When will the Manhattan Bridge Bike Path Ever Be Finished?

By Steve Faust, 1997

The Manhattan Bridge side paths have been closed since the 1960s — there was one on each side.

The concrete paths literally fell apart, and the ornate cast iron railings were rusting through. Also, I think there was fears of pedestrians jumping and throwing things from the outside edge paths. Pedestrian and bike access didn’t count for much in the 50’s and 60’s compared to running a neat and tidy bridge.

The roadways of the bridge are bike unfriendly. The traffic volumes are high, lanes are narrow, trucks are heavy and the expansion joints will eat a wheel to the hub. Otherwise, a lovely ride...

The current NYC DOT reconstruction contract is supposed to include the reconstruction and reopening of the south/Brooklyn bound side path from the Bowery to Jay Street. The contract is for major structural (heavy steelwork) repairs of the entire south side of the bridge — this is why the BMT Broadway subway is closed as well as the Brooklyn bound upper level roadway have been closed for years. The side path is just a small incidental part of a much larger project.

This contract is seriously behind schedule. The most recent hang-up is the "discovery" that the old paint contains lead (big surprise!?!) and must be "abated". This is slowing the job by possibly another year or two! It’s playing havoc on the Brooklyn-Manhattan subway services as well (my work interest.) This part of the work was supposed to have been completed already!

Several items still require our attention:

1. The Brooklyn exit/entrance will be Jay St. 150 yards up the hill from Sands St. There is an off ramp from the upper level right here that large numbers of cars and trucks use to access the BQE Via Sands St. There is presently no traffic signal at this point, as one is not presently needed.

   Several years ago (I make this point because my information may not be up to date) the City DOT stated that is was unlikely that they would install a signal here just for the bike ped crossing. We should all go north 150 yards down the hill to Sands street to cross. I believe that at least a user actuated traffic light should be located here since most bike and peds will be heading SOUTH away from the water towards downtown Brooklyn. This is an accident being designed.

2. We have never seen the final designs for the railings of the path.
   These can be graceful or ugly, we don’t know. They may be bike friendly, in height, surface, shape, or they may have sharp edges that catch cyclists.
   We should be reviewing and advising the DOT on this. Other features on the path including lighting, security phones, benches, rest areas, transitions around the towers, and the path’s width, are all unknowns.

3. At the Manhattan end, there will need to be a traffic treatment of the entrance/exit at the Bowery. There are some of the same problems here as on Jay St. We should help the DOT to design a facility that helps bridge cyclists and pedestrians to merge with the traffic flows naturally, not fight traffic and each other like at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge.