East River Esplanade

Nyc Parks Announces $75 Million In Mayoral Funding For Ongoing Reconstruction Of East River Esplanade Projects

State of good repair projects include Harlem, E. 90s and Midtown East sections of esplanade

Today, NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP, joined Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney; Manhattan Deputy Borough President Matthew Washington; Council Member Ben Kallos; Mili Bonilla, Chief of Staff for Council Member Diana Ayala; Nilsa Orama, Manhattan Community Board 11 Chair; Cynthia Rodriguez, District Director for Congressman Adriano Espaillat; Terell Brock, Community Liaison for State Senator Jose M. Serrano; Barry Schneider, Manhattan Community Board 8 Parks and Waterfront Committee Co-Chair, and East Sixties Neighborhood Association President; and Judy Schneider, East Sixties Neighborhood Association to announce that Mayor Bill de Blasio has allocated additional funding, $75 million, to further East River Esplanade reconstruction projects spanning from East Midtown through East Harlem.

“Thanks to Mayor de Blasio’s continued commitment to addressing waterfront needs, we are able to continue the extensive work of bringing our beloved East River Esplanade into a state of good repair,” said Commissioner Silver. “New York City is hundreds of years old and much of the work we are doing here fixes vital infrastructure so that for decades to come we can enjoy our esplanade, greenway, and public piers.”

Monies from the $75 million funding have been allocated, in part, to three East River Esplanade projects:

• East Harlem, E. 114th to E. 117th streets—$25 million project
  • $15 million – from new $75 million Mayoral funding
  • $4 million – from previously allocated Mayoral funding
  • $6 million – from former City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Council Member Diana Ayala

• Upper East Side, E. 90th to E. 94th streets—$35.5 million project
  • $16 million – from new $75 million Mayoral funding
  • $18 million – previously allocated Mayoral funding

• Midtown East, E. 62nd to E. 63rd streets—$22.3 million project
  • $23.3 million – from new $75 million Mayoral funding

“Mayor de Blasio’s investment in the East River Esplanade will help revive a beloved staple in the East Harlem community. I would like to thank Commissioner Silver, the Parks Department, and my colleagues in the City Council who helped prioritize funding for the restoration of this structure. While there is still a lot of work to do, this is a significant step in the right direction,” said Council Member Diana Ayala.

“Parts of the East River Esplanade are literally collapsed into the river with closures throughout after generations of neglect. We are now rebuilding the East River Esplanade piece by piece and block by block. Today’s $75 million brings total public and private funding to over $275 million to reopen it today and rebuild it for future generations,” said Council Member Ben Kallos, Co-Chair of the East River Esplanade Taskforce. “Thank you to Mayor Bill de Blasio for his first in a generation investment, Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver for his stewardship, and to my East River Esplanade Taskforce Co-Chair Congress Member Carolyn Maloney for her partnership.”

These three East River Esplanade projects are currently in design. The scope of work varies by location and within each project’s site—the range of anticipated work includes repair and rehabilitation of existing components, to full reconstruction of structures.

The allocation of the balance of the $75 million, $21 million, will be determined once Parks and EDC complete ongoing esplanade site inspections.

NYC Parks cares for 30 percent of the City’s nearly 520 miles of waterfront.

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