greenway62011
The Department of Transportation is making progress on piecing together permissions for the greenway along the Brooklyn waterfront uniting the borough from Bay Ridge to Greenpoint, with construction scheduled to start in Red Hook this summer, The Wall Street Journal reported. When complete, the pedestrian and bike way will run for 14 miles and eventually, it is hoped, connect to Queens.

Three more sections of the envisioned 14-mile Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway have been placed on the construction calendar by the city Department of Transportation, advancing a project that eventually will make it easier for pedestrians and cyclists to travel between Greenpoint and Bay Ridge. The DOT said it hopes to start construction on the pedestrian-and-bike path in parts of Red Hook this summer. Preliminary plans for two other portions of the greenway have also been approved in Greenpoint and by the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

The Red Hook portion should make the neighborhood more accessible to cyclists by extending the existing Columbia Street bike lanes to a park near Fairway. Van Brunt Street is also slated to receive bike lanes. The Red Hook additions are estimated to cost about $12.5 million, the Journal reported. The Navy Yard will also be transformed, if the plan is carried out, with bike lanes along Flushing Avenue and new parks and paths inside the Yard. One idea being floated is a meadow of native plants with a raised walkway. A little background for those who have not been following the greenway’s progress: The DOT officially announced the plan, consisting of 23 separate capital projects, in June. Five miles of the path already exist. The whole thing is expected to cost $150 to $200 million, and is being funded in every which way, from city agencies to private sources to federal funding. Meanwhile, the DOT plan to remove some of Vinegar Hill’s historic cobblestones is not part of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway, according to the Journal.
Piecing Together Brooklyn Greenway [WSJ]
Closing Bell: Brooklyn Greenway Comes to Red Hook [Brownstoner]


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment