NYC Plans More Than 40 Miles of Greenways Across Outer Boroughs

By Y.M. Lowy

Brooklyn is set to be part of New York City’s latest greenway expansion, with plans for a 12-mile route connecting Coney Island to Highland Park. The project is part of a larger citywide effort to build more than 40 miles of greenways across the outer boroughs, giving residents more ways to bike, walk and reach parks and other destinations.

The city announced that planning will begin this fall for four greenway routes in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Staten Island and southern Queens. The projects are intended to create safer connections for people walking, biking and jogging, while linking neighborhoods with parks, waterfronts, transit hubs and other destinations.

The Brooklyn route, known as the Historic Brooklyn Greenway, will stretch about 12 miles from Coney Island to Highland Park along the Brooklyn-Queens border. The plan will explore ways to fill gaps in the existing greenway network and connect with the Ocean and Eastern Parkways bike routes, as well as Broadway Junction and major green spaces such as Prospect Park.

The other three planned routes include a 15-mile Bronx Waterfront Greenway from Randall’s Island to SUNY Maritime, a 10-mile Staten Island Waterfront Greenway connecting the Goethals and Verrazzano bridges, and a seven-mile Southern Queens Greenway linking Spring Creek Park with Brookville Park.

The routes are part of six greenway plans being developed with funding from a federal grant awarded to the city in 2022. The city expects to complete the plans for all six corridors by 2028.

The planning process will include community input, with workshops for the remaining early-action routes in Brooklyn, Staten Island and Queens scheduled to begin in 2027.

The city agencies involved will identify both short-term and long-term improvements. Initial work could include new pavement markings, signs and limited concrete work, while larger projects would require additional planning and future capital funding.