In Washington Heights, a Riverside Drive viaduct repair worth more than $100 million has become the construction project that never seems to move. Neighbors say the site has sat idle for months, choking traffic, shrinking lanes and cutting off the main entrance to the River Arts co-op. Seniors and people with mobility issues say fences and detours now send them up unmonitored stairways and away from doormen. Residents of River Arts and nearby buildings are planning a march and rally on June 13 to demand answers from the city and the contractor.
Project background and contract records
According to the city's contract report, the job is listed as "Reconstruction of Riverside Drive Bridge/W.158 St" with Judlau Contracting named as the prime contractor. The filing shows an original contract value of roughly $101.4 million and a maximum value near $122.85 million after change orders, and it records registration activity dating back to 2018. Those documents outline how what was supposed to be a routine repair turned into a years-long, high-dollar project.
Neighbors say access and safety suffer
Residents describe a patchwork of concrete barriers, sidewalk sheds and barricades that makes the stretch between West 153rd and West 161st streets confusing and at times nearly impossible to navigate. One resident told NY1 that emergency crews had to drive around the block during a cardiac emergency because the construction maze obscured building entrances. Neighbors say the result is a steady erosion of quality of life, especially for older and disabled residents who now have to thread their way through a semi-permanent obstacle course.
Contractor dispute has frozen the site
Local reporting notes that workers from Judlau walked off the job in 2024 and that "the two sides are now embroiled in a lawsuit," which has left barricades and scaffolding in place. That litigation, centered on added scope and inflation-era costs the contractor says were not covered, has effectively stalled any restart while judges and lawyers argue over responsibility. Residents say this legal limbo keeps lanes narrowed and main entrances blocked for months at a time.
Neighbors organize and demand answers
"No one's paying attention," a River Arts resident told CBS News New York, summing up the frustration driving the planned June 13 rally. Community groups and a neighborhood committee say earlier pressure helped get some official notice, including a rally led by Councilmember Shaun Abreu last October, but residents point out that the barricades remain and the entrances are still obstructed. Organizers say they will push the Department of Transportation and the contractor to either resolve the dispute and finish the job or find another way to restore safe, accessible entrances.
Legal implications
As one local outlet put it, "Until the case between Judlau and the department of transportation is resolved, construction cannot continue," which in practice keeps sidewalks closed and front-door access disrupted. The city's contract filing lists several change orders that increased the project's cost, a detail that is central to the contractor's complaints and to the dispute now playing out in court.
What's next
Neighbors say they hope the June 13 march and rally will finally produce clear timelines and a concrete plan to reopen the River Arts entrance and the sidewalks. CBS reports DOT sources say the department is continuing to monitor the site for safety while the legal process continues.
