Brooklyn Bridge Park offers spectacular views of downtown Manhattan and the New York Harbor. Although only a small fraction of the future park is now open to the public, the Brooklyn Bridge Park "Main Street lot" is already attracting thousands of visitors. This park section and the adjacent
Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park are the setting for numerous programs and events, as well as picnics, ball play, daydreaming and much more.
Brooklyn Bridge Park reached a major milestone this year with the Empire State Development Corporation's unanimous approval of the Park's General Project Plan and Environmental Impact Statement, and land title transfer of the piers from the Port Authority to the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation. These moves pave the way for land park construction to begin in 2007.
The future 85-acre park will stretch 1.3 miles along the East River from north of the Manhattan Bridge to Atlantic Avenue. The Park includes Piers 1 - 6, each approximately the size of Bryant Park, and their uplands. Brooklyn Bridge Park will transform this underused and inaccessible stretch into a magnificent public space filled with lawns, recreation, beaches, coves, restored habitats, playgrounds and beautifully landscaped areas. The Park will connect visitors to the waterfront and NY Harbor in extraordinary ways with floating pathways, fishing piers, canals, paddling waters and restored wetlands. This is the most significant park development in Brooklyn since Prospect Park was built 135 years ago.
Recreational opportunities with approximately 40 acres of active recreational space including 9 acres of sport courts, playing fields and playgrounds located at the three major entrances. The plan offers access to the park's foremost asset - the water - through 4 miles of floating and fixed walkways and boardwalks, beach areas, and 12 acres of safe water that would provide opportunities for kayaking, canoeing, and other hand-powered water activity. A bike and in-line skating path will run the full length of the park.
It is forecast that circa 85% of the Park will be complete by 2010. The Park is expected to fully complete in 2012.
