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New Pedestrian Footbridge Will Make Riverside Park More Accessible

By Gustavo Solis | November 24, 2014 5:38pm
 A pedestrian footbridge is going to connect Hamilton Heights to Riverside Park.
Building Bridges
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HAMILTON HEIGHTS — It’s going to be a little easier to get to Riverside Park.

The New York State Department of Transportation secured $20 million in funding to build a pedestrian footbridge on West 151st Street to connect Hamilton Heights with the river-front park.

“We believe that this project will be a tremendous benefit to the community and we look forward to building it for you,” Charles O’Shea, the NYSDOT’s director of external relations for New York City, said at a recent Community Board 9 meeting.

The bridge project, which will go out for bidding in February, is expected to be completed by the end of 2016, NYSDOT representatives told board members.

A portion of the Henry Hudson Parkway will be closed for three days between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. during construction. A small section of Riverside Park will be closed during the wintertime, the representatives added.

When completed, the 280-foot-long bridge will allow pedestrians and bicyclists to cross over the highway and into the park. The bridge will have an ADA-compliant ramp.

State Assemblyman Denny Farrell helped land some of the $20 million needed to design and build the bridge.

He hopes the bridge makes it easier for people, especially the elderly and folks with strollers, to get into Riverside Park.

“It’s a beautiful park but it’s impossible to get down there,” he said.

Currently, the only footbridge over the parkway is on West 145th Street. That bridge connects people to Riverbank State Park. If they want to go to Riverside Park they need to walk down the stairs or take an elevator.