Work is underway on the north side of Pier 25. The pier will be closed in sections.
Last month, less than two years after the new, $40-million Pier 25 reopened to the public, workers already began a major repair job—digging up and replacing all the pavers on the pier, as well as much of the material beneath the pink and grey squares.
The work, which has first closed off a large section of the pier’s north side, will be completed in the “next couple of months,” according to Hudson River Park Trust president Madelyn Wils, who said the work will be done in stages and without closing off the entire pier.
According to the Trust, the problem occurred as a result of damaged material that prevented proper drainage. The water turned to ice with the first freeze, then contracted when it became warm, causing the cracking.
To fix the cracks—and prevent more from appearing—contractors must replace all the material, several feet of it in some places, before pavers are reinstalled. The cost of the repairs is being absorbed by the contractors who did the original work, Wils said.
The disruption to the pier has been a problem for the Lilac, the historic lighthouse tender berthed on the north side of the pier.
The Trust has arranged for the Lilac to be accessible for three planned events in October, including Open House New York on Oct. 6 and 7. But the boat otherwise remains off limits to the public through October, the final month of its season. An exhibit of World War II photographs, planned to open this month, was cancelled. But it may be the first show in the spring, said Mary Habstritt, museum director of the Lilac Preservation Project.