New York’s greenways have long been touted as arteries of renewal—a lifeline for pedestrians and cyclists yearning for safer, more sustainable pathways through the urban labyrinth. The Vanderbilt Motor Parkway and the Joe Michaels Mile greenways are two of the most actively used spaces in all of Eastern Queens. Yet, as the plans for Destination: Greenways unfurled with promises of vibrant connectivity, one glaring omission loomed large: the College Point Boulevard Bridge, a critical piece of the puzzle, was left woefully unaddressed.

Enter Donovan Richards, Queens Borough President. His vision for the Eastern Queens Greenway extends beyond paths and pavement; it is a mission to stitch together neighborhoods, protect vulnerable road users, and restore dignity to every step and pedal stroke. And nowhere is this mission more critical than the redeveloping of the College Point Boulevard Bridge as the Botanical Garden Bridge, turning a broken piece of infrastructure into a vital community link.

In a letter to Parks Commissioners Donoghue and Rodriguez, Richards laid bare the urgency of rehabilitating the bridge, which in its current state brings no one to the Gardens. The structure, marred by stairs and inaccessibility, forces families, wheelchair users, and cyclists to descend into the fray of College Point Boulevard, a 6-lane road so congested and hazardous it could easily be confused with a highway in any other part of the world. With 53 crashes recorded in the past decade and 72 injuries, including at least one tragic pedestrian fatality, College Point Boulevard has earned its notoriety as a Vision Zero priority corridor.

For the children and families trying to get to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park today, it is a gauntlet fraught with danger. “Rehabilitation of the Botanical Garden Bridge would enable all vulnerable road-users to avoid crossing College Point Boulevard at grade-level,” Richards emphasized. This underscores the tragic irony of how the Destination:Greenway project, designed to safely connect green spaces, is (in it’s current design) pushing road uses through one of the most dangerous intersections in the neighborhood.

The stakes for a bridge makeover extend beyond mere aesthetics. An ADA-compliant, bicycle-friendly redesign would grant the residents of Flushing—one of New York’s most densely populated communities—unfettered access to New York City’s fifth largest park, Flushing Meadows-Corona. It is not just a park; it is a sprawling 897-acre cultural and recreational hub. An ADA-compliant bridge is especially important to here since it connects Flushing to The Playground for All Children, the first playground constructed in the United States for disabled and able-bodied children.

Perhaps what stings the most is the unfulfilled potential of Destination: Greenways, a multi-year engagement plan that generated designs for several segments of the Greenway, some already funded and slated for construction. This greenway is bringing so much good to our community that leaving such a problematic gap is unacceptable, especially since so many community members asked for improvements at this specific intersection at the public sessions. While other stretches of the path bask in the glow of progress, the College Point Boulevard Bridge remains conspicuously absent from the agenda, until Donovan Richards stepped in.

For Richards, the bridge is more than infrastructure—it is a promise, a statement that the people of Eastern Queens deserve better than outdated stairs and perilous crossings. “This proposed project would be critical to the completion of the Eastern Queens Greenway, which would connect the Kissena Corridor parks through a continuous 13-mile off-road path for pedestrians and cyclists,” Richards wrote, outlining a vision as sweeping as it is inclusive. Fixing this crucial gap becomes even more important as it becomes clear this greenway will eventual connect to the Long Island Greenway, and then eventually to the Empire State Trail, in addition to the Northern Queens Greenway.

With his impassioned plea, Richards has illuminated not just the bridge’s shortcomings but its transformative potential. The question remains whether the City will rise to meet his challenge. For now, the College Point Boulevard Bridge stands as a testament to what could be: a symbol of hope that with the right investment will finally connects us all.