By Carla Zanoni
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
INWOOD — Despite a recently completed $86 million renovation — $8.8 million of which was put toward overhauling a bicycle and pedestrian path — cyclists still have to dismount and walk their bikes across the Henry Hudson Bridge.
A publicized 2008 MTA plan for the renovation included “a bicycle path spanning the full length of the lower level roadway.”
But since completion of the project, riders have been greeted by a sign commanding them to walk their bikes across the bridge because the MTA prohibits bike riding on paths narrower than 10 feet, transportation site Streetsblog first reported.
“I thought it would be a great way to get to Riverdale, but was frustrated that I had to walk,” said 38-year-old Molly Hivens, a Washington Heights cyclist who found that at the end of the three-year project in June, she couldn't use the bridge as originally promised.
Despite the bike-riding ban, the MTA still considers the walkway a bike path, and notes that cyclists are not barred from crossing the new pedestrian path.
“Cyclists simply must dismount and walk their bikes while on the bridge as a safety measure," said MTA spokeswoman Joyce Mulvaney.
Mulvaney said the transportation agency has no plans to widen the pathway or to make new accommodations for cyclists, explaining that the agency’s priority is first and foremost for toll-paying motorists.
“The primary function of the bridge is to carry vehicular traffic,” she said. “And we cannot remove capacity for toll-paying customers in order to better serve cyclists."
