NYC PARKS, DDC, AND LOCAL PARTNERS HOST COMMUNITY DAY CELEBRATING THE REOPENING OF CORLEARS HOOK BRIDGE AND OTHER SECTIONS OF EAST RIVER PARK

The Corlears Hook Bridge reopens to the East Side community, with an event featuring live performances at the amphitheater and sports activities across multiple fields.

NYC Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa, the NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC), the Department of Transportation (DOT), and community partners gathered today to celebrate the opening of additional sections of the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) Project-including the reopening of the Corlears Hook Bridge, the reconstructed amphitheater, and the newly restored sports fields at East River Park.

As part of the ESCR Project, East River Park is being rebuilt at a higher elevation to provide long-term flood protection for over 110,000 residents and businesses along a 2.4-mile stretch of Manhattan's East Side. Managed by DDC, the project recently reached another major milestone with the September 5 opening of significant new sections at the park's southern end. These include a reconstructed amphitheater, six new tennis courts at the Brian Watkins Tennis Center, improved access to the Corlears Hook Ferry, and the new Corlears Hook Bridge spanning the FDR Drive.

This progress builds on earlier openings: basketball courts, BBQ areas, and passive lawns, which debuted in May 2025, while the new Delancey Street Bridge and Ballfields 1 and 2 opened in September 2024.

"This celebration is about more than reopening a bridge-it's about reconnecting a community to its park," said NYC Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa. "With the reopening of the Corlears Hook Bridge, amphitheater, and sports courts, the East Side community once again has direct access to vital open space for play, performance, and gathering. These milestones in the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project are a testament to the strong partnerships between Parks, DDC, DOT, DEP, and our neighbors, and to our shared commitment to creating a more resilient and vibrant waterfront for generations to come."

"Our coastal resiliency projects continue to create better recreational opportunities while protecting open space, this time with a new East River Park amphitheatre plus tennis courts and better park access via the new Corlears Hook Bridge," said NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Acting Commissioner Eduardo del Valle. "The new East River Park areas also connect to Pier 42 to the south and the amenities built there in the last few years by NYC Parks and NYC EDC. Along with close to 3,000 new trees to be planted in the park and in surrounding communities, East Side Coastal Resiliency is creating better, greener and safer neighborhoods for New Yorkers who need them."

"Today's reopening of the Corlears Hook Bridge and other sections of East River Park marks another major milestone for the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project. By raising the park and integrating flood protection with new recreation spaces, we're proving that safe cities can also be vibrant and healthy cities," said DEP Deputy Commissioner for Bureau of Coastal Resilience Laurian Farrell. "Even large-scale infrastructure can have positive impacts at the human scale - and our job is to keep striking that balance as we build shoreline defenses for the more than 110,000 New Yorkers who live, work, and play along Manhattan's East Side."

This celebration was made possible by the tireless efforts of community groups who advocated for an event to mark the completion of the Corlears Hook Bridge, amphitheater, sports courts, and fields. These groups include FAB NYC, Moving Culture Projects, Good Old Lower East Side, Lower East Side Creative People in Action, GOH Productions, East River Alliance NYC, Friends of Corlears Hook Park, Lower East Side Ecology Center, Henry Street Settlement, and more!

The celebration kicked off with a vibrant processional across the newly reopened Corlears Hook Bridge, leading the crowd to the park's amphitheater for a day of community-centered festivities. Attendees enjoyed live music, recreational clinics on the basketball, soccer, and tennis courts, and a brief speaking program which brought energy and excitement to the event.

The community hosted a lively cookout, while the Urban Park Rangers engaged visitors with hands-on urban ecology education. Attendees also enjoyed art activations, stewardship activities, and tabling on park permitting and resources. The Lower East Side Ecology Center was on site, leading a guided native plant and stewardship walk. Community members also had the opportunity to learn how to get involved with East River Park and explore the history of the park and its resilient infrastructure.

The $1.45 billion ESCR project uses raised parkland, floodwalls, berms, and 18 swinging or sliding floodgates to create a continuous line of protection against sea level rise and stronger coastal storms driven by climate change. The northern project area, Project Area 2, began in November 2020 and was completed in October 2024-two months ahead of schedule and $10 million under budget. The southern section, Project Area 1, including the full reconstruction of East River Park, is underway and expected to finish by early 2027.

ESCR has yielded improvements to five major recreation areas. Stuyvesant Cove Park was rebuilt with new amenities and flood protection. Murphy Brothers Playground, which reopened last year, now includes a dog run, ballfields, new courts, lighting, and playground equipment. At Asser Levy Playground, a new floodwall and gate were added, along with landscaping and resilient play and sports areas. A section of Corlears Hook Park remains under construction, with upgrades like new plantings, lighting, and play areas. Ballfields in East River Park and the larger, more accessible Delancey Street Bridge opened in September 2024.