New Yorkers hoping for a white Christmas will almost certainly get a greener one – thanks to the opening of a brand new park space on the Upper East Side.
The East Midtown Greenway and Andrew Haswell Green Park, which was inaugurated on Tuesday, expands waterfront access from East 53rd to East 61st St. and advances the city’s objective of constructing a 32-mile public land loop that encircles all of Manhattan.
The roughly $200 million, three-acre project gives the densely crowded East Midtown and Upper East Side a little amount of green space. The new green area features a park, a bike lane, a pedestrian bridge, and a pedestrian walkway (entry points are 53rd and 61st streets).
“The opening of the East Midtown Greenway and Andrew Haswell Green Park represents another major step forward by the Adams administration to finish the long-envisioned Manhattan Greenway,” stated Andrew Kimball, president-CEO of the New York City Economic Development Corp. “These remarkable capital projects will not only improve quality of life for New Yorkers but expand opportunities to commute by bike or foot while enjoying spectacular views on the East River.”
The project was constructed by the contracting company Skanska and was overseen by NYCEDC and the city’s Parks Department. The greenway will continue south to 41st St. as part of a larger citywide plan to make the Big Apple greener.
In October, Mayor Adams revealed plans to construct 60 miles of shoreline public space in Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Staten Island, therefore enlarging the Big Apple’s greenway routes. The city began construction of a 7-mile corridor in March, which would connect the Bronx’s Van Cortlandt Park to Randalls Island.
