A newly renovated step street in Kingsbridge Heights reopened Friday after nearly a decade of calls for safety improvements.

Emilio Martinez took his first steps on the newly unveiled West 229 Street step street today. The treasurer of a neighboring building says he was one of the first to lobby local leaders to redo the 90-year-old step street after a friend fell on the cracked stairs almost a decade ago.

Council Member Fernando Cabrera got involved from the beginning.

MORE: City begins overhaul of W. 229th Street step street 

“It was such a disrepair,” says Cabrera. “We needed action.”

They broke ground back in 2017 along with the Department of Transportation, the Department of Design and Construction and other officials. The ribbon on the step street was cut today, almost exactly two years later.

Martinez documented the 23 months with his drone. Neighbors say they’re relieved they no longer have to make the 10-minute trek out of the way.

The step street includes a feature for cyclists – a groove along the side where they can roll their bikes up or down the more than 100 stairs.