Can you guess the strongest and most heavily trafficked bridge in New York City? Hint: It’s not the Brooklyn or Manhattan. The Williamsburg Bridge, which gets more than 100,000 vehicles a day plus another 110,000 subway passengers, wins that prize. To the great relief of all those who pass over the 1903 structure on a regular basis, the fourth and final phase of its rehabilitation is drawing to a close. The reno has been going on for almost twenty years and will ring in at a final cost of $741 million when all is said and done. The most recent, $173 million phase, was focused on strengthening the bridge’s main steel support structures (though $50 million went to repainting two stiffening trusses). While smaller upgrades will drag on for another year or so, the scaffolding that has engulfed portions of the bridge for years will soon come down. Meanwhile, the DOT just announced the closure of the lower level of the Manhattan Bridge for the next year or so while it undergoes its own renovation.
W’burg Bridge Rehab Epic Close to End [Construction.com]
Photo by Tony Hoffman