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DOT Takes Over Brooklyn Greenway Plans

By

John Del Signore

Published Mar 30, 2010

Modified Mar 31, 2010

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By

John Del Signore

Published Mar 30, 2010

Modified Mar 31, 2010

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Twelve years ago, a few committed unpaid activists in Brooklyn banded together to push for the creation of a tree-lined cycling and pedestrian route along what was then 14 miles of inhospitable roads between Greenpoint and Sunset Park, along the waterfront. Called the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative, the grassroots effort has slowly blossomed, and with the proposed bike lane addition to a gnarly stretch of Flushing Avenue, there will be an almost uninterrupted stretch of dedicated bike lanes from Greenpoint to DUMBO. Now the DOT is officially making the entire Greenway dream a top priority.

"This is a major, major, major development," Brian McCormick at the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative tells the Daily News. "This is where it becomes real." Using $16 million in federal, state and city funds, the DOT hopes to have a bare-bones version of the route in place within three years or so. "Up until now, it's really a project that has been talked about by local groups. Now it's a city project," says DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. "We're greening it up as quickly as we can. There's money in our pocket, and we're putting down a down payment on a greener waterfront."

But believe it or not, not everyone believes more trees and bike lanes are a wonderful thing! Sara Lee, a manager at a candy manufacturing company in Sunset Park, gripes, "It's a waste of money. Give us a bus stop instead."

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John Del Signore

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Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.

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