This is Depot Place.

While it may not look like much, it actually leads to the sole entry point to nearby public parks.

Now, access to the beautiful waterfront in the Highbridge community in The Bronx is threatened by a project being undertaken by the New York State Department of Transportation on the Major Deegan Expressway. The work underway reduces riverfront access in the area along the Depot Place Bridge by replacing one of the existing sidewalks, near the on-ramp to I-87 South (the Deegan Expressway), with a 5-foot shared path for bicycles and pedestrians, making it less safe for local families to use this southern access point to the Harlem River Greenway, Bridge Park South, Bridge Park North and Roberto Clemente State Park.

The current plan also utilizes valuable space for the parking of local police vehicles instead of prioritizing safe access for bicyclists and pedestrians, thus severely limiting much needed access to the local waterfront. 

It doesn't need to be this way. This could be a beautiful, safe, welcoming entry point.

I'm urging the community to add their name to this petition if you to add your support for my plea for $10 million in capital funding as part of the SFY 2021-22 budget to protect access to the riverfront for the thousands of families in my district who live in close proximity to the Harlem River and nearby greenway. This capital request would provide the funding needed to construct a publicly accessible protected bike path that enhances access to the riverfront for local residents who live near the Major Deegan Expressway and provide a key link to the existing greenway that all New Yorkers could utilize.

As the Highbridge community grows and residents become more aware of the important benefits of exercise and healthy lifestyles, it is increasingly vital for local seniors and young families to have the safest and most direct access possible to the waterfront.

Closing residents off from access to our natural resources lessens the sustainability of the Highbridge community and undermines the ability of local families to safely access Roberto Clemente State Park – a unique asset that has seen a multi-million dollar investment of state funds during the past decade.

If nothing changes, tens of thousands of Bronx residents and people from the greater NYC area will lose access to public resources they have a right to, green space that's in low supply, but high demand and certain need.

Will you show support and add your name?