Kosciuszko Bridge Renovations To Start

[Cotuit]

Kosciuszko Bridge Renovations To Start

By Jeremy Miller

The Kosciuszko Bridge, a 64-year old span of concrete and steel bridging Newtown Creek on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, and a persistent headache for motorists with its steep grades and narrow, curving lanes, has been slated for major renovations that will begin in early 2008.

Photo wirednewyork

Completed in 1939 and rehabilitated in the 1960s, the Kosciuszko Bridge has suffered under the strain of heavy traffic volume.

Completed in 1939 and rehabilitated in the 1960s, the Kosciuszko Bridge has suffered under the strain of heavy traffic volume: 170,000 vehicles a day traverse its 1.1 mile length. And in spite of three major rehabilitation efforts in the last 13 years, the bridge is showing the signs of heavy wear and outdated design. As trusses warp and beams crack, cars continue to collide. In fact, the accident rate on the bridge is four times higher than the average rate on comparable New York state highways.

On Thursday November 20, representatives from the state Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) and Parsons Transportation Group, the private contractor who has been awarded the Kosciuszko Bridge Project contract, joined with Maspeth and Greenpoint residents at Martin Luther King HS in Maspeth to discuss 11 proposed alternatives for improvements, with cost estimates ranging between $100 and $200 million.

Despite assurances from DOT officials, local residents and community leaders have been worried for some time that the large scope of the project will involve significant impact to the community, including potential environmental damage, increased traffic through neighborhoods during construction and potential loss of property under the state

[Scott]

The article mentions the bridges height and slope but not if the river is still used by ships. I think they should build a tunnel.

[Cotuit]

There is still very limited shipping in Newtown Creek, but one of the proposals for the bridge actually calls for filling the creek. Others include a drawbridge, and a fixed low level bridge.

I think the limited shipping doesn't play too huge a factor in the bridge planning.

The creek is also highly toxic. Neighbourhood groups want the creek cleaned and parks created where possible. I think they would oppose filling the creek. The neighbourhoods surrounding the creek have some of the lowest percentages of parkland in the city.

[G W North]

170,000 vehicles per day?!?! Damn that's a lot.

[Allan]

170,000 is more cars per day than most of Detroit's freeways have on them each day!

[tocoto]

Spend the money for environmental remediation. That creek could have some nice parkland around it. If it's not used for shipping, why pay for an unneeded bridge?

[Cotuit]

I think some industry taps water from the creek, kind of like Gillette does with the Fort Point Channel in Boston. Think of how much easier the Pike tunnels would have been if that end of the Channel could have been drained.

170K cars... NYC has a lot of traffic.