Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bicycle Infrastructure

Construction Begins on New 151st Street Bridge to Hudson River Greenway

1:48 PM EDT on August 28, 2015

The view from what will be the eastern landing of a new bike/ped bridge linking 151st Street to the Hudson River Greenway. Photo: Delphine Taylor
Work has begun on a new bicycle and pedestrian bridge to the Hudson River Greenway at W. 151st Street. Photo: Delphine Taylor

The state broke ground this month on a new pedestrian and bicycle bridge linking West Harlem with the Hudson River Greenway.

For cyclists, the bridge will provide stair-free access between the greenway and the intersection of 151st Street and Riverside Drive, spanning the Henry Hudson Parkway and the Amtrak line that runs along the Hudson. Right now the nearest access points, at 148th and 155th streets, have stairs and no ramps. The nearest crossings with ramps are at 135th Street, south of Riverbank State Park, and 158th Street.

The 158th Street connection received a $2 million staircase and ramp from the state Department of Transportation in 2006. Earlier this summer, NYC DOT installed a two-way bike lane on 158th Street as part of a larger package of bikeway improvements linking the Hudson River Greenway to the High Bridge.

A footbridge once linked Hamilton Heights to the park, according to a Daily News article from last year, but was destroyed by fire in the 1950s. Assembly Member Herman "Denny" Farrell Jr. told the Daily News that a plan to replace the footbridge failed in 1996.

“Our community is fortunate to have beautiful waterfronts which complement our public parks, but many find it hard, if not impossible, to access these public spaces,” Farrell said last week in a press release. “Now, all people visiting our parks, including families with baby carriages, bicyclists and people with disabilities who historically had trouble entering, will have an additional way to access the parks."

The 270-foot bridge will have what state DOT calls a "modern design" for its western landing in the park, and stone-faced retaining walls on its eastern landing to match the existing overlook along Riverside Drive.

State DOT says the project will cost $24.4 million (which could buy a lot of bike lane mileage), including new landscaping and lighting, and is scheduled to be completed in late 2016. A sign at the construction site says work began May 1 and will be done by December 31, 2016.

Update: State DOT has sent a rendering of the bridge, looking south along the Henry Hudson Parkway:

X103.38 Arch bridge

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

The Toll of History: MTA Board Approves $15 Congestion Pricing Fee

New York City's congestion pricing tolls are one historic step closer to reality after Wednesday's 11-1 MTA board vote. Next step: all those pesky lawsuits.

March 28, 2024

Company That Fought McGuinness Safety Project Wants to Seize Bklyn Street for Private Backlot

Broadway Stages to Greenpoint residents: "Street safety for me, not for thee."

March 28, 2024

SEE IT: Hit-and-Run Driver With Fake Plate Seriously Injures Cyclist

The 5 p.m. crash occurred at Flushing and Waverly avenue near the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

March 28, 2024

Thursday’s Headlines: Shakira Shakira Edition

Pop superstar Shakira performed for a crowd of 40,000 packed into the Times Square pedestrian plazas. Plus congestion pricing news and more.

March 28, 2024
See all posts