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

Parks Dept. Indefinitely Shutters Crucial Fort Washington Park Bridge On Nation’s Busiest Greenway

Thou shalt not pass. This key bridge on the Hudson River Greenway will be out for more than a year. Photo: Liz Marcello

A key link in the uptown segment of the Hudson River Greenway has been out of commission for almost two weeks — and there's no timeline for when it will reopen.

The bridge as been the subject of Greenway users' ire because it has been in disrepair — and riven by holes above the Amtrak rails — for many months. Then on August 23, Streetsblog reported that someone — presumably from the Parks Department — attempted to patch it up with plywood. But the next day, the city announced that it had shut off access to the bridge completely so it could conduct a safety inspection "out of an abundance of caution."

Parks and DOT say they are planning "immediate repairs," which have yet to be scheduled, according to Parks Department spokesperson Crystal Howard. As such, the bridge remains closed.

As an alternative, the city wants commuters on the country's most popular bike path to exit via 181st Street and ride on local streets on a steep incline. The closest place to reenter the park is 23 blocks south, at 158th Street.

On Twitter, Jesse Levin shared an alternative — and treacherous — route that avoids exiting the park but is mostly on a dirt path and requires traversing an emergency service ramp a 35 mile-an-hour highway on-ramp.

Others have not been so brave.

"I'm too scared to try. I've just been riding Riverside Drive," said 186th Street resident Liz Marcello. "I have elderly neighbors In my building who had a daily routine of walking down to the river. And now they can't. It's so sad."

A full-scale $5.7 million rehabilitation of the bridge has been in the works for nearly a decade, but just wrapped up design last month — two and a half years behind schedule. The Parks Department did not provide an explanation for the delays or a timeline moving forward.

The immediate repair work will be done by DOT, but it has not been scheduled yet. The Parks Department said it is not clear how long the work will take -- any repair work has to be scheduled in coordination with Amtrak.

Hard to imagine the same scenario if this crucial roadway carried cars instead of bikes and pedestrians.

Update: Reader Kevin Krautle provided a little more insight into the route described above.

https://twitter.com/kevinkrautle/status/1037411555464433664

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Talking Headways Podcast: Talking with Ryan Russo (Yes, THAT Ryan Russo) About Bike Networks

The head of NACTO (and maybe the head of NYC DOT in waiting?) talks to America's leading transportation podcast.

August 26, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines: Pay-to-Play Edition

Well-founded delivery app lobbyists are running roughshod at the City Council. Plus more news.

August 26, 2025

Mamdani Pledges to Finish Adams’s Abandoned Bike and Bus Lanes Amid City Hall Bribery Scandal

Mamdani vowed to complete street redesigns that Mayor Adams killed due to political pressure and, in at least one case, alleged bribes.

August 25, 2025

Monday’s Headlines: Summer Streets Post Mortem Edition

One last halcyonic look at Summer Streets. Plus a veritable encyclopedia of news from the weekend.

August 25, 2025

STREETSBLOG ABROAD: We’ll Never Have Paris … Unless We Start Rebuilding Our City Like The French Did

Où es-tu allée, Anne Hidalgo? Notre ville tourne vers vous ses yeux solitaires.

August 25, 2025

INVASION OF THE BODY-SNATCHERS: Self-Driving Taxis Have Come for Your Roads, Jobs

What could possibly go wrong? Perhaps we get safer streets. Perhaps every taxi driver loses his or her job.

August 25, 2025
See all posts