Council Member Julie Won speaks at Saturday’s “people’s ribbon-cutting”. Photo courtesy of office of State Sen. Mike Gianaris.
April 15, 2025 By Shane O’Brien
Council Member Julie Won and State Sen. Mike Gianaris joined Transportation Alternatives Saturday for a “people’s ribbon-cutting” at the Queensboro Bridge to demand that Mayor Eric Adams opens the now-completed Pedestrian Path across the bridge.
Gianaris, Won and Transportation Alternatives representatives raised concerns Saturday that pedestrians and cyclists are still forced to share an 11-foot-wide pathway to cross the bridge.
The Queensboro Bridge Pedestrian Path, a long-awaited walkway dedicated to pedestrians crossing the bridge, was first announced in 2021 and dates back to former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Bridges for the People initiative aiming to help New Yorkers leave the “era of fossil fuels.”
At present, it is the only city-owned bridge on the East River without separate paths for cyclists and pedestrians, with critics stating that cyclists and pedestrians are instead forced into a single lane.
The pathway, which was initially delayed as the top deck of the Queensboro Bridge underwent construction in 2022, was due to open last month, according to a report in the New York Times. City officials had even planned an official ribbon-cutting for the grand opening, only for Adams to pull the brakes at the last minute.
City Hall officials said at the time that the Department of Transportation had failed to properly brief the Adams Administration about the project before the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
A City Hall spokesperson said last week that Adams must be fully briefed on how the DOT intends to roll out the projects before he gives the green light after a group of elected officials in Queens and Manhattan had sent the Mayor an open letter calling for the pathway to be opened.
“As Mayor Adams has said, this is a major project that – as the elected officials who wrote this letter themselves note – will impact several communities and two boroughs worth of traffic,” City Hall spokesperson Allison Maser said in a statement last week. “The mayor, therefore, must be provided a full briefing on how the agency plans to roll this out smoothly and ensure New Yorkers can continue to get to where they need to go efficiently.”
Won accused the Mayor of “playing politics with people’s lives” at Saturday’s unofficial ribbon-cutting, stating that the DOT had given the green light for the Pedestrian Path to open last month. Won also said City Hall has failed to give a “clear explanation” as to why the ribbon-cutting was pushed back.
“For three years, we marched across the bridge with advocates and pushed DOT to give us clear timelines at hearings and in letters. Each delay threatens the safety of 10,000 pedestrians and bike riders who use the Queensboro Bridge daily. DOT must open the south outer roadway without further delays to prevent more injuries and deaths,” Won said.
Gianaris, meanwhile, said current conditions on the shared pathway for both cyclists and pedestrians are forcing New Yorkers into “dangerous” situations. He added that the shared pathway is “well over capacity.”
“For three years, we marched across the bridge with advocates and pushed DOT to give us clear timelines at hearings and in letters,” Gianaris said. “Each delay threatens the safety of 10,000 pedestrians and bike riders who use the Queensboro Bridge daily. DOT must open the south outer roadway without further delays to prevent more injuries and deaths.”
Gianaris at Saturday’s ribbon-cutting. Photo courtesy of the office of State Sen. Mike Gianaris
Ben Furnas, executive director at Transportation Alternatives, said pedestrians and cyclists crossing the Queensboro Bridge “need more space.” He also accused the Adams Administration of delaying the opening of the pathway for “no reason.”
“The pedestrian path is finished – it just needs to be opened. We know there is a lot happening at City Hall, so we took the liberty of planning this ribbon cutting so all Mayor Adams had to do was swing by and open the path,” Furnas said.
Around 200 activists crossed the bridge on foot during Saturday’s event before the lane reverted back to a moving lane for cars.
Transportation Alternatives is now calling on the Mayor to immediately open the pedestrian lane to the public.
Photo courtesy of State Sen. Mike Gianaris.
Supporting Saturday’s protest, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine said in a statement that the Pedestrian Path would be “transformative” for the people of New York.
“This project has been years in the making – it’s time to open the pedestrian path and deliver on the promise to make the Queensboro Bridge safer and more enjoyable for all,” Levine said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said in a statement that he was “frustrated” that the pathway is still experiencing delays.
“I continue to be in direct discussion with the NYC Department of Transportation on its status and I’m steadfast in my belief that this project will make this vital interborough crossing safer for all who use it, no matter how they use it,” Richards said.
The long-awaited project involves converting a car lane on the southern outer roadway for pedestrians, with the current outer roadway on the northern side of the bridge designated for cyclists.
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