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Reconstruction of the South Roadways In 1998, after two years of major reconstruction work, the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) completed the South Inner and Outer Roadways of the Williamsburg Bridge. Over the course of those two years, NYCDOT completely reconstructed the Manhattan and Brooklyn south approach foundations, piers, columns and roadways and replaced the existing concrete and steel Main Span deck with a specially designed orthrotropic roadway deck. The new roadway deck is stronger and lighter than the original deck and with proper maintenance, is expected to have a longer life span than the original. In addition, a new South Pedestrian walkway/ bikeway was installed. The major portion of the South Roadways reconstruction began on July 8, 1996, when all four Brooklyn-bound lanes were closed. At that time, all traffic was shifted to the four North Roadway lanes. The outer roadway carried Manhattan-bound traffic and the inner roadway carried Brooklyn-bound traffic. Due to height restrictions on the North Inner Roadway, Brooklyn-bound truck traffic was prohibited on the bridge. After the South Outer Roadways were completed and reopened in 1997, the six available lanes on the bridge were reconfigured weekdays to have 4 lanes in the peak direction during each rush hour. In addition, Brooklyn- bound truck traffic was allowed back on the bridge. Contract #5 represented a landmark achievement because NYCDOT: 1) Maintained a smooth traffic flow between Manhattan and Brooklyn throughout reconstruction and 2) Reopened the South Outer Roadways to traffic 9 months ahead of schedule. The South Outer Roadways were reopened in August, 1997, after only 14 months of construction time. This early reopening was made possible with the addition of $27M in acceleration money and through the extraordinary efforts of over 500 men and women contributing over 1.5 million hours of time and labor.
Reconstruction of Transit Structure Work on the Transit Structure began on May 1, 1999, with the suspension of J, M and Z subway service across the Williamsburg Bridge. Over the course of the next 4 months, the contractor replaced and rebuilt the transit structure including: Brooklyn and Manhattan transit approaches; main bridge transit stringers and hangers; center portion floor beam; subway tracks and all subway signal, communication and traction power systems from the transit approach in Brooklyn to the transit approach in Manhattan.
Of all the contracts of the Williamsburg Bridge Reconstruction Program to date, this contract was the most delicate and complicated. Unlike roadways, subway structures cannot be built in segments. Signal systems, tracks, communication and traction power systems need to function simultaneously; together these elements allow the subway trains to run; individually, they are useless. Therefore, the contractor had to construct and test the system at the same time. This meant suspending subway service for five months in 1999. To accommodate displaced J, M & Z riders during the five month service interruption, NYCDOT and New York City Transit (NYCT) coordinated their efforts and implemented a transit service plan.
Commuters were advised to avoid using the J, M & Z lines, and utilize added or increased services on alternative subway and bus routes. In addition, the fare on the B39 bus crossing the Williamsburg Bridge was eliminated during the service interruption and free bus/subway transfers were given at the Marcy Avenue and Delancey Street stations.
During those five months, the contractor worked seven days a week and used multiple shifts and was able to restore subway service one month ahead of schedule.
Work on the North Outer Roadway of the Williamsburg Bridge was finished almost two months ahead of schedule and was reopened to commercial and passenger vehicles on December 10, 2001. Work on the North Inner Roadway was completed 50 days ahead of schedule and was reopened on June 10, 2002. Additionally, the North Footwalk was fully reopened to pedestrians and bicyclists on December 12, 2002.
Thanks to DOT's incentive program, the reconstruction project was finished ahead of schedule. The Williamsburg Bridge, a century old on December 19, 2003, is a stronger, better bridge and the City's traffic problems have been further alleviated.
Yonkers Contracting Company was responsible for construction of the $202 million roadway contract, which featured a significant incentive/disincentive for early completion of the roadway. The contractor was awarded $100,000 for each day the roadway was reopened ahead of the target date, or $5 million - the maximum allowed under the contract - for each of the North Outer Roadway and North Inner Roadway projects.
The North Outer Roadway reopening was complemented by the State Department of Transportation's early reopening of the Marcy Avenue connector ramp from the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway to the Williamsburg Bridge. This is the first time in the State's history that a segmented highway bridge was built using technology suited to situations requiring rapid construction with minimal traffic and community impacts. (For more information on the NYS DOT contract, please call Jennifer Nelson, at (718) 482-4526.)
The new footpath/bikeway complies with all regulations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This marks the first time the Williamsburg Bridge is accessible to the disabled since it opened to traffic on December 19, 1903. Furthermore, all footpaths and bikeways on East River bridges will comply with ADA regulations.
  The Williamsburg Bridge is one of the major crossings of the East River, carrying approximately 140,000 motorists, 92,000 subway/bus riders, 600 bikers and 500 pedestrians between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn and serving some of the busiest arteries in New York City.
When it opened in 1903, the Williamsburg Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world, with a span of 1600 feet and a total length of 7308 feet and the first with all-steel towers. It would hold the title of world's longest suspension bridge for another 17 years. The 310-foot steel towers support four cables, each measuring 18_ inches in diameter and weighing 4,344 tons. In all, nearly 17,500 miles of wire are used in the cables that suspend the bridge 135 feet above the East River. The massive stiffening trusses were designed not only to withstand high winds, but also to support rail traffic on the deck.
 The bridge links the New York City Boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Carrying rail, trolley and roadways for carriages and pedestrians, it was one of the last major bridges designed for the horse and carriage. By the 1920's however, the automobile was the major mode of transportation and the trolley tracks were replaced with roadways.
 Currently, the bridge carries four two-lane vehicular roadways, a South Roadway (Inner and Outer) and North Roadway, (Inner and Outer), with two rapid transit tracks (J,M.Z, subway lines) sandwiched in between. A dedicated walkway/bikeway also runs across the bridge.
- Listen to radio and television traffic reports
- Contact your local community board/ borough presidents or elected official
- Call the project information hotline at 1-877-WillyB8 (945-5928)
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