Port Morris Waterfront Emerges From Years of Neglect
Curbed NY
By Nathan Kensinger
For many decades, the residents of the South Bronx have been cut off from the waters that surround them, their shoreline hidden away behind a tangled web of highways, bridges, truck depots and train lines. Along the coast of Port Morris, which borders the Bronx Kill, razor wire fences and guard booths block public access to the waterfront, which is lined by warehouses, power plants, and sanitation facilities. "We have to actually leave this neighborhood and go somewhere else to be by the water, even though we are encircled by it," said Mychal Johnson, a Bronx community activist who lives in Mott Haven. "You look at our community in that area, and it’s like it’s been forgotten about."
As winter comes to an end, the long forgotten waterfront of Port Morris is finally emerging from these years of neglect. This past November, the Randall’s Island Connector opened to the public, creating a street-level link between the South Bronx and the island’s spacious recreation facilities, an event which spurred visits from Forgotten NY, Streets Blog and the Times.
