Bridges
Streetsblog Basics
Port Authority Will Widen Bike Pinch Points Around GWB Towers
The Port Authority announced plans yesterday to add some breathing room for biking and walking around the towers on the George Washington Bridge. Currently the paths narrow and jog around the towers at tight angles -- the new "wedges" will make for a more comfortable ride.
February 17, 2017
There’s Still Time to Ask the Port Authority For Wider GWB Paths
On Thursday, the Port Authority board will vote on the agency's $32 billion, 10-year capital plan -- which currently does not include widening the walking and biking paths on the GW Bridge. The paths are much narrower than engineering standards recommend, and with cycling numbers increasing at a rapid clip, the space crunch will only get worse.
February 14, 2017
A Verrazano Bike/Ped Path Doesn’t Have to Cost as Much as the MTA Claims
How much will it cost to build bicycle and pedestrian paths on the Verrazano Bridge? A lot less than the MTA says it will, if the agency removes unnecessary ramps from the project, according to advocates and engineers who've reviewed the options.
October 20, 2016
Bike Racks on Buses Are Nice, But the Verrazano Really Needs a Bike Path
Later this year, the MTA will release a master plan for the Verrazano Bridge that's expected to include the possibility of a bike and pedestrian path, but advocates worry the agency is needlessly driving up the cost of the project.
October 19, 2016
Queensboro Bridge Bike/Ped Path Will Close Every Night Until 2017 (At Least)
People who bike over the Queensboro Bridge had to endure months without nighttime access to the bridge's car-free path earlier this year, with ConEd infrastructure work closing off the north outer roadway. Now, after a short respite, ConEd work has resumed, and nightly closures are slated to last "through the end of the year," according to DOT's Facebook page for the bridge.
September 30, 2016
Tolling Opens Up Possibilities for Better Brooklyn Bridge Walking and Biking
With crowding on the Brooklyn Bridge walking and biking path in a state of near constant low-level emergency, this week NYC DOT announced a feasibility study of widening the bridge’s promenade. A path with sufficient space for the thousands of commuters, exercisers, and tourists who walk and bike across the bridge each day would be an immensely valuable improvement. But what if the same benefits could be derived at less cost by claiming space on the Brooklyn Bridge roadway?
August 10, 2016
Brooklyn Bridge Promenade Expansion Could Start in 2019
An expansion of the Brooklyn Bridge walking and biking path could get underway by 2019 if it's folded into a rehab project that's already in the pipeline, DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said this afternoon.
August 8, 2016
DOT Will Study Widening the Brooklyn Bridge Walking and Biking Path
The days of pedestrians and cyclists fighting for scraps of space on the Brooklyn Bridge may be numbered.
August 8, 2016
The Port Authority’s Missed Opportunity to Make a Bike-Friendly GW Bridge
Next year, the Port Authority will begin a seven-year, $1.03 billion renovation of the suspension cables on the George Washington Bridge [PDF]. Announced in March 2014, the project includes new ramps to the bridge’s bike and pedestrian paths, eliminating stairs and a hairpin turn. But it won't widen a bike path that is already too small for the amount of cycling traffic it receives.
July 22, 2016
With Matthew von Ohlen’s Killer Still at Large, NYPD Is in Bike Blitz Mode
You read that right: While the driver who brazenly struck and killed Matthew von Ohlen last weekend has yet to be apprehended, police officers are handing out frivolous tickets to cyclists on the Manhattan Bridge.
July 6, 2016