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Ah, the wonderful river.
Nope, not since 2001, when inspectors found unsafe conditions along the promenade and put up an 8-foot chain link fence to keep us out.
When Bloomberg put $69 million in the budget into fixing the promenade, that looked like progress.
Finally, after years of waiting, beginning in 2004, workers dug up the Con Ed line that had to be moved in order to place new pilings. Then major digging started. Heavy equipment tore away the old crumbling promenade behind the chain link.
Every day in the big empty lot along the river north of Montgomery St., men bent rebar into circles, then into tubes that looked like they would be the basis for new pilings.
And then...
Nothing.
This summer, the machinery seems to sit idle. The men haven't been there bending rebar.
It sure is quiet. Too quiet.
I wrote an article for Gotham Gazette (the city online policy magazine) about the promenade rebuilding in October 2005. In it, there is a picture of a backhoe along the river along a torn-up section of the promenade. Today, the backhoe is sitting in the same place. It doesn't look like it has moved a muscle since last fall.
But yesterday, I noticed a new sign. Here's what it says:
John V. Lindsay East River Park Promenade This is the first of two Parks contracts that will rebuild the promenade along the East River in phases from north to south. Our work follows the decommissioning and removal of underground utility lines by Con Edison. The current marine contract is addressing the deteriorated platform that supports the promenade. A landscape contract will follow bringing new pavements, benches, tables, trees and shrubs to create a unique waterfront experience. Sections of the new promenade will open to the public as they become ready. Scheduled Completion: Year 2007
I wonder how they can complete it when they don't seem to work on it.
1 Comments:
Looks like the LES is getting shafted again. This is now how many years since the promenade was shut down?
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