Near the 108th Street stairs into Riverside Park, a laminated sign said the closure would last "approximately three weeks." The sign was dated April 26. West Side Rag visited on September 19 and counted 22 weeks. Forty-six blocks south, near West 62nd Street, crews were finishing turf fields that Parks officials had once told Community Board 7 would be done in 2018.
Riverside Park is running on three timelines this fall. Only the one at the bottom is close to done. The Rotunda at 79th Street has work dated into May 2027 and a marina that stays closed until 2028. The drainage project above 108th Street now runs until spring 2027. So the park you can walk end to end through the coming winter is new at its southern edge, detoured in the middle, and fenced at the top.
At 62nd Street, the Last Piece of a 32-Acre Park
The new section at the southern end of Riverside Park is the final phase of Riverside Park South. The park was planned for the site of the old New York Central Railroad yards. In exchange for approvals, the developers of the Riverside Boulevard buildings agreed to build it and hand it over to the city. The first phase, where Pier I sits, opened 25 years ago.
As of West Side Rag's October 13 report, the final parcel was "expected to open within weeks," which means it may be open or nearly open by the time you read this. The turf is marked for two softball and baseball fields, plus soccer pitches for 7-on-7 and 9-on-9 games. The parcel also has a basketball court and three pickleball courts. The new detail is the lighting. These will be the first fields in Riverside Park lit for night play, while the long-standing fields in the low 100s are not.
The dates explain the wait. In 2016, Parks told CB7 the last section would be done in 2018. When construction started in August 2021, the Riverside Park Conservancy estimated about two years of work. Parks has blamed the delays on extra environmental cleanup at the former industrial site. Lights matter more in November than they did in June. Once the clocks fall back, a field you can use after dark is the one you can actually play on after work.
At 79th Street, the Rotunda Runs on a 2027 Clock
The park's middle is less settled. The West 79th Street Rotunda has three levels: the traffic circle where the Henry Hudson Parkway meets West 79th Street, the pedestrian plaza, and the underground garage. NYC DOT is managing the rebuild for the Parks Department. In June 2026, the West 79th Street Block Association reported work on all three levels. On the plaza, more than half of the 25 ceiling vaults had been rebuilt and the supporting columns were being restored. Below the garage slab, crews were installing new water, storm and sewer mains.
A January 2026 neighborhood update had projected that roadwork would finish in summer 2026. NYC DOT's current weekly traffic advisory gives a later date. The southbound Henry Hudson Parkway exit to West 79th Street and Riverside Drive closes on and off from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday nights through Friday mornings, and from 11 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday, until May 12, 2027, while crews remove and install steel beams. DOT's greenways page still lists the Rotunda reconstruction as a closure on the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway.
The most recently posted walking route dates from September 2025, when I Love the Upper West Side reported the change. Pedestrians use the south-side stepped ramp through the plaza. The north-side stepped ramp is closed. Cyclists have to dismount and carry their bikes on the south-side route, and the West 72nd Street cycling connection stays open. The block association's January 2026 update still described that detour as in place. If you bike the river path, the simplest move is to ride the West 72nd Street connection.
The marina below the Rotunda is on a separate project. NYC Parks lists the 79th Street Boat Basin as closed, with no dockage, moorage, anchorage or launch service, and it expects the marina to reopen in 2028.
North of 108th, Three Phases and Moving Dates
The $26 million drainage project between 108th and 116th Streets is meant to fix the flooding that has troubled that stretch of the park for years. Parks has moved its estimated finish from April 2027 to May 2027, citing permit filing delays, a spokesperson told West Side Rag. The Parks Department's capital project tracker shows the same May 2027 date. Parks also said the longer timeline covers added work, including more drainage structures, asphalt pavers, granite block, expanded tree pits, concrete curbs and sinkhole repair.
The work comes in three phases, and they overlap:
- Upper path, 108th to 116th. This is the path just inside the park below Riverside Drive. It closed in Phase One, and the stair entrances along those blocks closed with it. A newer sign posted September 21 at the 108th Street stairs gave October 1 as the end of that stair closure.
- Riverside Drive path, 108th to 111th. Parks closed the pathway nearest the park on this stretch until next spring, and walkers have been using the grass alongside it.
- Lower path, 108th to 116th. This closure was expected to start this fall and run until spring 2027. When the Rag visited, pipes, concrete and trailers were already piling up nearby.
West Side Rag found people on both sides of the fence. "It's like a war zone," said a man sitting with his poodle. Others told the outlet they were relieved to see the flooding addressed but wanted clearer answers from the city. Phase Three moves the closure from the upper paths down to the lower one, so the way around it changes too. A walk that worked in September may not work by December.
The Fence Calendar, in One Place
| Stretch | What's affected | Latest stated date |
|---|---|---|
| Near West 62nd St | Final Riverside Park South parcel with lit turf fields, basketball and pickleball | Expected to open "within weeks" as of Oct. 13, 2026 |
| West 79th St Rotunda | Overnight closures of the southbound HHP exit to 79th St | Until May 12, 2027 |
| West 79th St Rotunda | Pedestrian detour via the south-side stepped ramp, cyclists dismount | Last posted Sept. 2025, still in place Jan. 2026 |
| 79th Street Boat Basin | Marina closed to all boat services | Reopening anticipated 2028 |
| 108th to 111th St | Riverside Drive path nearest the park | Until spring 2027 |
| 108th to 116th St | Lower path | Starting fall 2026, until spring 2027 |
| 108th to 116th St | Full drainage project | May 2027, per NYC Parks |
The table shows that the long stretch from the Rotunda's southern edge up to 108th Street carries no listed closure this season. That's where the fall programming happens.
What the Open Stretch Is Hosting Through Early November
The Riverside Park Conservancy and NYC Parks have filled the middle of the park with events that need no reservation:
- Hippo Halloween Parade, Saturday, October 31, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Riverside Park Playground Partners invites costumed kids to gather at the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument at 89th Street and Riverside Drive and parade to Hippo Playground. Ramblin' Dan's Freewheelin' Band plays.
- Meet the Fleet, Saturday, November 7, 10 a.m. to noon. A free behind-the-scenes look at the Conservancy's vehicles at the 95th Street Compost Compound.
- Free weekday classes at the 102nd Street Field House. Mat Pilates with Sweet Water Dance & Yoga runs Thursdays at 11 a.m., fall yoga Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m., and a dance aerobics class called Bodyroll with VIVA Mondays at 10 a.m.
- Works in Public 2026. A year-long outdoor exhibition of new site-specific sculptures by League artists, unveiled October 5, so it will be up well past the fences coming down.
The People's Garden, cared for by The Garden People since 1981, marked its 45th year with an October 18 celebration. In late October it's a good stop on a walk between the Hippo parade route and the Field House. The Conservancy's Pup Halloween Parade on October 24 ran from Dinosaur Playground at 96th Street to Ellington's Cafe at 105th, the northern end of the stretch with no closures this fall.
Construction can change how a stretch of park feels before the date on the sign does. If you own or rent near Riverside Drive and want to know how these timelines might affect your building, your block, or a listing you're planning for spring 2027, Chana Ofek tracks the Upper West Side street by street. Let's Connect.
