Plumb Beach’s Once Broken Bike Path Gets Second Stretch Paved
SHEEPSHEAD BAY – A few years ago, repairs were finally made to the Plumb Beach Bike Path, which had been damaged in Hurricane Ida as far back as 2009. Now, it seems the city has surprised Southern Brooklyn bicyclists by paving another stretch east of the Belt Parkway.
BikeBlogNYC reports that a new, much longer section of the bike path has been rebuilt to include a wider, safer bike bridge across the Gerritsen Inlet. Previously, bikes had been using a bike lane on the Belt Parkway itself, temporarily constructed from fencing. The new, dedicated path and bridge promise a much safer alternative for cyclists looking to cruise the Southern Brooklyn waterfront.
It’s a welcome surprise, as the saga of the Plumb Beach Bike Path has been unfolding for nearly a decade.
In 2012, $9 million in improvements was allocated for long-term fixes to the beach to battle erosion, as well as for the creation of Brigham Street Park. Then-Councilman Lew Fidler told Sheepshead Bites that some of those funds would cover the bike path repair, yet the Parks Department later said that, in fact, none of the allocated funds would be put to the reconstruction.
In 2013, during his last year in office, Fidler allocated $450,000 in additional funding in the city budget specifically to shore up the bike path and lay new asphalt. Parks told Sheepshead Bites in May 2014 that work was finally in the pipeline – but that there was no chance it would be done in time for summer.
Finally, in 2015, repairs were completed on the small stretch in Sheepshead Bay. Hopefully, the newly paved section will keep cyclists cruising safely into the summer as the weather gets better!
