Working closely with city agencies and two local community-based project partners, MNLA led a team to define the route and character of the South Bronx Greenway within the Hunts Point and Port Morris neighborhoods. A central premise of the project is balancing quality of life improvements for residents and workers alike and demonstrating that community and industry can coexist through careful planning and design. During the planning process, five priority projects were identified, each of which is now constructed. The shared use path from Port Morris/132nd Street in the Bronx to Randall's Island in Manhattan directly links residents of the South Bronx to the exceptional sports fields across the Bronx Kill strait. Representing a strategic repurposing of industrial infrastructure, this quarter-mile link lies underneath a railroad trestle that carries high-speed passenger trains. The multi-modal path is remarkable for obtaining approval for an ADA-accessible at-grade rail crossing by designing a track-triggered gate mechanism that closes the path during freight rail deliveries. While providing important active lifestyle and health benefits, the project also uses green infrastructure and a sustainable stormwater management plan to avoid site impacts to the Bronx Kill and its tidal ecosystem.
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