Grand Street Bridge Project

The Grand Street Bridge is a swing bridge over Newtown Creek. It connects Maspeth, Queens with Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The bridge spans both the North Brooklyn and Maspeth Industrial Business Zones.

A green swing bridge just above a waterway in New York City.

The bridge structure is a two-way vehicular roadway, with one lane and one sidewalk in each of the eastbound and westbound directions. Based on 2019 data, average daily traffic carries about 11,400 vehicles per day, with approximately two thirds of vehicles traveling westbound into Brooklyn, and one third of vehicles traveling eastbound into Queens.

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About the Project

After over 120 years, the Grand Street Bridge is reaching the end of its useful life.

The bridge has several deficiencies; it is too narrow to accommodate current traffic and does not meet current structural nor geometric design standard requirements. The mechanical and electrical systems on the swing span have been heavily damaged by various weather events, along with a large portion of electrical conduit, wiring, and the terminal boxes for the submarine cable.

The project will address the structural deficiencies, geometric deficiencies, resiliency needs, and operational reliability of the Grand Street Bridge over Newtown Creek for multi-modal transportation uses, including cars, buses, trucks, pedestrians, bicycles, and marine vessels.

There are several social, economic, environmental, and transportation considerations that the project will consider. These include, but are not limited to:

  • Economic considerations, including property acquisition and potential effects to local and/or regional businesses
  • Social considerations
  • Surface waters, navigable waters, and wetlands
  • Hazardous waste and contaminated materials
  • Historic and cultural resources
  • Coastal zone consistency
  • Construction effects
  • Visual resources
  • Air quality
  • Land use
  • Traffic
  • Noise

Project Updates

NYC DOT, as project sponsor and joint lead agency, along with the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), as joint lead agency, will be preparing a State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA)/City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) Environmental Assessment Statement (EAS) for the Grand Street Bridge over Newtown Creek Project. NYSDOT is the SEQRA lead agency for the Project and has classified the Project as a non-Type II action under SEQRA. NYC DOT has classified the Project as a Type 1 action under CEQR.

The Project is anticipated to be federally funded and requires federal approvals. Thus, it is also subject to review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). After evaluation of ongoing Project design aspects, supporting documentation, and coordination to date, as of Fall 2025, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the NEPA lead agency, in cooperation with NYSDOT and NYC DOT, are progressing the Project as an NEPA Categorical Exclusion (CatEx) with documentation.

Therefore, NYC DOT is advancing this Project through the NEPA and SEQRA/CEQR processes concurrently and in consideration of involved and interested agency comments and public input.

A few key milestones in the process for this project are highlighted below:

  • City, State, and Federal Agencies Coordination – Ongoing
  • Public Engagement – Ongoing
  • Public Information Meeting
  • Development & Agency Review of the SEQRA/CEQR Document & the NEPA CatEx Document in the form of a Draft Design Report – In Progress
  • SEQRA/CEQR Environmental Determination and Draft Design Report Approval

Project Team

Three agencies are involved in the project:

  • The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), as federal lead agency
  • The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) as joint lead agency
  • The New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT), as project sponsor and joint lead agency

Community Engagement

Public engagement is an important part of this project, and there are many opportunities to get involved.

Get Involved

NYC DOT invites you to participate in public information meetings for the Grand Street Bridge Project.

Past Events

Queens Public Information Meeting on

  • Monday, April 28, 2025

Brooklyn Public Information Meeting on

  • Wednesday, April 30, 2025

Contact Us

Have any questions or concerns about the Grand Street Bridge Project?

Resources

Materials include meeting and project documents, and information about federal, state, and local requirements.

Grand Street Bridge Project Public Information Meeting – April 2025 (pdf)

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a federal law that provides for a decision-making process to consider the effects of federally funded or permitted projects on the natural and built environment. It provides for broad participation in decision-making by the public and agencies with funding or permitting authority.

Under NEPA, lead agencies consider public input about potential effects of a project on the social, economic, and environmental conditions.

For more information on NEPA, explore the links below:

The New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) requires state, regional, and local government agencies to consider the environmental impacts of their actions.

Learn about SEQRA on the NYS Department of Conservation’s website.

As mandated by the State Environmental Quality Review Act, CEQR is the process by which New York City agencies determine what effect, if any, their project may have upon the environment. CEQR is a disclosure process and not an approval process in and of itself.

For more information on CEQR, explore the links below:

The Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) is a multi-stop process for zoning and other land use approvals within New York City. It requires coordination with the New York City Planning Department (NYC Planning), Community Boards, and other agencies.

The Grand Street Bridge Project is anticipated to undergo a formal ULURP process after the Environmental Reviews are completed.

Learn about the ULURP process on the NYC Planning website.

The Grand Street Bridge is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, and this project is subject to review under Section 106. Removal of the bridge would cause an adverse effect on this historic property. A Finding Document prepared in accordance with 36 CFR 800.11 (pdf) and its Attachment A: Location Map and APE Map (pdf) are available online. Comments can be submitted and are requested by Wednesday, April 8, 2026. Please include your full name, email address, and affiliation with your comments.

Email GrandStreetBridgeProject@dot.nyc.gov with your comments on Section 106 Finding Documentation.

For more information on the Section 106 consultation process, see the Citizen’s Guide to Section 106 Review.


Bridge History

The first two bridges over Newtown Creek were built in 1875 and 1890. The current bridge—the third on this site—was opened in 1903. When it was first built, the bridge was mainly maritime crossing. It was opened more than 5,000 times for shipping purposes in 1918.