Weight, wait: MTA scrambles for detour after DOT’s surprise bridge sign
After an inspection determined a Newtown Creek bridge needed urgent repairs, road officials put up a 13-ton limit sign. Bus drivers from the nearby depot just happened to notice.
The MTA had to reroute buses on the fly late Wednesday after the city Transportation Department determined the rides are too overweight for a century-old bridge that links Brooklyn and Queens over Newtown Creek.
Buses, which weigh between 21 and 34 tons, had to be redirected away from the city-owned Grand Street Bridge — which has a new 13-ton weight limit — at the request of the city transportation agency, MTA officials confirmed.
“New Yorkers’ safety is our top priority,” Vincent Barone, a DOT spokesperson, said in a statement. “During a regular inspection of the Grand Street Bridge, NYC DOT identified the need for urgent repairs and implemented a temporary, 13-ton weight limit on the span, which will be lifted once urgent repairs are completed.”