Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
DOT

Add This Sinkhole to the List of Indignities East River Greenway Users Have to Deal With

The sinkhole situation deteriorated for weeks before the city took action.

People biking and walking on the East River Greenway have been dealing with a widening sinkhole for weeks as DOT ignored calls to fix it, DNAinfo reports.

The hole, in the vicinity of the 23rd Street marina, was reported via 311 on July 5, and again six days later, DNAinfo says. DOT finally cordoned it off, leaving people to skirt the barrier.

The resulting pinch point was something to behold:

[T]he large obstacle reroutes cyclists and pedestrians alike through a narrow arrangement of large rocks directly next to the path.

On Wednesday evening, clusters of cyclists and pedestrians threaded their way through the rock network, carefully avoiding the conspicuously marked sinkhole on one side and a growing crowd of marina visitors on the other.

"The amount of space for people to walk or bike is dramatically reduced, and it's dangerous," Janet Handal, of the Waterside Tenants Association, told DNAinfo.

DOT has not provided a timeline for repairs. A Streetsblog reader who sent the above photo said a crew was there Thursday evening, so work appears to have started.

Can you imagine a sinkhole consuming a lane of Sixth Avenue and waiting three weeks for repairs to start?

The sinkhole is emblematic of the East Side greenway's status as the red-headed stepchild of NYC bike infrastructure. It's riddled with uncomfortable choke points, long gaps, and uneven pavement. There are plans to fill the main Midtown gap, eventually, but two long gaps along the Harlem River are languishing.

A continuous greenway could do wonders for bicycling on the East Side, as long as the city treats it as a real transportation route and doesn't let pieces of it sink into the earth for weeks at a time.

Update: DOT sent us a statement:

DOT conducted emergency repair at the location to make it safe. The sinkhole was determined to be the result of a leak in a water pipe under NYC EDC jurisdiction. EDC has since deployed repair crews, and the hole will be covered to ensure safety until the repair work is complete.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Friday Video: Drool Over This London School Street

That's cricket! Check out how London transformed a roadway around a big stadium into a play street.

October 16, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines: Gateway ‘Terminator’ Edition

President Trump abruptly announced he'd "terminated" the Gateway Tunnel project while taking aim at Chuck Schumer. Plus more news.

October 16, 2025

Trump’s Electrification Cuts are Short-Sighted: Report

EV infrastructure is far more valuable to the nation's prosperity and jobs market than the White House believes, according to a new report.

October 16, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines: Another Highway Boondoggle Erased Edition

Maybe the worm has turned on these awful boondoggles? Plus other news.

October 15, 2025

Book Excerpt Special: ‘War on Cars’ Hosts Explore Life After the Automobile

...and why it's so urgent that we work for a better future.

October 15, 2025

State Pauses Billion-Dollar Route 17 Expansion in Hudson Valley

One of the biggest highway boondoggles in the state may finally die a merciful death, thanks to Gov. Hochul.

October 14, 2025
See all posts