Pushing to make a greenway a safe way

Tibbetts Brook flows from Yonkers down into an outlet at Van Cortlandt Lake.

Karsten Moran

The Department of Transportation announced on Dec. 18 it had completed a bike lane along Bailey Avenue, a street project that is part of the plan for a continuous, seven-mile path from Van Cortlandt Park to Randall’s Island Park, known as the Harlem River Greenway.

The two-way bike lane runs from Van Cortlandt Park South to West 225th Street, spanning about 1.8 miles in total. Raised islands for pedestrians and bus riders, as well as other intersection upgrades, were also added in an effort to improve safety. Since 2020, Bailey Avenue has been the site of two fatalities and nearly 200 injuries, according to the department.

The city’s planning process for the greenway began in 2023, but local advocacy from groups like the Bronx Council for Environmental Quality stretches back nearly three decades.

Robert Fanuzzi, president of the council and former Community Board 8 member, said a lot of the city’s planning for the greenway was done with road safety in mind. While this is a positive, the push for infrastructure that is environmentally-conscious will continue.

“We want to make sure that future greenways and future islands incorporate more greenspace,” Fanuzzi said, later adding, “But it’s an added step towards [the council’s] goal of a continuous, linear greenway.”

The first step for the activists, however, is the resurfacing of Tibbetts Brook, as well as an extension of the Putnam Trail along the brook.

The brook starts in Yonkers, flows south into Van Cortlandt Park and into the lake, before dipping underground beneath Tibbett Avenue until it empties into the Harlem River, according to the Department of Parks and Recreation. During storms, rainwater from the brook mixes with sewage from the pipes and dumps pollution into the river. This is referred to as combined sewage overflows, or CSOs.

The city implemented the resurfacing of the brook — a process known as daylighting — in its plan for the Harlem River Greenway, and were finally able to purchase the strip of land needed to go forward with it in 2024.

The Department of Environmental Protection said that year construction was anticipated to begin in early 2026, but a spokesperson told The Press it would likely take place closer to the summer.

Karen Argenti, member of the council and advocate for Tibbetts Brook and the Putnam Trail since the 1990s, said she knew the city would eventually come around to the benefits of the project, and she is confident in its progress.

The turning point, Argenti explained, was in 2018 when the city saw an increase in sewage overflows, and the group knew it had a viable solution.

“It’s so hard to walk on Broadway because of the overhead subway,” Argenti said. “You could take a walk and go to Stop and Shop or 231st Street … It would be nice for people to be in a park like that.”

Steps leading to construction, such as clearing invasive vegetation, have been completed, and the project is currently up for bid waiting for a contractor, according to the department. The brook should be daylighted by 2030.