The Dept. of Transportation has begun major repair work on the Queensboro Bridge, pictured, which is expected to take until December 2023 to complete (Photo via NYCDOT Flickr)
Feb. 14, 2022 By Michael Dorgan
The Dept. of Transportation began major repair work on the Queensboro Bridge Monday and at least one vehicle lane is to remain closed for the entirety of the near two-year project.
The repair work, which is expected to take until December 2023 to complete, consists of replacing the bridge’s upper deck in order to extend its life span by up to 75 years, according to the DOT.
The repairs mean that at least one Manhattan-bound vehicle lane on the upper deck is now closed to motorists at all times in order for the DOT to store construction materials and equipment.
During off-peak periods, one additional Manhattan-bound traffic lane is to be closed on the upper deck. When this occurs, one of the existing Queens-bound lanes on the upper level will be reversed to run toward Manhattan, according to the DOT.
Off-peak daytime hours are Mondays through Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Off-peak nighttime hours Mondays through Thursdays from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. and on Fridays from 8 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.
The DOT is calling on motorists to use alternative forms of transportation while the work is being carried out.
“Motorists are strongly encouraged to take mass transit or seek alternate routes as crews carry out the complete replacement of the 113-year-old bridge’s upper level,” the DOT said in a statement Friday.
The Queensboro Bridge opened in 1909 and is the busiest of the four DOT East River crossings with a daily traffic volume of around 170,000 vehicles.
(Poster via @NYC_DOT on Twitter)
The repair work primarily focuses on the replacement of the upper deck on the main bridge—although it also includes the replacement of deck joints and barriers on the upper roadway. Some of the other work includes drainage improvements, structural steel repairs and painting.
The overhaul means that the city’s plan to convert a car lane into a pedestrian pathway on the bridge will be delayed until at least 2024.
The DOT had pledged to convert a car lane on the southern outer roadway to a pedestrian pathway by 2022—in order to free up space on the northern outer roadway of the bridge which is currently shared by pedestrians and cyclists.
The delay has upset local politicians and bicycle safety advocates– who are calling on the DOT to expedite the repair work.
The existing pathway on the northern outer roadway, pictured, was scheduled to be repurposed for bicycles this year (Photo by Michael Dorgan, Queens Post)
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11 Comments
Hire more workers and get this done.
Also, fix the potholes on the Manhattan side!
Sooner you get this done the sooner you can get that bike lane open!
why why why does nobody ask the most important question….why can’t you hire a hundred + more workers and work 24/7 and get the job done before thanksgiving this year, not in 2….um 3 um 4 years…
Hire who??? I don’t see you lining up!
Everything is being done to keep Manhattan safe for residents and tourist from WQs housing and shelter residents.
Now perhaps the cyclists know how it feels to be robbed of something they were promised.
Ever seen a car parked in a bike lane? Yeah they’re “robbed of something they were promised” every day.
Let that sink in.
But you are forgetting something important.
The people who built the empire state building and others around that time were skilled (legal) immigrants workers, who WANTED to contribute to the country they moved to. Now, notsomuch.
If they only need one lane of traffic it’s not very important
Why not close the entire bridge to all cars & trucks so that cyclists & horse drawn carriages can traverse the river more easily?
One more reason to keep the southern outer roadway for cars only.