UPPER EAST SIDE, NY \u2014 City officials have fully closed a stretch of the East River Esplanade between East 93rd Street and East 94th Street on Thursday morning after a long-standing sinkhole there was discovered to have significantly worsened and expanded.<\/p>\n
The closure went into effect Thursday morning around 8 a.m., according to city officials. <\/p>\n
“In response to the sinkhole and to ensure safety, the East River Esplanade is temporarily closed to pedestrians and cyclists between E 93rd Street and E 94th Street,” a spokesperson from the Parks Department told Patch. “We are working with DOT to develop a detour route, which will be implemented as soon as possible.”<\/p>\n
Friends of the East River Esplanade founder Jennifer Ratner told Patch the closure is disrupting people’s routines and commutes, as well as underscoring years of deferred repairs<\/a> along the Esplanade.<\/p>\n “We understand that this is an extremely complicated area from the standpoint of infrastructure, but this specific sinkhole, between 93rd and 94th, has been long, long, long-standing,” Ratner, who founded Friends of the East River Esplanade more than 10 years ago, told Patch. <\/p>\n The sinkhole had been previously fenced off, but the area was still accessible to pedestrians. <\/p>\n “Sinkholes along the Esplanade have been an ongoing problem ever since I’ve been involved in waterfront advocacy,” Ratner said.<\/p>\n .@NYCParks<\/a> Due to safety concerns following a sinkhole incident, the East River Esplanade is temporarily closed to pedestrians & cyclists btwn E 93rd St & E 94th St, MN. Esplanade remains open for recreational use from E 89th St-E 93rd St & E 94th St-E 96th St.<\/p>\n \u2014 NYCEM – Notify NYC (@NotifyNYC) April 23, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n No word yet on when the closed stretch will reopen. <\/p>\n “We are actively working on 16 projects in our pipeline, in coordination with sister agencies, to restore and improve the esplanade,” the Parks spokesperson told Patch.<\/p>\n For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.<\/p>\n