Officials to Discuss East 81st Street Pedestrian Bridge at Public Forum Wednesday

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Officials will update Upper East Side residents on a stalled neighborhood construction project this week.

On Wednesday, Sept. 14 a public forum will be held to discuss the status of the East 81st Street pedestrian bridge construction project.

The project calls for the restoration of a pedestrian bridge connecting East 81st Street with the East River Esplanade via an elevated walkway over the FDR Drive. The renovated bridge will include a wheelchair-accessible ramp to make the pedestrian bridge compliant with federal regulations.

Recently construction work on the project has come to a standstill, DNAinfo reported in July.

"Work has been halted on the 81st Street access ramp and we need to know why," Margaret Price, design committee co-chair of Community Board 8 told DNAinfo. "We want to get this project finished. It's been dragging on too long … and too much taxpayer money is being wasted. We must put a stop to this and get it going."

While officials were hesitant to answer any questions about why the construction has stalled in July, it appears as if those questions will be answered Wednesday. The Community Board 8 calendar reads that the public forum will provide: "A status report of the work on all aspects of the East 81st Street Pedestrian Bridge project."

According to a database of city construction projects, work on the East 81st Pedestrian Bridge is expected to be completed by Jan. 13, 2017.

Along with getting the status report, a portion of the forum will be opened up for public input, according to the Community Board's website.

The meeting will be held at the New York Blood Center at 310 E. 67th St. and will start at 6:30 p.m.

Photo: NYC Department of Design and Construction