Bicycle Infrastructure

Crucial Greenway Bridge Reopens

Parks Department had initially said it would take more than a year to fix the Fort Washington Park Bike-Ped bridge over the Amtrak tracks. But it has reopened.

By Gersh Kuntzman

11:33 AM EST on November 9, 2018

The bridge over the Amtrak tracks in upper Manhattan ‚ a crucial link — reopened after a months-long campaign by Streetsblog and local cyclists. Photo: Joe Cutrufo.

Streetsblog gets action!

The Parks Department has reopened the Fort Washington Park bike and pedestrian path — a crucial span connecting upper Manhattan to the rest of the West Side Greenway — ahead of schedule after a months-long campaign by Streetsblog and local cyclists.

The bridge reopened Tuesday — though the Parks Department had originally told Streetsblog’s David Meyer that it had no timeline for reconstruction. At that time, it appeared the bridge would be closed for a year or more. After that story came out, the Parks Department committed to fixing the problem on a tighter timeframe.

Here's how the bridge looked when it was abruptly closed in August. Photo: Liz Marcello — Here’s how the bridge looked when it was abruptly closed in August. Photo: Liz Marcello

Of course, the reopening was not without some controversy, as some cyclists objected to a sign demanding riders dismount.

“What’s this about?” asked TransAlt’s Joe Cutrufo.

A Parks Department official tweeted back that the dismount rule is necessary as “a safety measure” because “the width of the bridge has been reduced” as repairs continue.

“So it’s no longer a bike path then,” sniped cyclist BrianVan.

The dismount rule is frustrating, but the restored link is crucial to hundreds of cyclists who need the bridge on their commutes from upper Manhattan to lower sections of the continent’s busiest greenway. Without the bridge, cyclists were given a convoluted and hilly detour.

Sure. Here are a couple screenshots of my route today. I also explored a little under the bridge and to where it connects to the Greenway to the north (arrow) before I returned and went up to Haven.

‘X’ is the closed wooden bridge. pic.twitter.com/6ZxY6Rawki
— majormajor42 (@majormajor42) September 1, 2018

Gersh Kuntzman

Tabloid legend Gersh Kuntzman has been with New York newspapers since 1989, including stints at the New York Daily News, the Post, the Brooklyn Paper and even a cup of coffee with the Times. He's also the writer and producer of "Murder at the Food Coop," which was a hit at the NYC Fringe Festival in 2016, and “SUV: The Musical” in 2007. He also writes the Cycle of Rage column, which is archived here.

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