Kosciuszko Bridge demolition began today
The first phase of the demolition of the old Kosciuszko Bridge began Tuesday with the lowering of the main span after a two-week delay from its original publically anticipated July 11 demolition date, officials said.
The 125-foot main span of the bridge was set to be lowered and barged out of the Newtown Creek between about 10 a.m. and 12 p.m., according to the State Department of Transportation (DOT).
The process was expected to take about 16 to 18 hours as part of an $873 million investment to replace the bridge.
For those who wanted to watch the bridge come down, DOT recommended the intersection between Review Avenue and Laurel Hill Boulevard in Long Island City.
An estimated 20 feet per hour were lowered onto the barges in a slow-motion demolition of the rusted bridge, which was expected to be shipped to a recycling facility in New Jersey.
Contrary to popular belief, the bridge will not be demolished in an eventful night of explosion, but rather the remaining sections that stand over land will be imploded will little environmental harm to the area.
“It’s not going to be an exploding bridge over the water, they’re going to bring the main span of the bridge down onto a barge … and barge it out, which I think will be pretty phenomenal to see,” Willis Elkins of the Newtown Creek Alliance told the Brooklyn Eagle.
Two new six-lane spans will replace the old bridge from 1939 that connects Brooklyn and Queens. The first span opened in April, and the other will replace the demolished bridge and carry east-bound traffic.
There are possibilities of adding park space and a boat launch on the Brooklyn side by 2020, according to the Newtown Creek Alliance.
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