zacster

I went onto the Belt Parkway bike lane to see if any progress was made at Plum Beach, and they are working on it. My mother, who happens to live in the building that overlooks the Belt, reported that trucks have been unloading boulders along the shore, and they actually have built a dune to protect the bikeway and highway along the exposed area. There are grasses planted along it also. The bikeway itself is still not built, but looks to have been cleared of sand in places. Maybe they'll be doing that soon.

In any case, you can walk it as it isn't that long. I was there on a Saturday, and I don't know if there is construction on weekdays. Plus the shutdown probably slowed them down as it is an NPS run facility.

I have some pictures on my iPad, but I don't have that with me at the moment. I'll post them later.

FattyArbuckle

Great news! This has been impassable (or, roughly passable) for what, four years now?

anthonybkny

As of a few weekends ago, there was only about a 100 foot stretch of sand you would have to walk through. Not so bad

Papa Tom

I just drove the entire length of the Belt and I noticed a lot of road construction going on. Sorry to be a Johnny-Come-Lately here, but can somebody fill me in on what's happening? It looks like they are rebuilding entire sections of the roadway, further away from the water and at a higher elevation. Given recent storm damage, I'd imagine this is a smart idea. Most importantly (to me), is there a plan to move the bikeway onto the new road?

(Please don't link me to a useless NYSDOT web page, as I don't have patience for those, ever! I'd just like a quick overview, if anybody can provide one.)

Thanks!

qclabrat

that may be the intent, but I thought they were trying to add a lane to improve traffic towards JFK

where's the construction, I usually turn off by Coney Island

Off of Verrazano most work is wrapping up

Steve B.

Sorry Tom, but the link provides more and better info then I have the time or patience to type. As well it's easy to read and is a complete description.

No additional (4th) lane. Just widening and road height improvements, breakdown lanes, new bridges, new bike path, etc...

Here's the original plan:

https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/download...wybrgs_eng.pdf

It's mostly been/being followed, with the eastern sections of Fresh Creek, Rockaway and Paerdegat being competed for about a year now. The Mill Basin bridge, whose construction of approaches and bridge was supposed to start in 2013, has seen no progress as yet. I suspect they are going to substantially finish the Gerritsen bridge before moving to the Mill Basin, but have seen nothing in writing about that plan, nor have seen any updated information about the revised schedule.

I also think that the Gerritsen Inlet Bridge approaches from the west at Knapp Street, which is being built north of the current bridge, will re-align the bike path from its current proximity to the beach. Thus the construction to repair Sandy and prior damage west of Plumb Beach to near Knapp St, was delayed as they know it's all temporary till the new Gerritsan Bridge is completed.

zacster

I saw they had started construction at Gerritsen at the end of last summer. It looked like they were building the new bridge just north of the existing one, maybe the westbound section is going up, then they'll build the new eastbound where the old westbound is. I haven't been back that way since, but it'll be one of my early rides once this cold weather breaks. I still can't understand though why they couldn't have put in a temporary bikeway in the washed out section for this many years even if they were planning to replace it. No roadway would have been left like that for so long. This was washed out even before Sandy. This is probably the busiest section of the bikeway/pedestrian path too.

Completion was 2016, so probably another year or two at least. Still plenty of time for them to temporarily fix the washed out section.

Steve B.

The washed out section west of Plumb Beach parking lot was awaiting the Army Corp of Engineers to replenish the beach, so there would be something to actually place asphalt on top of.

I've no idea if the ACE ever accomplished replenishment, but apparently the city decided to fix the path anyway, at least as far as it's been repaired ( I haven't been there since last summer)

In any event, when they finish the new Gerritson bridges, portions of the Belt roadway will obviously be relocated onto the new bridges, with a new path on the south side of the eastbound bridge. Thus more construction to follow, but be aware that as per the contract (and as stated in link I provided), the contractors for this entire Belt renovation project, is required to maintain a complete and functional bike path during construction and have mostly followed that on the portions east of Flatbush.

Anybodies guess what will happen when they replace the Mill Basin drawbridge, though I'm assuming they will maintain existing while building new, which is also to be located on the north side of the existing.

Billy1111

they better keep that opened!

zacster

An update: I rode the Belt from Sheepshead Bay to Howard Beach on Sunday. The section at Plum Beach is now fully paved!!!!!! Construction of the new bridge at Gerritsen looks to be complete for westbound traffic but isn't open yet. It is unclear how they'll complete this project just by looking at it, whether they'll build a new eastbound where the westbound currently is. As long as they keep the current bridge up I don't really care, as bad as that bridge is. I didn't really see how they progressed on the other bridges as I don't come that way very often.

In any case, you can now ride the entire length without walking. Why it took 1 1/2 years from my original posting is beyond me. It wasn't a very long stretch at Plum Beach.

Steve B.

The link in my post of 2/25 explains the process. The timeline is off as they were supposed to have started Mill Basin in 2013 and have not. I suspect the same contractor is doing Gerritsen and Mill Basin, just no longer concurrently.

noglider 

Public works projects take a frustrating amount of time. It sounds like things are looking up. Maybe I'll take a ride there this summer.

lammius

Has anyone been out in this area recently? I'm considering potential rides for this Sunday and curious about the status of the work in this area. I haven't ridden along the Belt since before Sandy. Actually I can tell you the last time was in 2012, the day the shuttle Enterprise was barged from JFK to NJ. I biked over to the Cross Bay Bridge to take pics.

Ferdinand NYC

I was there several times last summer. While the section between Flatbush Avenue and Knapp Street remained sand-covered for more than a year after the hurricane, it was just fine by last summer.

zacster

There's a lot of construction along the Belt right now, but they are supposed to be maintaining the bike path as they work. As far as I have seen, the old bridges are still in place but maybe the bike lanes have been shifted over on the approaches to allow them to shift the traffic lanes over as well. I was driving so I couldn't look too closely.

Steve B.

The Mill Basin basin bridge, east of Flatbush, is still used for vehicle traffic as well as the very narrow bike lane. They have indeed maintained the bike path from Flatbush east, rebuilding and laying down asphalt as needed to maintain the path thru this convoluted construction zone.

They won't move the path over Plum Creek (west of Flatbush) to a new bridge till the 2nd and eastbound traffic bridge gets built. Might have happened already, but I will try to drive past there today on the way to work.

Steve B.

Yes, the path is open from Knapp St. east to Howard Beach

The path at the Plumb Beach/Gerritsan Creek bridge is still on the original bridge. The eastbound bridge is a few weeks or months from completion, as far as I can tell.