CIVITAS and Friends of the East River Esplanade have formed the The East Harlem Waterfront Coalition to advocate for badly needed improvements and repairs to this forgotten part of the Manhattan waterfront.  

Built in the 1930 over wood pilings and loose fill, it has begun slowing collapsing in recent years.    On January 28th of this year Mayor De Blasio announced  $284 million in funding for repairs to the East River Esplanade between Gracie Mansion and 125^th street RFK bridge; our team has cosponsored a letter signed by 23 other groups including two members of the state assembly and leaders both community boards 8 and 11 thanking the Mayor for this needed funding and requesting the money be included in the NYC capital budget and that the project be moved forward in the most expeditious manner possible.

This significant funding seems urgent and justified to our coalition for three main reasons:

• The erosion and structural collapse manifest by numerous recent sink holes seem likely to continue without structural remediation that prevents tidal action from eroding and removing the fill from underneath the walkway and surrounding area. This waterfront park is a very thin but important strip of recreational space between the FDR drive and the Harlem River; the ongoing erosion here should also concern anyone who uses the FDR Drive.  Repairing the existing seawall to resist tidal action and scouring will require replacing most of the existing seawall and the existing fill underneath it.  Other measures to long-term protect the repaired seawall, such as a rubble-rocks to break up the waves and provide habitat would also be prudent.

• The Esplanade has astonishing potential as a waterfront destination for the adjacent neighborhoods including the upper East Side, East Harlem, and Central Harlem. It is a key link in the Manhattan Greenway.   NYC could transform this narrow green strip with reasonable spending on better vegetation, potable water for community gardens, improved barriers to the nearby traffic, comfortable benches, shading, and sanitary facilities.

• Finally, this is one of the very few good park spaces for East Harlem.  The city has dedicated substantial funding to multiple locations along the east river waterfront farther south between the battery and 59^th street bridge, most recently engineering a magnificent $100 million elevated east midtown greenway between 53^rd and 60^th  The East Harlem waterfront is collapsing and eroding and should have been a higher priority for a long time.   The disparity in spending and quality of waterfronts between East Harlem and other parts of Manhattan should concern everyone.

Attached is our East Harlem Coalition letter to the office of the Mayor, supported by a variety of groups including two members of the state assembly and leaders of Community Boards 8 and 11.  The letter is followed by 3 pages of photographs of the deteriorating East Harlem Waterfront.   Thank you.