East Harlem Waterfront Repairs Languish As Esplanade Crumbles

EAST HARLEM, NY — When state officials unveiled plans this month to convert an unsightly pier on Manhattan's West Side into a sparkling new waterfront park, some residents of East Harlem may have glanced over to a decaying pier in their own neighborhood, where promised repairs have yet to materialize.

For years, residents have complained of deteriorating conditions along East Harlem's section of the East River Esplanade, a nine-mile walkway running up to 124th Street. Long stretches are partly or entirely blocked to pedestrians and bicyclists due to unsafe conditions, and Pier 107, formerly a popular gathering spot, has been fenced off for years as it crumbles into the East River.

"It's in a significant state of disrepair," said Assemblymember Robert Rodriguez, who has pushed the city for years to fix the Esplanade in his district.

The decay has worsened despite multiple promises by the city and state to refurbish East Harlem's waterfront. In 2016, Gov. Andrew Cuomo pledged $1 million toward rehabilitating Pier 107, and the city dedicated more than $66 million in 2019 to repair sections of the Esplanade in East Harlem.

Years later, Rodriguez has seen few signs of progress.

"I don't think there's any work being done," Rodriguez said.

Repairs are supposed to begin this year on a roughly three-block stretch between 114th and 117th streets that is completely closed off, severing the Esplanade's upper and lower portions, according to a Parks Department project map.

That work will start once the city gets approval from the state Department of Environmental Conservation, a Parks Department spokesperson told Patch.

Meanwhile, five partial closures between 94th and 111th streets have no funding attached for repairs, as the city promises "further investigation."

'The inequity is stark'

The state of East Harlem's waterfront is especially galling compared to the Esplanade's better conditions on the more affluent Upper East Side, said Rodriguez, whose office released a report in 2015 documenting the differences between the two neighborhoods.

"The inequity is stark," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez praised public-private partnerships, like the one with Rockefeller University, that helped fund Esplanade repairs near Rockefeller's campus in the East Sixties. Further uptown, however, the Esplanade is bordered mostly by public housing.

"Because there's no opportunities there for development, we don't get any investment where we need it most," he said. "That just screams of inequality and unfairness."

Some work has, in fact, been done recently in East Harlem, according to a Parks Department spokesperson, who pointed to $400,000 in railing and landscaping work finished last summer above 124th Street. Work may also begin by 2022 on a new waterfront park between 125th and 132nd streets.

"We are committed to repairing vital infrastructure in East Harlem and ensuring that New Yorkers can enjoy the esplanade for decades to come," Parks spokesperson Megan Moriarty said.

A new push

Now, hoping to push the city and state into action, a group of advocates is planning a renewed campaign for repairs.

"We're at our wits' end about the East Harlem waterfront," said Jennifer Ratner, founder of the group Friends of the East River Esplanade, which is planning to lead the push along with Rodriguez, Community Board 11 and the nonprofit CIVITAS.

Echoing Rodriguez, Ratner said the Upper East Side's waterfront needs have often been met more quickly, pointing to a sinkhole on 76th Street that was repaired in October just three months after it appeared. Meanwhile, similar sinkholes in East Harlem have only grown larger.

"It’s a safety issue," she said. "Are they sure that these areas are not going to collapse during heavy precipitation?"

The groups plan to write letters to the city requesting a firm timeline for repairs. In the meantime, there is little to do except wait for word from the city.

"We are at the mercy of the powers that be," Rodriguez said. "And right now they are merciless in their neglect."

Related East Harlem waterfront coverage:

• East Harlem Waterfront Park Moving Ahead, City Says
• City Neglects East Harlem Pier Repairs, Report Says
  
• City Invests $75M More In East River Esplanade Fixes