Plumb Beach Bike Path Has Been Reopened (Oh, But Not The Broken Part)

The Plumb Beach bike path – part of the Brooklyn Greenway that extends around most of the borough’s waterfront – has reopened several months earlier than expected, as the Army Corps of Engineers subcontractors working on the nearby beach have found a way to accommodate cycling enthusiasts.

The bike path was closed in May, when the Army Corps of Engineers announced that it needed the parking lot and path to serve as a staging area for construction to replenish Plumb Beach. Initially, they said the bike path would be open, but decided to close it for safety reasons. The plan was to keep it closed until the end of the year, when construction wraps up.

But Sheepshead Bites learned that the path was quietly reopened recently, and the Army Corp confirmed that the contractor finished up initial work and found a way to reorganize equipment, allowing for safe usage.

It’s just in time, too, as nearly 1,000 cyclists plan to roll through the neighborhood and onto the bike path as part of the 5th Annual Brooklyn Waterfront Epic Ride this Saturday, promoting the greenway. (Oh, and they’ll be using Neptune Avenue and Emmons Avenue to get there, so expect to see hundreds of bicyclists this weekend.)

However, the path might be officially open, but that doesn’t mean it’s repaired. As we’ve reported – somewhat exhaustively – the 300 feet or so of path that crumbled into the sea in 2009 remains a sandy mess, and cyclists will be forced to get off their bikes and walk it the distance. Money has been allocated for the repairs, but that won’t happen before next year – if not later.