Bridges
Streetsblog Basics
Public-Private Plan for Goethals Trades Higher Costs for Faster Construction
Public-private partnerships, or P3s, have been repeatedly held up as a way for New York and other states to replace crumbling infrastructure despite enormous budget deficits. The Port Authority recent announced that it will use a P3 to finance the new Goethals Bridge, an important development that's sure to be closely watched by the state's transportation officials.
March 4, 2011
Canal Street Report Recommends Wider Sidewalks, Smarter Parking
Canal Street, to put it mildly, is due for a makeover. The street is clogged with traffic from the Holland Tunnel and the un-tolled Manhattan Bridge. Pedestrians jostle for space on the packed sidewalks, and they're especially at risk of getting hit by a car, according to the city's Pedestrian Safety Study.
January 6, 2011
Eyes on the Street: A Bike-Friendly Approach to the Q’Boro
We've got another highlight from 2010 construction season to share with you. A two-way, protected approach to the Queens side of the Queensboro Bridge bike-ped path has been paved, striped and open for business since the end of October.
November 12, 2010
Nadler Revives Fight Against Trucker Giveaway on Verrazano
The one-way tolls on the Verrazano Bridge have been a major cause of truck traffic in New York City since they were instituted in 1986. Though numerous efforts to restore two-way tolls have failed over the last two and a half decades, technological progress may finally bring victory within reach. Congressman Jerry Nadler thinks that the MTA's moves toward cashless tolling could make two-way tolls politically feasible, and he's trying to pass the federal legislation necessary to allow them.
October 15, 2010
Riders Want Faster Buses Across Q’Boro. Are Bus Lanes Coming?
NYC DOT is studying how to speed buses across the car-clogged Queensboro Bridge, and data the agency collected over the summer [PDF] show just how great the need is. Buses are crawling and riders are fed up. Relieving the bottleneck for riders could make transit a far more attractive option for Queens residents. One potential solution -- adding dedicated bus lanes to the bridge and its approaches -- is a PlaNYC promise waiting to be fulfilled.
September 24, 2010
Construction Narrows Brooklyn Bridge Bike-Ped Path
Heads up if you bike or walk across the Brooklyn Bridge: Rehab work slated to last until 2014 is narrowing the promenade from 14 feet to 11 feet.
August 27, 2010
Eyes on the Street: Gravelly Bike-Ped Path Through Brooklyn Bridge Park
A vital link in the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway is open, as a path through Brooklyn Bridge Park for pedestrians and cyclists nears completion. Though the park is still far from complete, the path cuts straight through the construction, connecting Pier 1, just below the Brooklyn Bridge itself, and Pier 6, at Atlantic Avenue.
August 27, 2010
EDC’s Queens Plaza Project Adds Better Bike-Ped Routes, Subtracts Parking
The Queens Plaza North bike lane will run in a center median. Image: NYCEDC Protected bike paths are coming to Queens Plaza as part of a major redesign of the area by the city’s Economic Development Corporation. Construction work to transform the dangerous, overwide streets and surface parking at “the gateway to Queens” has been … Continued
July 20, 2010
Manhattan Bridge Rehab Plans Pose Challenges for Bike-Ped Safety
The cables holding up the Manhattan Bridge need to be replaced, one of the final stages in a massive rehabilitation that began all the way back in 1982. The cable project will run through 2013, and for cyclists and pedestrians, the major challenges will come at the end of this year, when construction starts above the bikeway. The current plans from NYCDOT's bridge division could put cyclists in danger when they reach the Manhattan end of the bridge, unless some additional precautions are taken.
July 6, 2010
NYCDOT Prioritizes Sustainable Modes at Queens Approach to Triborough
Plans for a new pedestrian area between Hoyt Avenue South and Astoria Boulevard. Pedestrians already crowd this space, which is only set off from traffic by striping (visible under the simulated sidewalk). Rendering: NYCDOT NYCDOT has proposed a significant street redesign for the base of the RFK Bridge (a.k.a. the Triborough) in Astoria [PDF], a … Continued
June 1, 2010