Mamdani Administration Launches Next Round of Planning Process to Build More Than 40 Miles of Greenways in Outer Boroughs

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IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 26, 2026
Contact: (212) 839-4850, [email protected]

Mamdani Administration Launches Next Round of Planning Process to Build More Than 40 Miles of Greenways in Outer Boroughs

Public engagement will begin on four greenway implementation plans: Bronx Waterfront, Historic Brooklyn, Staten Island Waterfront and Southern Queens

New Yorkers encouraged to provide feedback and attend workshops

NEW YORK - New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Mike Flynn, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation (Parks) Commissioner Tricia Shimamura and New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) President Anthony Shorris today announced that the city will kick off planning processes to develop four greenways in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Southern Queens beginning this fall.

"Greenways connect New Yorkers to parks, jobs, and other major neighborhood destinations with safe paths to walk, run, or bike. We're excited to conduct a community-driven planning process so New Yorkers can share their vision for generational public space upgrades in their neighborhoods," said New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn. "I encourage everyone to make your voices heard about the future of these greenways at one of our workshops."

"All New Yorkers should be able to enjoy our city's world-class parks, open spaces, and waterfront, and our greenways play an essential part in making that possible. By investing in our citywide greenway network, we're making it easier for New Yorkers to bike, walk, or jog from neighborhood to neighborhood," said NYC Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura. "We want our greenways to be there for New Yorkers, whether you're biking to work, going for a stroll with your neighbors, or just taking in some fresh air. We're excited to begin our public engagement process to hear directly from New Yorkers what they'd like to see as we make this expansion a reality."

"Our greenways are vital economic infrastructure that create safe, efficient, and resilient travel corridors, but they are also cherished public spaces and the New Yorkers who use them every day deserve a real voice in shaping their future," said New York City Economic Development Corporation President & CEO Anthony Shorris. "As NYCEDC works alongside on partners at NYC DOT and NYC Parks to deliver these generational projects in the outer boroughs, we're excited to hear directly from the communities these greenways will serve, and I encourage New Yorkers to join us in this collaboration."

Public engagement will begin next week for the Bronx Waterfront Greenway planning process. When complete, the Bronx corridor will connect Randall's Island Park to SUNY Maritime over 15 miles.

Bronx Waterfront Greenway Public Engagement Schedule

New York City invites the public to the first round of community workshops, focused on existing conditions, to share specific comments, suggestions, concerns, and ideas. Sign up at https://nycdotprojects.info/greenways.

Bronx Waterfront Implementation Plan Existing Conditions Workshops

• In-Person: Wednesday, November 4, 6-8 p.m., The BankNote Building, 1231 Lafayette Ave. Bronx, NY 10474
• Virtual: Thursday, December 3, 6-8 p.m.
• New Yorkers can register online for one or both workshops here.

Visit nyc.gov/Greenways for more information.

Workshops for the remaining early action greenway corridors in Brooklyn, Staten Island and Queens will begin in 2027.

The four early action corridors are part of six new greenway plans the city is developing in the outer boroughs funded by a federal RAISE grant awarded to the City in 2022. The city expects to complete plans for all six greenways by 2028 and will use the planning process to identify both near-term and long-term improvements for each corridor.

Bronx Waterfront, Randall's Island Park to SUNY Maritime (15 miles): From Randall's Island eastward, the greenway will simplify commutes to industrial job centers like Hunts Point and improve the connections between waterfront parks in the Soundview and Throggs Neck neighborhoods.

Historic Brooklyn, Coney Island to Highland Park (12 miles): This planning process will explore new connections to the United States' oldest bike lanes on Ocean and Eastern Parkways, filling gaps in the greenway network running from the southern tip of Brooklyn at Coney Island to the border of Brooklyn and Queens at Highland Park. The route will connect to Broadway Junction, providing commuters at one of Brooklyn's busiest transit hubs with new cycling routes to some of the largest green spaces in the borough like Prospect Park.

Staten Island Waterfront, Goethals Bridge to Verrazzano Bridge (10 miles): This greenway will provide an east-west cycling and walking route across the entire North Shore of Staten Island. It will create major connections to EDC projects including the Tompkinsville Esplanade and New Stapleton Waterfront, as well as existing destinations like the St. George Ferry Terminal, the Goethals Bridge, and the East Shore beachfront.

Southern Queens, Spring Creek Park to Brookville Park (7 miles): The Southern Queens Greenway will transform access to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), complementing ongoing work by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to create a new and simplified roadway network and other infrastructure upgrades. This corridor-located in an area with limited cycling infrastructure-will also directly connect to the existing Jamaica Bay Greenway and parks in Southeast Queens, providing an important network expansion in the area.

NYC DOT, Parks, and EDC are working collaboratively to develop implementation plans for each corridor. NYC DOT will identify and implement near-term projects along the routes while simultaneously developing plans for long-term projects. Near-term projects will include the installation of markings, signs, and limited concrete work on city streets, while subsequent long-term projects will include more complex, permanent improvements to be constructed with future capital funds.

Plans will build upon the December 2025 release of the Harlem River Greenway Implementation Plan in the Bronx, which followed a similar collaborative, community-based process. The city continues to work on the Queens Waterfront Greenway Implementation Plan. All this work is guided by the Greater Greenways Plan, released by the City in 2025, which laid out a vision for expanding greenways citywide and established an important baseline defining greenway systems, jurisdictions, and specific projects.

