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With its grassy expanses, copious bike paths, public art displays, basketball courts, soccer pitches and multitudinous free events, Brooklyn Bridge Park is arguably the single greatest public amenity to have been built in New York City during the 21st-century so far—and it's not even finished yet! Still, it's getting closer to final completion: As 6sqft recently reported, the next-to-last section of the project, the Pier 2 Uplands, has just opened.
The Uplands cover a three-acre site that includes a 6,300-square-foot lawn and a water play area made from materials salvaged from one of the former piers that lined the East River when it was still a working waterfront. Built-in jet sprays will cool visitors down, with runoff water being recycled to irrigate other parts of the park. The new section of the park is also planted with 1,300 new trees and shrubs interspersed with seating made of granite, all of which is sheltered behind a new noise-reducing berm that diminishes the roar of traffic from the nearby BQE.
With the Uplands in operation, Brooklyn Bridge Park, which first opened in 2010, is now 95% complete. The final stage will include an expansive public plaza that will connect the Brooklyn Heights and Dumbo sections of the park under the Brooklyn Bridge; it's expected to be finished by December of 2021.
In the meantime, there's already plenty there for you to enjoy.
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