Greenways
Greenways are continuous, multi-use corridors designed for human-powered and electric-assist transportation and recreation. Greenways often follow natural or man-made linear spaces such as railways, highways, rivers, waterfronts, and parkland.
New York City is home to 15 designated greenways which connect the city's multitude of parks, open spaces, and key destinations including employment and commercial centers.
Multiple agencies and partners contribute to the development of greenways, including NYC DOT, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks), and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC).
On this Page
- Greenways Maps
- Greenway Closures
- Plans for New Greenways
- Past Greenway Plans
- History of Greenways in NYC
Greenways Maps
These maps highlight the greenways that span across all five boroughs of New York City, forming a vital part of the city's bike network.
Greenway Systems Map
This map presents New York City's designated greenway systems. Each greenway system represents a continuous corridor consisting of individual segments.
A greenway features a main alignment forming a primary through route. Greenway spurs are secondary, non-continuous segments of the greenway network that link users to community amenities and provide access from the local network to the main greenway, particularly where highways or other barriers constrain greenway access.
Greenway Systems Map Description
Greenways Jurisdiction Map
This map highlights greenway lane mileage by jurisdiction. Jurisdiction is the overall ownership and responsibility for a given piece of the greenway. In most cases, maintenance functions are carried out by the agency who has jurisdiction, though in a few instances, maintenance may be handled by other entities, public or private, via a memorandum of understanding.
Greenway Jurisdiction Map Description
Greenway Capital Projects Map
The map below shows greenway capital projects in various stages of development. Generally, projects categorized as in planning have been defined through public processes but need funding to advance further and projects in design or construction are funded and progressing.
Greenway Capital Projects Map Description
Disclaimer for Maps
The maps and information on this website are for informational purposes only and may be modified at any time. NYC DOT and the City of New York make no representation as to the accuracy or usefulness of the information provided by these maps or the information's suitability for any purpose and disclaim any liability for omissions or errors that may be contained therein. The public is advised to observe posted signage for compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Greenway Closures
Upgrades, repairs, and other conditions may require temporary closures along greenways. Information on greenway closures lasting more than three months may be found via the links below. The information is posted by the agency or organization that manages the specific greenway segment, and may include temporary closure limits, expected closure duration, detour routes, and other relevant information. This list was prepared to meet the requirements of Local Law 115 of 2022 and will be updated periodically.
Manhattan Waterfront Greenway Closures
- South Street, Dover Street to Catherine Slip - Brooklyn Bridge – Montgomery Coastal Resilience (BMCR) Project
- East River Park, Montgomery Street to East 15th Street - East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) Project
- Northwest side of the Battery toward the Battery Park City waterfront esplanade - Battery Park City Authority
- East 114th Street to East 117th Street - NYC Parks
- 79th Street Rotunda Reconstruction - NYC DOT & NYC Parks
- East River Esplanade, East 70th Street to East 75th Street & NYC Parks & Hospital for Special Surgery
Staten Island Waterfront Greenway Closures
Disclaimer: The information on this website is for informational purposes only and may be modified at any time. NYC DOT and the City of New York make no representation as to the accuracy or the information's suitability for any purpose and disclaim any liability for omissions or errors that may be contained therein. The public is advised to observe posted signage for compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Plans for New Greenways
New greenways are defined and named through a community-driven planning process.
NYC Greenway Plan
In 2025, NYC DOT and NYC Parks, in conjunction with NYC EDC, released the Greater Greenways plan -- the first comprehensive greenway planning effort in over 30 years. The report presents both a snapshot of the network today and our vision for expansion for the next generation of New Yorkers. This plan was developed to fulfill the requirements of Local Law 115 of 2022.
Greater Greenways: NYC Greenway Plan (single-page) Greater Greenways: NYC Greenway Plan (spread)
Expansion Plans
The City is undertaking a historic greenways expansion to fill gaps in the outer-borough greenway network. Six corridors in historically underserved communities were selected in 2023 for implementation plans. The City is working to develop implementation plans for each corridor.
NYC DOT will work to identify and implement short-term projects along the identified routes while also advancing plans for long-term projects. The development of these greenway plans is supported by a competitive $7.25 million federal RAISE grant awarded to New York City in August 2022.
Complementing this work, NYCEDC is undertaking long-term greenway expansion planning focused on expanding the network outside of Manhattan.
Harlem River Greenway (Bronx)
NYC DOT, in partnership with NYC Parks, NYCEDC, and the Department of Environmental Protection, is developing an implementation plan for closing the gaps in the Harlem River Waterfront Greenway in the Bronx. The Harlem River Greenway—when complete—will be a continuous seven-mile transportation corridor connecting Van Cortlandt Park to Randall's Island.
Learn more about the Harlem River Greenway (Bronx) Implementation Plan
Queens Waterfront Greenway
The City is developing a community-driven plan for closing the gaps in current bike and pedestrian infrastructure to make it easier for residents to access parkland and waterways. When complete, this new portion of the Queens Waterfront Greenway will constitute a continuous 16-mile corridor connecting Gantry Plaza State Park to Astoria Park along the East River and to Fort Totten following the Long Island Sound.
