Groundwork is working with the City of Yonkers to create an urban trail for walking, running, and bicycling along a branch of the abandoned Putnam Railroad, which will be known as the Yonkers Greenway. This “RailTrail” will eventually stretch from New York City’s Van Cortlandt Park to the downtown Yonkers waterfront, reinvigorating the neighborhoods that declined after the “Old Put” stopped running.
As in all of our projects, Groundwork has led an extensive community engagement process involving residents, community and business leaders, and government officials in planning and design decisions. The first phase of the Yonkers Greenway, completed in 2019, features a new state of the art playground and community gardens.
The Yonkers Greenway will improve access to local businesses and parks, promote physical activity, and connect with transit and other trails.
Construction of the final route of the Yonkers Greenway is expected to break ground in 2022.
In addition to the City of Yonkers, key funders are the Westchester Community Foundation, the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Brownfields, the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Impact 100 Westchester, Bank of America, and Ronald McDonald House Charities. Local stakeholders include St. Joseph’s Medical Center, Municipal Housing Authority of the City of Yonkers (MHACY), Manhattan College Kinesiology Department, Living Transformation, and the South Broadway BID.
To learn more about the 10+ year effort to build the Yonkers Greenway, and the many partners that worked together to make it possible, visit our timeline.
To view the most recent renderings of the route, click here.
