One Of NYC's 'Most Important' Cycling Routes To Close For Months

UPPER WEST SIDE, MANHATTAN — Repairs for Hurricane Sandy damage will shut down one of the city's most popular bike paths for at least two months this year and so far the city hasn't come up with other ways for cyclists to get around during construction.

Members of Community Board 7's Transportation Committee voted Tuesday to ask that the city look into providing alternate routes for cyclists when a recently-announced plan to close a large swath of the West Side Greenway known as the Cherry Walk starts later this year.

The vote comes after pushback from cycling advocates who say the Parks Department hasn't given enough notice or fully planned for the closure since telling advocacy groups about it last month.

"Major links in the network cannot simply be suspended because of an event or a construction project without thought given to alternate routes and detours," Bike New York Advocacy Director Jon Orcutt wrote in a letter to the department. "That obviously requires substantial advance notice and coordination with the cycling communities and other agencies."

The closure, first reported by Streetsblog, will shut down part of Cherry Walk — which runs from West 72nd Street to West 158th Street in Riverside Park — for at least two months so officials can repair where the path and its shoreline was impacted by Hurricane Sandy, board members said.

It is part of a nearly $2 million project started in 2013 and led by the city and federal government to reconstruct parts of Riverside Park South, Riverside Park and Fort Washington Park that were damaged in the 2012 hurricane.

Parks officials contend that they still have time to work out the details of the closure.

"The Cherry Walk closure plan is still in development," a spokesperson said. "We understand the concerns of cyclists who use the Greenway every day, and we welcome community input as we finalize this plan for necessary safety and infrastructure work."

But advocates argue that the news seemed last-minute and should have more details at this point.

Parks officials said they first started meeting with cycling groups in December about the project, but, according to Bike New York's letter the Cherry Walk closure was revealed in a meeting in late January.

The closure is expected to start sometime this spring.

Orcutt's letter asks the Parks Commissioner for exact closure dates, the exact greenway segment that will be closed and "details on the nature of the work and improvements that will be executed."

"We appreciate Parks’ intent to maintain or upgrade this section of the greenway," Orcutt wrote. "However, in future, Bike New York would appreciate much more advance notice for the closure of important cycling links in the city’s park system."