The Brooklyn Eagle reports that as part of a $508 million repair project, all Manhattan-bound lanes of the Brooklyn Bridge will be closed at night beginning August 23, —from 11PM until 6AM in the morning—continuing until 2014. 2014? Is that a misprint. That’s an awfully long time.
To make matters worse: there will also be 24 weekends when the Manhattan-bound lanes will be closed all weekend.
The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) warns motorists to “avoid the need to enter Manhattan on closure weekends.”
For pedestrians and bikers there’s good news: the center walkway will remain open.
The lanes to Manhattan closure will run from 11 p.m. until 6 a.m. Monday through Friday. Weekend closures begin at midnight and end at 7 a.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. Sunday — except for those weekends when the Manhattan-bound lanes will be closed both day and night.
The 127-year-old Brooklyn Bridge is one of three DOT bridges in the New York City area rated “poor” in a 2007 state inspection. According to DOT, that means that while the bridge span itself is safe, components of the bridge — ramps, approaches and decking — are in need of rehabilitation. Ramps in Brooklyn and Manhattan will be rehabilitated and widened and the entire bridge will be repainted to prevent steel corrosion on the structure.
Vertical protective shields have already been installed along the westbound traffic lane. DOT says this is “the first step toward setting up containment units for paint work.”
DOT says it anticipates heavy usage of the nearby Manhattan Bridge during construction, and suggests drivers consider getting into Manhattan via subway, the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel or the Williamsburg Bridge. For an up-to-date schedule of closures, please contact brooklynbridgeoutreach@gmail.com or phone (347) 647-0876.
Wow, that is quite a long time. However, having lived in Minneapolis in 2007 when the I-35 (major highway through downtown area) bridge went down and having known an entire family that was seriously injured in the collapse and is still heavily dependent on physical therapy I say…..I’m okay with it, I can find other ways into the city late at night should the need arise.