Mudslide damage from Tuesday's storm closes portion of Palisades Interstate Park
The popular Henry Hudson Drive Park Road is closed from the Ross Dock picnic area in Fort Lee all the way up to the Alpine Circle.
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The damage from Tuesday’s storms hit Palisades Interstate Park hard. Crumbling roads and fallen debris from mudslides will be keeping cars out of the park for some time.
The popular Henry Hudson Drive Park Road is closed from the Ross Dock picnic area in Fort Lee all the way up to the Alpine Circle. That makes about five miles of the park inaccessible by car. The reopening date is unclear.
“There’s holes, collapses, pretty scary stuff,” said park executive director Joshua Laird. “We see some bulges and areas we need to inspect before we can be certain everything is safe.”
This isn't the first time this park sustained major storm damage. Hurricane Ida damaged the Dyckman Hill entrance in Englewood Cliffs in 2021. The entrance remains closed three years later.
“The drainage systems are over 100 years old,” Laird said. “They really weren't designed to withstand the kind of storms we're getting these days.”
The damage comes as the threat of weekend rain from Tropical Storm Debby persists.
“Sea level rise means we're always that much closer to being flooded from the Hudson River,” Laird said. “Even in extreme tides and moon tides, the water is coming over the top and into the park.”
The park trails are popular with walkers, joggers, hikers and bikers. Laird says the debris could be removed in a week. The picnic areas will reopen then, but not to vehicles.
“Getting there is going to be blocked for some time to come,” Laird said. “Hikers should be able to get down, but it's going to take a while more before we can reopen the roads to vehicles. Be careful, be cautious, be alert, be aware.”