Greenways are continuous corridors designed for human-powered and electric-assist transportation and recreation. Greenways are inherently cross-jurisdictional, weaving between waterfronts, parks, and streets. Expanding the city's greenway network will bring neighborhoods together, providing all New Yorkers with unparalleled opportunities to safely walk, run, bike, or just enjoy beautiful green spaces.

"Equitably expanding greenway and cycling infrastructure in Southeast Queens isn't just smart policy. It sends a strong message that our streets can and will be safe for all who use them, regardless of how they use them," said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. "These historically maligned communities have long deserved active transportation and recreation, as well as easier park access and the associated health benefits that come from better roadways. I encourage all our neighbors to make your voices heard and participate in the public engagement portion of this project."

"Our neighborhoods deserve investments that make Brooklyn safer, healthier, and more connected. The Historic Brooklyn Greenway is an exciting opportunity to build on the improvements underway around Prospect Park, expand access to our green spaces, and strengthen connections across our borough," said New York State Assembly Member Brian A. Cunningham. "I'm especially excited about what this means for Central Brooklyn families and look forward to ensuring our communities have a meaningful voice as this vision takes shape."

"We are excited to see the kick off to improve bike lanes along Eastern Parkway!" said Assembly Member Phara Souffrant Forrest. "These improvements will make it easier for our residents to access parks, public spaces, and transit hubs."

"For too long, Staten Island's North Shore waterfront has been an untapped opportunity," said Assembly Member Charles D. Fall. "The proposed Staten Island Waterfront Greenway is a chance to reconnect our neighborhoods, expand public access to our shoreline, and create a waterfront that truly serves the people who call it home."

"A continuous 15-mile greenway along the Bronx waterfront would be an incredible addition to our borough, especially when you consider how many communities, parks, and employment centers it could connect. For residents in Soundview, having a safer, more direct way to reach neighboring waterfront parks or commute to major employment centers like Hunts Point could make a tremendous difference. Our borough has so much economic potential, and we should be making it easier for Bronxites to access the jobs, businesses, and opportunities available throughout the Bronx. The more connected our communities are, the more opportunity we have to strengthen our local economy," said Council Member Amanda Farías, co-chair of the Bronx delegation. "I look forward to the thoughtful planning ahead and the opportunity for our Bronx neighbors to play an active role in shaping this transformative effort. Their input will help identify where connections are most needed, how we can improve safety and accessibility, and which investments will have the greatest impact on residents and local businesses. I thank DOT, Parks, and EDC for advancing this effort and look forward to what we can accomplish together."

"Staten Island's North Shore deserves a waterfront that is accessible, connected, and welcoming to everyone," said Council Member Kamillah M. Hanks. "This greenway is about more than creating new pathways. It's about connecting our neighborhoods, improving safety, and opening up our waterfront for families to enjoy. I look forward to working with NYC DOT and our community to ensure the voices of North Shore residents help shape this exciting investment in our future."

"The NYC Greenways Coalition celebrates this long awaited four borough announcement kicking off planning for four action corridors in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. This is an important next step to expand New York City's greenway network in many underserved communities across a wide swath of the city- Central Brooklyn, the South Bronx, southern Queens and the north shore of Staten Island," said Hunter Armstrong, co-chair of NYC Greenways Coalition. "Our 50+ member organization believes greenways are critical infrastructure to address New York City's pressing social, environmental, transportation, public health, and economic issues. A massive expansion of our Citywide Greenway network will dramatically increase the city's ability to equitably deliver affordable and green mobility options, to create open space and environmental benefits, to improve public health and social cohesion, and to enhance safe access to jobs and economic development to many more New Yorkers. We hope this will be a robust planning process that will result in greenway implementation soon in these communities."

"It is imperative that the City of New York, NYC DOT, NYC Parks, and NYC EDC maintain a unified commitment to constructing a fully connected, citywide greenway network so that every New Yorker, regardless of zip code, enjoys safe and equal access to their parks, greenways, and waterfronts," said Chauncy Young, coordinator, Harlem River Coalition, co-chair, NYC Greenways Coalition, vice president, Bronx Council for Environmental Quality. "As community residents and advocates, we are proud to partner with the city on this vision, while continuing our duty to hold our leaders accountable every step of the way. This commitment must start by prioritizing historically overlooked communities like those in the Bronx. The new Bronx Waterfront Greenway builds seamlessly on the momentum of the Harlem River Greenway, expanding multi-modal routes from the Randalls Island Connector all the way to SUNY Maritime. To make this network truly functional for Bronx residents, the city must also incorporate crucial East-West routes, including a future Tremont Greenway."

"We're excited that public workshops for four much-anticipated early-action greenway corridors will soon get underway, starting with public engagement around the Bronx Waterfront Greenway. Greenways are essential infrastructure that contribute immeasurably to physical wellbeing, mental health, recreational opportunities, and economic activity, and serve as vital links in the city's cycling and pedestrian networks," said Eric McClure, executive director of StreetsPAC. "We're looking forward to taking part in the process, and couldn't be happier that we are one step closer to cutting the ribbons on multiple new greenway segments."

"Our city's greenways are a wonderful shared space for recreation and community. Expanding this safe, pleasant, and sustainable infrastructure to more communities is a great way to build a healthier, more vibrant NYC," said Sara Lind, co-executive director at Open Plans. "We're excited by the vision for these future greenways and by the opportunity for local communities to help make them even better. We can't wait to see these projects become reality."