East River Park partially reopens with new ballfields and pedestrian bridge
Photos courtesy of NYC Parks / Daniel Avila
New York City officials this week opened two ballfields in East River Park and unveiled the new Delancey Street pedestrian bridge, marking a significant milestone for the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (ESCR). Ballfields 1 and 2 have been equipped with an advanced drainage system and new amenities to withstand climate change through the $1.45 billion ESCR initiative. The Delancey Street Bridge, manufactured in Italy and installed in the park, provides an ADA-accessible entry point from the Lower East Side to East River Park.
The newly renovated Ballfields 1 and 2 now feature turf with an improved drainage system, new stadium lighting for evening play, and new fencing around the perimeter.
As part of the broader project scheduled for completion in 2026, additional amenities coming to the rest of the park include upgrades to the amphitheater, ballfields, tennis courts, soccer and multi-use turf fields, track and field, basketball courts, a playground, comfort stations, and picnic and barbecue stations.
The Tennis House, Track House, and 10th Street Comfort Station are being reconstructed.
The new $32 million, 215-foot-long Delancey Street Bridge was manufactured in Italy and assembled in the park in just one evening. As part of ESCR, the Corlears Hook and East 10th Street Bridges will be replaced with gradually sloping entryways that are easily accessible for all New Yorkers.
“Keeping New Yorkers safe means building state-of-the-art projects to protect New Yorkers from climate change, while at the same time ensuring that New Yorkers have high-quality spaces to play ball,” Mayor Eric Adams said.
“That’s exactly what we’re doing here. We’re walking and chewing gum at the same time — fortifying our defenses and protecting our residents and city against sea level rise; safeguarding taxpayer dollars; and ensuring that we also get greener, cleaner, better public spaces in the process.”
In late 2021, most of the southern end of East River Park was closed when work on ESCR began. The project is installing a flexible, 2.4-mile-long flood barrier along the Lower East Side from Montgomery Street to Asser Levy Playground between East 23rd and East 25th Streets.
The barrier consists of raised parkland, floodwalls, berms, and 18 swinging or sliding floodgates that create a continuous line of protection against rising sea levels and the looming threat of coastal storms amplified by climate change.
The project will also enhance waterfront access with reconstructed bridges and entry points, as well as upgrade the existing sewer systems to better capture and manage rainwater during storms. The first floodgate, which measures 42 feet long, 10 feet high, and weighs 32,000 pounds, was installed in February 2022.
ESCR is improving five recreation areas in total. Stuyvesant Cove Park has been rebuilt with new amenities and flood protections and Asser Levy Playground has been partially rebuilt with landscaping, a new playground, and basketball areas using resilient materials.
Murphy Brothers Playground and Corlears Hook Park will also be revitalized with new landscaping, plantings, lighting, and playground equipment. Murphy Brothers Playground is slated to reopen this fall.
“Our agencies are nothing if not creative in their efforts to protect New Yorkers from climate change and deliver needed public space. If that means building out, like the 34th Street esplanade, or up, as we’re doing here with ESCR, that’s what we’ll do,” Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi said.
“When this is all complete, on time and on budget, this will be a beautiful, airy park that shows no trace of the level of complexity that went into its planning. It’s a testament to our efforts to ensure all our infrastructure does double duty.”
Progress continues on the Brooklyn Bridge-Montgomery Coastal Resiliency (BMCR) project—which complements the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) effort—by creating flood gates along a 0.82-mile stretch of the Lower East Side from Montgomery Street to the Brooklyn Bridge.
The project is also creating new recreation zones with open-air seating, publicly accessible fitness equipment, performance space, and more. Together the two projects will form a 3.22-mile flood barrier when completed by the end of 2026.
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