CENTRAL PARK — The running track that wraps around the Central Park Reservoir will get a $3 million upgrade starting in June, the Central Park Conservancy announced.
The track will be re-paved with the same crushed stone currently used along the 1.58-mile stretch, the Conservancy said in a statement. It will also get a new concrete curb along its outer portion and an inner metal edge to help sustain the surface, which often gets washed or kicked away.
The Conservancy's hope is that the restoration will fix the track's uneven and rutted surface, as well as cut down on flooding and resulting erosion.
After heavy rain or wet weather, the dirt running track is often covered in puddles and muddy holes, the Conservancy said. Large swaths of standing water that accumulate along the uneven surface have to then be swept away by staffers over the following days.
Sometimes the water damage is so extensive that parts of the track get cordoned off.
Work on the track, which sits between 86th and 96th streets and spans nearly the whole width of the park, will be done in five stages to avoid disrupting activity.
"No one’s run will be interrupted by the project," the Conservancy said in the statement.
When a section is being worked on, runners will be diverted to the adjacent Bridle Path, the Conservancy added.
The Conservancy is also seeking donations for the project.
