June 10, 2024

Acquiring Rail Line Property from CSX Transportation Allows City to Advance Ambitious Green Infrastructure Project

Restoring Waterway Will Create Additional Capacity in Bronx Sewer System, Improve Health of Harlem River, and Provide Residents with New Green Space

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and NYC Parks today announced that they have finalized the purchase of a key piece of property critical to rerouting Tibbetts Brook in the Bronx above ground, an engineering feat known as ‘daylighting.’ DEP, NYC Parks and railroad freight company CSX Transportation closed the deal on Tuesday to acquire the needed land for $11.2 million. Removing Tibbetts Brook flow from the sewer system will create much-needed additional capacity in the borough’s drainage network and is expected to reduce combined sewer overflows by 228 million gallons annually, which will improve the health of the Harlem River. This green infrastructure project, one of the City’s most ambitious to date, will also create new rail-to-trail parkland for New Yorkers to enjoy within the former CSX rail line property and extend the existing Putnam Greenway, which goes through Van Cortlandt Park and connects northward to the 750-mile Empire State Trail.

“I want to congratulate the teams from DEP and NYC Parks whose dogged persistence pushed through years of stalemate and finalized a vital agreement with CSX Transportation. Now, we can earnestly begin to restore Tibbetts Brook and transform this unused industrial space into parkland for Bronx residents,” said Chief Climate Officer and DEP Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala. “Daylighting Tibbetts Brook will reduce the amount of pollution flowing into the Harlem River while the newly created greenspace will provide recreational opportunities along the riverfront, connecting walking and biking paths.”

“This landmark project will be a major victory for the City’s environmental infrastructure, adding critical new greenspace while bolstering the health of the Harlem River and strengthening the sewer network in the Bronx. Parks was proud to contribute $4.47 million towards this project and work closely with our partners at DEP to finalize this deal,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “The determination by Parks and DEP to push this acquisition over the finish line demonstrates our commitment to making our city cleaner, greener, and more resilient.”

Tibbetts Brook was dammed in the 18th century to form a mill pond in Van Cortlandt Park and by 1912 it was completely buried underground and directed into the city’s sewer system. The daylighting project will return it closer to its natural open-air path, which winds through the Kingsbridge neighborhood and empties into the Harlem River. Daylighting is the process of redirecting waterways that have been previously buried in pipes into an above-ground channel.

Once completed, the daylighting project will remove roughly 4 to 5 million gallons of water from the sewer system each day, more on rainy days. The project could also lessen flooding in some areas of the Tibbetts Brook watershed, and reduce treatment costs and greenhouse gas emissions by diverting brook water away from the Wards Island Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility.

There has already been significant community engagement on the project, and it is now in the final stages of the design process. Construction is currently expected to begin in late 2025.

The property acquisition by the city to use the former rail line as a trail was approved by the federal Surface Transportation Board. The overall daylighting and greenway project budget is $133 million. The project is part of an agreement between New York City and New York State to further improve the ecological health of city waterbodies.

About the NYC Department of Environmental Protection

DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing approximately 1 billion gallons of high-quality drinking water each day to more than 9 million residents, including 8.3 million in New York City. The water is delivered from a watershed that extends more than 125 miles from the city, comprising 19 reservoirs and three controlled lakes. Approximately 7,000 miles of water mains, tunnels and aqueducts bring water to homes and businesses throughout the five boroughs, and 7,500 miles of sewer lines and 96 pump stations take wastewater to 14 in-city treatment plants. DEP has a robust capital program, with a planned $29 billion in investments over the next 10 years that will create up to 3,000 construction-related jobs per year. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.

About NYC Parks

NYC Parks is the steward of more than 30,000 acres of land—14 percent of New York City—including more than 5,000 individual properties ranging from Coney Island Beach and Central Park to community gardens and Greenstreets. We operate more than 800 athletic fields and nearly 1,000 playgrounds, 1,800 basketball courts, 550 tennis courts, 65 public pools, 51 recreational facilities, 15 nature centers, 14 golf courses, and 14 miles of beaches. We also care for 1,200 monuments and 23 historic house museums, and look after 600,000 street trees, along with two million more in parks. For more information, visit nyc.gov/parks.