INWOOD — Cyclists and wheelchair users headed to Manhattan's West Side greenway will have to wait nearly a year for a planned ramp connecting it to the neighborhood, city officials said.
The ramp that will eventually link Dyckman Street to the greenway's pedestrian and cycling paths was scheduled to open in September 2014, but has now been delayed by an additional 10 months, according to the Parks Department.
At a recent meeting of Community Board 12's Parks Committee, a department representative said they now expect it to open on July 15.
The hold-up was caused by complications at the construction site, including boulders that required excavation and the relocation of an existing drainage system at the site, a Parks spokesman said.
The Americans With Disabilities Act compliant ramp, which will begin at Dyckman Street near the southbound exit of the Henry Hudson Parkway, will offer an alternative to the flight of stairs at Dyckman Street. The next closest entrance, which does offer a ramp, is 20 blocks away at 180th Street.
Edith Prentiss, a disability advocate who lives uptown, acknowledged that the delay isn't ideal but said she'd rather see any issues addressed before the ramp opens.
“You don’t want it opened and then re-closed for repairs," she said. "You want it done the right way the first time.”
The $6 million ramp project, which will include new lighting and plantings, is part of a larger effort to improve Fort Washington Park under the city’s PlaNYC strategic vision.
Some of the already completed projects include a new playground, two new baseball fields, five volleyball courts and bike paths in the southern end of the park. The pedestrian bridge at West 180th Street is also slated for rehabilitation.
Altogether, the improvements will cost $30.4 million.
Prentiss added that the ramp will be a welcome addition to the neighborhood.
“I personally look forward to it," she said. "When the ramp is done, almost everyone will have equal utilization of the greenway, and that’s important.”
