After a long winter closure for rehabilitation, the 103rd Street Footbridge is back open! The bridge connect the East River Greenway to Wards Island (hence its other name, the Wards Island Bridge).
What's that, some of you may be saying,
I thought it was Randall's Island. What most people call Randall's Island today is actually two islands, Wards Island and Randall, joined together by landfill and cared for by the Randall's Island Sports Foundation.
Why should you care that the bridge is back open? Because Randall's Island Park is a great place for running. Sure you could get there this winter by using the Triboro Bridge (
as I did several times), but the pedestrian bridge is much more pleasant since it allows you to avoid more city streets. Once you get to the park, there are several miles of waterfront running trails, plus public bathrooms and plenty of water fountains. If you haven't been before or just haven't been in a while, it's definitely worth a run across the bridge to check it out.
The other good piece of news? The footbridge used to be closed for five months out of the year, often with limited hours during the other seven months. Now it will be open 24/7, a huge improvement in access. DOT is also working on a pedestrian bridge to connect to a new portion of the Bronx River Greenway. All this means that runners will soon have even more options. Oh, and in case you're wondering, I ran the bridge this weekend and it looks great.
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