Archives of the Mayor's Press Office

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today joined Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Iris Weinshall at a ribbon-cutting ceremony to announce the completion of the North Outer Roadway project on the Williamsburg Bridge. Work on the roadway was finished almost two months ahead of schedule and is reopened to commercial and passenger vehicles as of Monday, December 10.

Mayor Giuliani said, "Thanks to the DOT's incentive program, yet another reconstruction project is finished ahead of schedule. The Williamsburg Bridge, almost a century old, is well on its way to becoming a stronger, better bridge. And with more bridge roadways reopened, the City's traffic problems have been further alleviated. I join with commuters from Brooklyn, Manhattan and the rest of the City in praising the excellent work the DOT has accomplished."

DOT Commissioner Weinshall said, "The early re-opening means that Manhattan-bound truck traffic can now use the Williamsburg Bridge. Not only will this facilitate truck traffic to local businesses-it will also help ease congestion on the Gowanus Expressway, BQE and lower Manhattan."

The roadway improvements are part of Mayor Giuliani's ongoing rehabilitation of the four East River bridges. The Williamsburg Bridge's north roadway closed on January 29, 2001 and reopened 50 days ahead of its scheduled reopening on January 29, 2002. The new traffic pattern will allow six of eight lanes open on the bridge. Four lanes Manhattan-bound and two lanes Brooklyn-bound will be open from 6 A.M. to 3 P.M. Monday through Friday. Four Brooklyn-bound lanes and two Manhattan-bound lanes will be maintained at all other times.

Yonkers Construction is 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 opened ahead of the target date, or $5 million dollars-the maximum allowed under the contract.

Commissioner Weinshall also expects the north inner roadway to open ahead of schedule. "We hope to have complete access to the roadways by the summer of 2002," the Commissioner said.

The north outer roadway reopening will be 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.)

During the 1990's, The DOT has invested more than $600 million in the Williamsburg Bridge. During those years, previous contracts have:

The current contract also provides for the construction of a new footpath/bikeway scheduled for completion fall 2002. The new footpath/ bikeway will comply with regulations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); this marks the first time the Williamsburg Bridge will be 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.

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