Cyclists can now cruise the Brooklyn waterfront between Red Hook and Sunset Park in a single shot, thanks to a new mile-long stretch of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway that quietly opened in early May. The ride takes roughly six minutes from end to end, and while neighbors are cheering, most are treating it as a big milestone, not the finish line.
The fresh segment, just over a mile long, finally closes a long-standing gap in the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway and was first proposed in the city Department of Transportation’s 2012 implementation plan, according to Red Hook Star‑Revue. Local groups say the opening proves the long-running blueprint is still very much alive and deliverable, even if it has taken more than a decade to reach this point.
“This is an important connection between two waterfront communities,” Hunter Armstrong, executive director of the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative, told Red Hook Star‑Revue. The organization credits years of planning and community pressure for getting this mile on the ground and is now pushing the city to swap out temporary materials for permanent, curb-protected infrastructure.
Ribbon Cutting And Reaction
Community Board 7 and neighborhood leaders marked the opening with a ribbon cutting in early May, turning the debut into a rally for faster safety upgrades along Third Avenue. Coverage by Brooklyn Eagle and News 12 shows Rep. Nydia Velázquez, Councilmember Alexa Avilés and CB7 leaders using the moment to call for hardened bike lanes and pedestrian improvements so the greenway is not just scenic, but genuinely safe.
Next Phase And Timeline
The Department of Design and Construction is overseeing the next round of capital work, which folds the greenway into a broader rebuild that includes sewer, water-main and streetscape upgrades. The Brooklyn Greenway Initiative says the current schedule points to construction wrapping up around 2027–28, while DDC’s public participation documents detail dewatering, sewer and street reconstruction plans along the Hamilton and Third Avenue corridor (DDC).
Gaps Remain
Even with this new mile in place, riders still hit breaks where the greenway spills onto local streets or nudges them toward the Belt Parkway. NYC DOT’s project pages show Hamilton Avenue and Third Avenue work moving ahead in phases, and the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative notes that many of these efforts are large capital jobs that are vulnerable to delays. That means short-term “quick-build” fixes like paint and plastic reflectors may stick around for a while before full curb protection is installed (NYC DOT, Brooklyn Greenway Initiative).
Advocates Press For Permanence
Neighborhood groups and the NYC Greenways Coalition are calling on Mayor Zohran Mamdani to set up a dedicated greenway task force, led by a deputy mayor, and to focus on building permanent, physically protected corridors instead of relying on temporary markings. Reporting on the Sunset Park rollout by Streetsblog highlights community demands for a Third Avenue road diet and hardened bike lanes so the new waterfront connection feels safe for regular, everyday users (NYC Greenways Coalition).
The Red Hook–Sunset Park link stands as a very real win for waterfront access, and also a pointed reminder that planning a route and protecting it are two different jobs. With DDC-led construction and interagency coordination scheduled over the next 12 to 24 months, advocates say they will be watching to see whether the city upgrades quick-build treatments into permanent, curb-protected greenway hardware (DDC).
