A major street and viaduct improvement project intended to modernize Riverside Drive West has instead become a long-running symbol of neighborhood neglect and bureaucratic paralysis in Washington Heights. What began in 2019 as a necessary infrastructure overhaul has turned into a stalled, litigation-entangled construction site that residents say has compromised safety, accessibility, and quality of life for more than a year.
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The New York City Department of Transportation awarded contractor Judlau Contracting — one of the city’s largest civil contractors — a contract to replace aging concrete, steel, and deck sections of the Riverside Drive Viaduct between 153rd and 161st Street. The project carried a price tag exceeding $100 million and was expected to be completed in 2022. Instead, by 2024, work had stopped entirely, leaving the site frozen at roughly 75% completion.
Judlau workers walked off the job last year, alleging that the city delayed the start of work, refused to cover inflation-driven cost increases, and violated contract terms by adding additional tasks not previously agreed to. Since June, the contractor and New York City have been locked in a legal battle that has halted any further progress.
The most visible consequences of the abandoned worksite fall on the residents of the River Arts co-op, a 244-unit building home to approximately 600 people. Sidewalks and sections of Riverside Drive West, already resurfaced by the contractor, remain fenced off behind concrete barriers — preventing residents from accessing the building’s front entrance.
“We call that a bridge to nowhere,” said property manager Jack Fogle, pointing to a ramp constructed to meet ADA requirements but now blocked off at the end by a solid concrete wall.
The lack of accessibility poses severe challenges for seniors and residents with disabilities. “No ambulance can find where to go on our entrance,” Fogle added, underscoring the safety risks created by the site’s disarray.
The only alternative entrance is a back stairwell requiring residents to climb three flights — impossible for many, burdensome for nearly everyone, and dangerous when carrying groceries, strollers, or packages. “You have residents who are handicapped or physically cannot walk up three flights of stairs, or even if you are a very strong individual, there are things you just can’t carry up three flights of stairs,” Fogle said.
Longtime resident Lynette Lauretig emphasized the emotional strain of feeling trapped, with limited ways to safely enter or exit. “Mental health wise, … only having one entrance is a real detriment to having access to the outside,” she said. “My husband, he uses a cane, he cannot go up stairs easily at all, and so right now, it’s difficult for folks who are using the cane.”
The stalled project has raised broader questions about why construction disputes are resolved more quickly in some neighborhoods compared to others. “Why is Washington Heights different than other neighborhoods in the city that you have managed to resolve contract disputes and project delays?” Fogle asked.
Lauretig echoed the sentiment, suggesting the neighborhood might not be receiving the same level of political urgency as more affluent communities. “I feel like, because this site is in Washington Heights, possibly, politicians feel like it’s not that important,” she said.
In late October, District 7 City Council member Shaun Abreu, CC ’14, organized a rally outside the River Arts co-op, joining residents in demanding accountability and transparency from Judlau and the DOT.
“The turn-out at the community rally showed how much neighbors have been affected by the project, and that they are unwilling to be silent. We hope to continue to keep up public pressure so DOT and Judlau are forced to give answers and action,” Abreu said in a statement.
Both Judlau and the DOT declined requests for comment, further frustrating residents who say they have been kept largely in the dark about the status of the project or the lawsuit.
Community Board 9 chair Victor Edwards called the situation “pretty much at a standstill” but said the board had reached out to the borough’s new DOT commissioner. “I’ve been in contact … to see what we could do to relieve some of the issues,” he said.
Still, communication gaps persist. Lauretig noted that the board’s liaison simply repeats official lines without offering real updates: “We haven’t gotten answers from the community board.”
Until the legal dispute between Judlau and the DOT is resolved, no further construction can proceed, leaving Riverside Drive West blocked and the fencing around the co-op firmly in place. Residents say rallies, media attention, and political pressure have become their only tools to push for progress.
“We are just hoping that getting a spotlight on the situation that will move the people at DOT who should be accountable and should be able to provide answers and solutions will understand that the spotlight is now on them,” Fogle said.
For now, the barricades, blocked sidewalks, and inaccessible entrances remain a daily reminder of a once-promising infrastructure project that has become a neighborhood crisis. As Fogle put it: “We don’t think it’s unreasonable to have access to our building and have this job finished.”
Originally reported by Marcus Bui / Columbia Daily Spectator in Columbia Spectator.
