridge that ultimately leads to 71 Street going west to York Avenue (going east is not an option when you exit the bridge). Until the Hospital for Special Surgery completes its extension over the Greenway, walkers and bikers will have to brave the very busy hospital lanes on York until 79th Street east and back to the Greenway headed north (or 77 Street and over a complicated footbridge-Greenway-ramp detour) or go all the way to the bike lane on First Avenue uptown.