The link between Bronx River Park and Shoelace Park has finally been tied.
Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe joined with other officials earlier this month to cut the ribbon on the new 211th Street entrance to the Bronx River Greenway on Wednesday, July 18 .
The project establishes a link between Bronx Park and Bronx River Shoelace Park, and a gateway to the Bronx River Greenway.
The 718-acre park consists of baseball fields, playgrounds, woodlands, waterfalls, the NY Botanical Garden and the Bronx Zoo.
Bronx River Park, which because of its dimensions is often called Shoelace Park, is a linear park that includes two playgrounds and extends from 211th Street to 231st Street along the east bank of the Bronx River.
This $1.46 million project was funded with $882,000 allocated by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, $250,000 in environmental benefit funds provided by the New York State Attorney General’s Bronx River Watershed Initiative through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and $329,000 in Federal grants.
The project created a formalized, handicapped-accessible entrance to the Bronx River Greenway, and a connection between Bronx Park and Bronx River Shoelace Park.
The new entrance features sitting areas, native trees, plants, and shrubs, as well as green infrastructure elements.
Improvements were also made south of the entrance along the western and eastern sides of Bronx Boulevard including a new wooden fence, improvements to the sidewalk, and signage and striping to safely guide greenway users to adjacent parks and amenities.
Joining Benepe were Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz along with members of the Bronx River Alliance, Friends of Shoelace Park, and Bronx Community Board 12.
“Since 2002, the Bloomberg administration has reclaimed under-used and often dilapidated waterfront to create first-rate parks in all five boroughs, but nowhere has the transformation been more dramatic than here along the Bronx River,” Benepe said.
“Thanks to the Bronx River Alliance and all of our partners, both in the community and in government, we have been able to commit more than $100 million to restore the Bronx River, and build parks and a greenway around it,” he said.
“This new entrance is the latest improvement and will make Shoelace Park more attractive and more accessible to pedestrians, cyclists and boaters alike.”
Kirsten Sanchez can be reach via e-mail at ksanchez@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 742-3394
Photo courtesy of NYC Parks
