Yup. We knew that the Manhattan-bound lanes of the Brooklyn Bridge were closed nights and some weekends due to repairs but for some reason we didn’t realize it was closed the other way, too.
The schedule of night-time and weekend closures is complicated so you better check the NYC DOT site for updates so you don’t get screwed like we did last night.
At 3AM after our 14 hour drive from Chicago (accomplished in one day, mind you) we wanted to drive across the beautiful Bridge, a visually stunning way to enter Brooklyn at night.
Okay, I begged Hepcat to take the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel but no, he wanted to fill his eyes with a gorgeous view even after such a long trip. But it was closed Brooklyn Bound (which surprised us).
We ended up taking the FDR to Houston Street, going down Allen Street…and finally made it onto the Manhattan Bridge…
After 1400 miles of driving over the last few days what’s a couple more miles.
For those who don’t know, the Manhattan bound side of the Brooklyn Bridge be closed nights and some weekends. Like I said, check the DOT schedule for details
The Brooklyn Bridge opened in 1883 as the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time. It was designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service, and a New York City Landmark by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. With over 127 years of heavy use, this iconic East River crossing is now one of three DOT bridges in the New York City area rated “poor” in a 2007 state inspection. The rating means components of the bridge – ramps, approaches, and decking – are in need of rehabilitation.
The bridge span itself is safe, and the city maintains an aggressive safety inspection program. Construction and repainting of the bridge, partially funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, was given its Notice to Proceed (NTP) on January 19th, 2010 and will run until early 2014. There will be overnight and limited weekend lane closures, with traffic diverted to other East River crossings: the Manhattan Bridge, the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and the Williamsburg Bridge. There are no scheduled closures for pedestrians and cyclists.
During the rehabilitation work, drivers will always be able to reach Brooklyn via the Brooklyn Bridge. When work is being done on the Brooklyn-bound lanes (south roadway), a “contraflow” operation will be in effect. Traffic will be detoured to the the north roadway in order to reach Brooklyn. Signage and barriers will direct motorists to safely enter and exit the bridge. Brooklyn-bound drivers can use the following entrances [http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/brooklynbridge_manhattan_contraflow.pdf] and exits [http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/brooklynbridge_brooklyn_contraflow.pdf] to and from the north roadway while the contraflow operation is in effect.
I went across the Brooklyn Bridge, to Brooklyn, last night at around 11. I didn’t much of the view, due to a large part of the bridge being covered by metal sheeting, so at least you had a better view.