The old Kosciuszko Bridge will be demolished on Sunday, October 1—a week's delay—and the public has a chance to see it happen alongside Governor Cuomo, who called the event an "energetic felling." What?
A press release from the governor's office explains, "Contractors will utilize 'energetic felling' to lower the old steel truss spans in both Brooklyn and Queens to the ground, where the trusses will be dismantled using heavy equipment and removed. The 20 trusses - 10 from each side of the bridge - total 3,100 feet in length. An estimated 22 million pounds of steel from the approaches will be recycled as scrap metal."
When the 78-year-old bridge is removed, a second span of the new bridge can be built. "When the new bridge is complete, there will be five Queens-bound travel lanes of the BQE and four Brooklyn-bound travel lanes, plus a 20-feet-wide bikeway walkway with spectacular views of Manhattan. The bridge carries approximately 200,000 commuters daily," the press release added.
The old bridge, once called the worst in the city, was originally built to handle just 10,000 commuters.
The governor's office has set up a lottery website for the public to enter to watch the "energetic felling." Registration closes at 4 p.m. on Saturday, September 30 and the lucky viewers will later receive information on where to head at 7:15 a.m. on Sunday.
"The new Kosciuszko Bridge is a triumph, showing the world that New York is meeting big challenges and getting things done, rejuvenating our transportation infrastructure and supporting economic growth," Governor Cuomo said. "The energetic felling of the approach spans of the former Kosciuszko Bridge marks another milestone in the construction of the first major new bridge in New York City in more than fifty years and is one more sign that New York State is building a brighter future." Literally—there are now light shows on the new bridge.
