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Rebuilding The Bridge
Contract #6 Traffic Changes Pedestrian and Bicycle Promenade Project Updates 繁體字 (Traditional Chinese) (pdf) Rebuilding the Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge opened in 1883 as the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time. It was designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service, and a New York City Landmark by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. With over 127 years of heavy use, this iconic East River crossing is now one of three DOT bridges in the New York City area rated "poor" in a 2007 state inspection. The rating means components of the bridge - ramps, approaches, and decking - are in need of rehabilitation. The bridge span itself is safe, and the city maintains an aggressive safety inspection program. Construction and repainting of the bridge, partially funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, was given its Notice to Proceed on January 19th, 2010 and will run until 2014. There will be overnight and limited weekend diversions of the Manhattan-bound traffic, with traffic diverted to other East River crossings: the Manhattan Bridge, the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and the Williamsburg Bridge. Brooklyn-bound traffic will be maintained over the Brooklyn Bridge. There are no scheduled closures for pedestrians and cyclists. Contract #6Contract #6 provides for the rehabilitation, repair and re-striping of the ramps and approaches to the Brooklyn Bridge, to improve safety and reduce congestion along both the Brooklyn-side and Manhattan-side approaches, particularly from the FDR Drive. In addition, the entire bridge will be repainted to prevent steel corrosion. Improving Roadway Access and Safety
Under this contract, DOT will replace the existing roadway pavement, and rehabilitate historic arch blocks, railings, and masonry structures. At the exit onto Cadman Plaza, and on the FDR southbound roadway, DOT will re-stripe the existing ramps from one to two lanes to reduce bottlenecks and eliminate pinch points in traffic flow. DOT will increase the overhead clearance at the York Street arch over the BQE, which is currently lower than industry standards. DOT will perform seismic retrofitting at the Franklin Square arch over Pearl Street. On all the bridge approach structures on both the Manhattan and Brooklyn sides, the existing deck will be removed by lifting out sections and replacing them panel by panel with precast concrete-filled steel grid deck panels. This approach will greatly reduce noise from drilling and jackhammers, and will also increase the reliability of the start and end times of construction activities every night. The first phase of Contract #6 is painting, which will take place in negative-pressure containment units that travel along the bridge structure. Painting will take approximately four years, and will prevent steel corrosion and improve aesthetics. Equipment has been placed on land abutting the Brooklyn tower, and will be placed on barges anchored to the Manhattan tower. All painting work is being conducted in accordance to the US Environmental Protection Act and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation requirements. Dust collection, vacuum and recycling units are being employed to minimize environmental air quality risks, and there is continuous air monitoring during operations. Noise generated by these units conforms to the NYC Noise Code standards adopted in 2007. On the Brooklyn side, DOT will
On the Manhattan side, DOT will
Traffic Changes
More than 120,000 vehicles, 4,000 pedestrians and 3,100 bicyclists cross the Brooklyn Bridge every day. DOT aims to minimize the disruption that rehabilitation work will cause for everyone who uses the Bridge. Full Manhattan-bound ClosuresBeginning on April 4, 2011 and continuing until the project completion in 2014, Manhattan-bound traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge may be detoured to the Manhattan Bridge as needed to accommodate construction. This will occur only during overnight hours and on some weekends. The bridge will always remain open to Brooklyn-bound traffic. When work is underway on the Brooklyn-bound side of the Bridge (south roadway), a "contraflow" operation will be in effect. Overnight DetoursOn some weekends, the bridge will be entirely closed to Manhattan-bound traffic. When this happens, Manhattan-bound traffic will be detoured beginning at 12:01 am Saturday through to 5:00 am Monday, 53 consecutive hours. To accommodate detoured traffic, additional lanes will be available to Manhattan-bound traffic on the Manhattan Bridge during detours. During overnight closures, the ramp from eastbound Wagner Place onto the southbound FDR Drive will be closed. It will remain open at other times, such as during peak travel periods, special events, or inclement weather. A signed detour route will be available along Pearl Street. Overnight Detour Hours: Sunday to Friday— 11:00 pm to 6 am (Closures begin earlier on the BQE and FDR Drive.) When the Brooklyn-bound contraflow operation is in effect, closures will begin slightly earlier in two locations to allow the workforce to set-up the operation:
Manhattan-Bound Traffic
Depending on the phase of work, a Manhattan-bound closure may not be in effect every night. On nights without a full Manhattan-bound closure, a partial two-lane closure on the Manhattan-bound lanes of the Brooklyn Bridge may in place instead. Brooklyn-Bound Traffic Extended Ramp ClosuresFor certain weekends in April 2012, there will be extended closures of the ramp from the southbound FDR Drive onto the Brooklyn-bound bridge (Exit 2). Download details on the two detours that will be in effect at different times, and sign up for the mailing list to be notified of when the detours will be in place.Single Lane ClosuresTo survey sites for upcoming work, the contractor may close one lane of traffic in each direction during these times: Manhattan-bound lanes: Pedestrian and Bicycling PromenadeThe promenade will remain open throughout all phases of construction. However, in order to fully enclose railings and other components, the paint removal containment units will reduce the width of the path by 1.5 feet on each side. The narrowed area will be from 600 to 1000 feet long. For the safety of all bridge users, cyclists must yield to pedestrians in this restricted work zone. Cyclists may also use the nearby Manhattan Bridge bike path, which is separated from the pedestrian path and often less congested. As work progresses the units will move across the bridge until the project is complete. Sidewalks Closures near the BridgeThrough the end of 2012, approximately 100 feet of the sidewalk along the east side of Cadman Plaza East just south of Prospect Street will be closed. A protected pedestrian walkway will be set up in the curb lane. This closure is necessary for pedestrian safety during rehabilitation and asbestos abatement work on the arch block directly opposite the staircase entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge promenade. The west sidewalk and the promenade entrance will not be affected. Project UpdatesDOT and its consultants will make every effort to post specific notifications about major traffic changes or other potentially disruptive events at least 72 hours in advance via e-mail, Facebook, Twitter (#NYCDOTbkbridge), and Notify NYC. Please contact Sabrina Lau, the Brooklyn Bridge Community Liaison at 347-647-0876 or brooklynbridgeoutreach@gmail.com with your questions. Sign up for email updates about the project. | |
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