Willis Avenue Bridge Hitches Ride To NYC

The shiny new Willis Avenue Bridge (replacing the old one from 1901) is currently on a 110-mile journey down the Hudson River. The $600 million, 2,400-ton, 350-foot span was built in Albany County, and the the NY Post reports that the finished structure has been loaded on to two barges and is now traveling towards its permanent city home.

The trip will take 30 hours, first docking in Bayonne, and at the end of the month it will be towed to the East River, just south of the old Willis Avenue Bridge. Once it place, it will help connect 1st Avenue at East 124th Street in Harlem to Willis Avenue at East 134th Street in The Bronx. Keep an eye out for it sometime tomorrow morning!

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By Jen Carlson in News on July 13, 2010 2:22 PM

Comments [rss]

robingee

How cool! The old bridge is haggard. But I do love the locked doors that lead nowhere and say things like "STAY OUT! 40-FOOT DROP!" Got to get some pictures before they tear it down.

Mumintroll

Oh relax. Better we spend money on real infrastructure improvements than a lot of the other crap we blow cash on. Also, the old bridge has been crap-tastic for a long time now.

robingee

Who could possibly have a problem with replacing a busted up old bridge with a newer, safer one? Oh right, Gothamist commenters. "We have a problem with everything, even rainbows and puppy dogs!"

theboneranger

no problem spending $600million on a 350ft bridge.. no f*cking wonder we're sinking in debt. people actually find that reasonable! lolz

Dan

Hudson webcams:

http://www.wirednewyork.com/webcam/default.htm

http://www.wirednewyork.com/webcam3/

Wza

Cool!

Stevennnn

It left at 8:30am and it's around Hyde Park in Northern Dutchess County.

Could follow the movement here:

http://www.portofcoeymans.com/news/archives/

theboneranger

$600 MILLION?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Torgo

At least it was built here in the US. The new Bay Bridge in San Francisco is being milled and fabricated in China and shipped to CA piece by piece. Sad. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/10/BANK1ECA8J.DTL

Politburo

The pieces described in the article are unique pieces and cannot be made at just any foundry. The remainder of the bridge should be able to be manufactured here.