Results tagged “throgsneckbridge”

The MTA offered its plan for repairing the Throgs Neck Bridge, the Queens-Bronx crossing that was damaged by a three-alarm fire the other week. You can read the plan here; MTA Brides & Tunnels president Susan Kupferman said, "We certainly understand the public's frustration. Our goals continue to be to reduce traffic impact and move forward with the repair plan." The fire was started by a construction worker's blow torch and the MTA says that the NJ contractor EE Cruz has accepted responsibility for the damages and repair work. EE Cruz had subcontracted the steel work to a Bronx company, Imperial Iron Works, whose crew was on the bridge during the fire. Newsday reports, "The crew that was torching steel when the fire broke out has been prohibited from working on the bridge...However, E.E. Cruz and Imperial have been retained for the continuing work, officials said."

Earlier this month, a three-alarm fire shut down traffic on the Throgs Neck Bridge. (It turned out the fire was started by a construction worker's blow torch; the bridge has been undergoing a multi-year renovation project.) Though traffic has mostly reopened, there are still some closures on the roads and ramps and the MTA is set to discuss the immediate future for drivers on the crossing. Newsday reports that trucking groups are concerned that the bridge may restrict truck traffic: "Truckers favor the Throgs Neck because it allows for a heavier weight limit, unlike the neighboring Bronx-Whitestone Bridge. The Bronx-Whitestone Bridge has a 80,000-pound truck limit. With special permission, trucks can have a total weight of up to 105,000 pounds crossing the Throgs Neck." And with bigger loads, truckers make more money. However, a civil engineer explains that "bouncing, heavy rigs can make matters worse." The MTA is holding a webcast of the Throgs Neck Bridge plan press conference at 10:50 a.m.

Last Friday, the Throgs Neck Bridge was shut down due to a three-alarm fire that started on construction scaffolding beneath the bridge. Now the FDNY says the fire was started by a construction worker's blow torch: Newsday reports, "Work being performed under the bridge at the time of the blaze is part of a reconstruction project to replace about 140,000 square feet of roadway deck at the Queens approach." The contractor, E.E. Cruz & Co., a NJ company also doing work at Ground Zero, did not comment. The 48-year-old bridge's Queens-bound lanes are open while only two Bronx-bound lanes are open.

After yesterday's 3-alarm fire that shut down the Throgs Neck Bridge for hours, the MTA reopened some of the roads—all Queens-bound roads are reopened while two Bronx-bound roads are open. However, the Post reports, "Until inspections are completed, trucks and tractor-trailers will be banned from the Bronx-bound lanes." The fire started in the construction scaffolding under the bridge around 5 a.m.—140 firefighters fought the blaze from trucks and fire boats—while thousands of commuters were caught up traffic backups. The Post adds that the investigation is looking at the work of the contractor and subcontractor (the Throgs Neck is undergoing a deck-replacement); apparently some crews were welding before the fire. More photos of the blaze at WCBS 880 and here are the latest details from the MTA.

Around 5:30 a.m., a fire broke out on a construction platform under the Throgs Neck Bridge. According to WABC 7, "The fire spread under the bridge, from the Bronx-bound to Queens-bound lanes. FDNY marine boats were responding to put out the flames." And the MTA just sent this statement: "The Throgs Neck Bridge continues to be closed in both directions due to a fire on scaffolding under the bridge where contractors were working this morning. No reports of injuries. The Fire Department is on the scene along with engineers. There is currently no estimate of when the bridge might reopen. That will be a decision made by the Fire Department and engineers on the scene. Traffic is being diverted to the Bronx Whitestone and RFK Bridges."

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a ceiling collapse at Franklin Ave. and Union St. in Brooklyn, a pedestrian was fatally struck on Queens Blvd. in Woodhaven, Queens, and an unusual rescue on the south bound tower of the Throgs Neck Bridge in Queens.
• An undercover cop forgot to turn off the wire he was wearing while discussing 11 bags of cocaine he seized in a Brooklyn bust that were never turned in. He was also sure to repeatedly refer to black people using the "N-word." [No link yet, but we saw the story on NY1.]
• The mother of an escaped convict is telling him through the press to keep running, and knows some day he'll be exonerated of his crime. We foresee either a one-armed man eventually brought to justice or subsequent imprisonment in a South American jail.
• Civil disobedience on 5th Avenue. We did not realize this, but the city has offered free vendor licenses to military veterans since the Civil War. Dan Rossi is protesting the curtailment of the practice by parking his hot dog cart right in front of The Metropolitan Museum.
• There's an interesting installation at the Gavin Brown Enterprise on Greenwich St. created by artist Urs Fischer, who's dug a hole in the ground. It is an absolutely enormous hole in the ground.
• Michael Douglas is the new announcer for the NBC Nightly News. Anderson Cooper responds that he would also consider a celebrity announcer, like Fran Drescher, Clint Eastwood, Paul Reubens, or Cher.
• Macy's is going to stay open 24 hours a day until Christmas Eve. Those are going to be some tired elves.
• A siamese cat named Yoda was bludgeoned to death in an Upper East Side doorman building. Sarah Favorite, the girlfriend of Yoda's owner, was arrested and is being charged with aggravated animal cruelty.

Earlier this week, Governor Spitzer said that a quick review of the state's bridges showed that all are basically safe, including ones with similar designs to Minneapolis' I-35. However, some bridges, such as the Brooklyn Bridge, rated low on a 7 point scale (7 being the safest) for safety. Still, Spitzer touted the fact that this year's budget added another $900 million to the $18.8 billion infrastructure plan.

All across the Ist-A-Verse (or at least the American parts thereof), writers and editors are in the midst of enjoying their three-day weekend. But after the week we've all had, we feel like the break is not only needed, but deserved. Just look at everything we've been doing!

Here's some feel-good news, courtesy of the MTA. It's a set of peregrine falcon chicks at the Throgs Neck Bridge! A wildlife expert from the DEP, Chris Nadareski, examined and tagged the chicks, all of which are female. And while the baby falcons are super cute, they are getting ready to grow up:

The Throgs Neck chicks have been growing steadily, and eat about four or five times a day. Their diet consists of pigeons, starlings, blackbirds, blue jays and other small birds caught by their mother. Their talons are already nearly as big as a man’s hand. In another three weeks they will begin to practice flying atop the tower but will remain dependent on their parents for protection and food for another eight weeks.

Continue reading "Baby Falcons at the Throgs Neck Bridge"

We were biking up by Morningside Heights yesterday-- the view over East Harlem to the river is beautiful. Check out the full panoramic view here. If you look closely, you can see all the way to the Throgs Neck Bridge.

-The Yankees beat the Red Sox today 8-4 guaranteeing them the the AL East Divison Title.