Corlears Hook Bridge, amphitheater, and new sports fields reopen at East River Park

City officials last weekend celebrated the reopening of the Corlears Hook Bridge, amphitheater, and restored sports field at East River Park. The reopening is part of the broader East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) initiative, which is elevating and rebuilding the park to protect the Lower East Side from rising sea levels. In May, the park’s south end reopened after closing in 2021, with new picnic and barbecue areas, a passive lawn, six tennis courts, two basketball courts, a nature exploration area, and a multi-use area.

East River Park is being rebuilt 8 to 10 feet higher than its original elevation to conceal a floodwall beneath the city’s ongoing ESCR project. The initiative also features a 2.4-mile flood barrier extending from Montgomery Street to Asser Levy Playground at East 25th Street, as 6sqft previously reported.

By combining raised parkland, floodwalls, berms, and 18 movable floodgates, the project seeks to form a continuous line of protection against increasingly powerful coastal storms fueled by climate change. In February 2022, the city installed the project’s first floodgate, which measured 42 feet long, 10 feet high, and weighed 32,000 pounds.

Laurian Farrell, the Department of Environmental Protection’s commissioner of the Bureau of Coastal Resilience, called the reopening “a major milestone” for the ESCR initiative.

“Today’s reopening of the Corlears Hook Bridge and other sections of East River Park marks another major milestone for the ESCR,” Farrell said. “By raising the park and integrating flood protection with new recreation spaces, we’re proving that safe cities can also be vibrant and healthy cities.”

She added, “Even large-scale infrastructure can have positive impacts at the human scale—and our job is to keep striking that balance as we build shoreline defenses for the more than 110,000 New Yorkers who live, work, and play along Manhattan’s East Side.” 

The city began work on the project’s northern area in November 2020 and completed it in October 2024.

The ESCR has upgraded five of East River Park’s main recreation areas. Stuyvesant Cove Park received new amenities and flood protection, while Murphy Brothers Playground, which reopened last year, now includes a dog run, ballfields, updated courts, improved lighting, and refreshed playground equipment.

The project also seeks to enhance waterfront access by reconstructing bridges and entry points, while upgrading existing sewer systems to better manage stormwater runoff. The new Corlears Hook Bridge, for example, features a gentle slope designed to improve accessibility for all New Yorkers.

Additionally, the East 10th Street Bridge will be replaced, and the Houston Street entrance will be rebuilt as an at-grade entry from the park to the street.

Asser Levy Playground also got a new floodwall and gate, along with redesigned landscaping and resilient play and sports areas.

The new amphitheater, which replaces the Art Deco-style bandshell that was demolished in 2021 as part of the project, is still a work in progress, as the roof has not been built yet.

A section of Corlears Hook Park is still under construction, with improvements including new plantings, lighting, and play areas. The full reconstruction of East River Park is expected to be completed by early 2027.

In September 2024, the city reopened Ballfields 1 and 2 at East River Park with an advanced drainage system and upgraded amenities designed to withstand climate impacts, and also unveiled a new Delancey Street pedestrian bridge to improve park access. The $32 million, 215-foot-long bridge was manufactured in Italy and assembled in the park in just one evening, as 6sqft previously reported.

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