Historic Brooklyn Greenway
The planning process for the Historic Brooklyn Greenway will explore new connections to the country's oldest bike lanes on Ocean Parkway and Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn. This plan will address gaps in the greenway network running from the southern tip of Brooklyn at Coney Island to the northern border of Brooklyn at Newtown Creek. The greenway route will connect to Broadway Junction, giving commuters at one of Brooklyn's busiest transit hubs new access to some of the largest green spaces in the borough. The implementation plan will also establish new design and maintenance standards for these historic greenway routes.
Staten Island Waterfront Greenway
This greenway will provide a safe east-west cycling and walking route across the entire North Shore of Staten Island and connect to the existing cycling and walking paths along the Lower New York Bay beaches. It will provide major connections to forthcoming NYCEDC projects identified in the Staten Island North Shore Action Plan, including the Tompkinsville Esplanade and New Stapleton Waterfront, as well as existing destinations like the St. George Ferry Terminal, Goethals Bridge, and East Shore beachfront.
Bronx Waterfront Greenway
The Bronx Waterfront Greenway will link communities along the southeastern portion of the borough's waterfront and improve waterfront access along the East River and Long Island Sound. From Randall's Island eastward, the greenway will simplify and improve safety for commutes to industrial job centers like Hunts Point and improve the connections between waterfront parks in the Soundview and Throgs Neck neighborhoods.
Southern Queens Greenway
The Southern Queens Greenway will transform access to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), complementing ongoing work by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The roughly 35,000 people who work at JFK will have access to a fast, environmentally friendly mode of transportation connecting the airport to the remainder of the borough. This corridor – located in an area with limited cycling infrastructure – will also directly connect to the existing Jamaica Bay Greenway and parks in Southeast Queens, providing an important bike network expansion in the area.
Past Greenway Plans
Past greenway plans detail the planning processes for greenways that are already installed and in use by cyclists and pedestrians.
Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway Implementation Plan
The Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway is an extensive pedestrian and bicycle route connecting communities along Brooklyn's waterfront from Newtown Creek in north Brooklyn to the Shore Parkway Greenway in Bay Ridge and connecting to Coney Island and Sheepshead Bay, creating a full 27-mile greenway along Brooklyn's waterfront. Most of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway is already in place, including some of the most popular bicycle and pedestrian routes in the city such as along Kent Avenue.
Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway Implementation Plan
Jamaica Bay Greenway Implementation Plan
The Jamaica Bay Greenway is a loop of pedestrian and bicycle paths connecting communities along the Jamaica Bay waterfront to more than 10,000 acres of city, state and federal parkland, including Rockaway Beach, Marine Park, Canarsie Pier, Floyd Bennett Field and the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Much of the Greenway already exists, serving New Yorkers from Sheepshead Bay and Spring Creek in Brooklyn to Howard Beach and the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens. Upgrades, including capital investments, are underway in several locations such as along Paerdegat Avenue in Canarsie.
Jamaica Bay Greenway Implementation Plan
Destination: Greenways!
This conceptual study aimed to enhance greenways within NYC parks, making them not just connectors but destinations. The two concept plans proposed design solutions to create continuous, safe, and enjoyable greenways for all New Yorkers, one along the waterfront in southwest Brooklyn and the other connecting parks in central and eastern Queens. NYC Parks developed the plans in close partnership with NYC DOT to propose safe on-street connections informed by extensive community input. The study was completed in Fall 2021 and presented in community report-back sessions in February 2022. Many of the projects proposed in these studies are in design or construction today.
Destination: Greenways! Conceptual Plan for Brooklyn Destination: Greenways! Conceptual Plan for Eastern Queens
Harlem River Bridges Access Plan
Through workshops, surveys, and mobile outreach, combined with technical analysis, NYC DOT identified community-preferred transportation improvements to create a continuous cross-borough user experience, incorporating bridge paths, approaches, wayfinding and lighting. The final product of this process, the Harlem River Bridges Access Plan, is a planning document used to guide future investment and seek funding for capital projects. Many of these projects are intended to create safe and comfortable access to the waterfront and dovetail with the Harlem River Greenway plan for the Bronx side of the river.
Connecting Communities: A Vision for the Harlem River Bridges
Manhattan Waterfront Greenway
The Manhattan Waterfront Greenway provides access to the shoreline for a variety of activities, integrating larger parks within a connected network, and providing a bike path for recreation and commuting. When complete, the 32.5-mile greenway loop will connect a network of green spaces totaling more than 1,000 acres—a space larger than Central Park—running continuously around the entire island. The City is working to close the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway loop by filling in gaps around the borough.
History of Greenways in New York City
Greenways in New York City date back more than a century, to the nation's first separated bicycle and pedestrian path constructed in 1894 along Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn. Robert Moses included greenways in many of his plans for New York's highways constructed in the mid-twentieth century, which included paths along the Hutchinson River Parkway in the Bronx and the Belt/Shore Parkway in Brooklyn and Queens.
In 1993, the Greenway Plan for New York City laid out a vision for a system of landscaped paths connecting the city's residential and commercial neighborhoods to open space and waterfront areas. NYC DOT and the Department of City Planning (DCP) then produced The New York City Bicycle Master Plan of 1997, which incorporated the Greenway Master Plan's goal of 350 miles of greenway throughout the city into a 900-mile citywide network of on- and off-street paths and bike lanes.