Bike path fix in Bay Ridge

By Matthew Lysiak
The Brooklyn Paper

The restoration of the Shore Parkway Greenway is finally complete.

The hefty $20-million project was fast-tracked by the city because the crumbling seawall caused giant potholes along the path, which stretches along the waterfront from the 69th Street Pier to the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

On Monday, a group of politicians cut the ribbon on the completed portion — and basked in positive reviews from their constituents.

“What they have done here is really something to be proud of,” said a man who gave only the name Peter. “It is nice to bike without worrying that you might be swallowed by a giant hole.”

That was certainly the case back in March, 2005, when Rep. Vito Fossella (R–Bay Ridge) brought representatives from federal and city agencies, as well as the local community board, to the path to stress upon them the severity of the situation. As a result, the Army Corps of Engineers declared the site an “emergency,” allowing the city to begin work immediately. Almost two years to the day after work began, the ribbon was cut.

The project included the installation of new asphalt pavement, aluminum railings, benches, a chain-link fence, and 60,000 pounds of boulders placed to protect the seawall from the pounding waves in the lower part of New York Harbor.

The improvements also got thumbs-up from state Sen. Marty Golden (R–Bay Ridge), who is now calling for the true missing link in Brooklyn’s bike network: a pedestrian/bike pathway across the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

“Now that the bike path along Shore Road is repaired, there has never been a better time to construct the ‘Lifeline’ to … the Verrazano Bridge,” he said. “We must seize this opportunity.”

After the ribbon-cutting, most of the pols retreated into large gas-guzzlers.