High Bridge Reopening Leads to Renewed Calls to Develop Bronx Waterfront
DNAinfo
By Eddie Small
HIGH BRIDGE — The recent reopening of New York City's oldest standing bridge has reignited hope among Bronx park advocates that the borough's blighted waterfront could be transformed into a green space.
The High Bridge, which connects Washington Heights in Manhattan to High Bridge in The Bronx, reopened to the public on Tuesday as the only interborough bridge in New York City exclusively for pedestrians and cyclists after being closed for more than 40 years.
The Bronx side of the bridge currently opens up into a small park with benches and tables that runs alongside University Avenue. John Howard-Algarin, chairman of the Bronx Community Board 4 parks committee, said he would like to see it expanded.
"I look for a future vision where there’s a continuous path from the High Bridge to the waterfront park that leads down to the southern tip of The Bronx peninsula," he said. The Parks Department has acquired the mile of land along the waterfront between the High Bridge and the Washington Bridge, according to agency spokesman Mario López.
