Parks-loving nonprofit to unveil five new proposed routes through Mott Haven to Randalls Island
New York Restoration Project, the group founded by Bette Midler, wants to plan and pay for bike lanes and streetscape improvements to make a trip to the ballfields safer.
BY BEN KOCHMAN NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Tuesday, February 3, 2015, 9:31 PM
They’re finding a way to connect the dots for bikers and bipeds in the South Bronx.
A parks-loving city nonprofit will unveil five separate routes that could provide a safe passage through Mott Haven and onto Randalls Island.
The New York Restoration Project – founded in 1995 by singer Bette Midler – aims to plan and pay for the paths.
The network would also provide a conduit to the long-anticipated path that will connect E. 132nd St. to Randalls Island.
The nonprofit will present concepts of its “Haven Project” at a 6:30 p.m. meeting Thursday at the NYC Montessori Charter School on E. 138th St.
The group’s architects drew up an array of routes to safely shepherd bikers and walkers under the heavily trafficked Bruckner and Major Deegan Expressways, said project director Casey Peterson.
They hope to work with the city to build new bike lanes, and spruce up existing pathways with lighting and greenery, Peterson added.
Midler’s group aims to finalize its plan by the spring, when it will start drumming up the funds.
The push is only the latest investment in the land below E. 138th St., where the Harlem River meets the East River.
The New York City Housing Authority recently applied for a $30 million federal grant to revitalize the area, and local coalition South Bronx Unite drew state attention with a plan to build six new waterfront parks.
