Manhattan Waterfront Greenway

A roughly 10-block detour in the west 80s, where a walkway had crumbled into the river in the late 20th century,[1] was eliminated on May 20, 2010, when the rebuilt section of greenway was opened.

[3] The majority of it is close to Hudson River water level, except the portion north of George Washington Bridge where it climbs steeply, to approximately 160 feet (49 m) and includes Inspiration Point, with views of The Palisades in New Jersey across the river and of the George Washington Bridge to the south.

Brown Walk squeezes between the highway and the dock of Con Edison's East River Station, requiring slower speeds.

Other parts are shared space with motor access to Waterside Plaza (at Stuyvesant Cove Park), or a filling station.

In the summer of 2008 the East River Greenway, along with the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, provided viewing locations to see the New York City Waterfalls.

In August 2024, the New York City Economic Development Corporation announced plans to complete the segment of the greenway between 41st and 53rd streets; the extension would cost $120 million and open in 2028.

[16] The proposal, by Rebuild by Design, will also include components for storm barriers in Hunts Point, Bronx and on Staten Island.

[19] In addition to storm protection, the berm—the first of three of the barrier's components—will also provide a pedestrian pathway and bikeway on top of berm, boating and fishing docks, a slope down to current sports fields, upgraded ADA-accessible ramps for bridges across the FDR Drive, and construction materials such as "slurry walls, concrete blocks, a compacted embankment, a clay cap, topsoil and salt-tolerant landscaping.

[22] In March 2019, then New York City mayor Bill de Blasio announced a Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency Plan, which would create barriers and possibly extend the shoreline at a cost of $10 billion.

The projects include berms as well as retractable dams and barriers in Battery Park City, the Financial District, and Two Bridges.