NYC DOT - Press Releases - New Willis Avenue Bridge to Pass Beneath Brooklyn Bridge En Route to Harlem River

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press Release #10-032

Friday, July 23, 2010

Seth Solomonow/Scott Gastel (212) 839-4850

New Willis Avenue Bridge to Pass Beneath Brooklyn Bridge En Route to its Harlem River Home Monday

Bridge expected to pass Pier 11 by barge at 7:30 a.m., continue beneath the Brooklyn Bridge

The new Willis Avenue Bridge will make a dramatic entry into the East River at approximately 7:30 a.m. Monday morning, passing Pier 11 and the Brooklyn Bridge by 7:40 a.m., part of the final leg of its trip from upstate New York to its new Harlem River home. New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan will view the 350-foot span's historic passage by barge beneath the Brooklyn Bridge from Lower Manhattan's Pier 11 starting at 7:30 a.m. The new bridge, which will replace the existing, 109-year-old structure spanning the Harlem River, is currently docked at a facility in Jersey City, and will transit the East River before arriving at the new bridge site at approximately 10:30 a.m. Full installation of the bridge will occur in early August, with the new structure expected to open to traffic in the fall.

Event: NYC DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan will view the passage of the new Willis Avenue Bridge as it is floated beneath the Brooklyn Bridge en route to its final home on the Harlem River.

Date: Monday, July 26, 2010

Time: 7:30 a.m.

Location: Pier 11, East River near South Street between Gouverneur Slip and Wall Street, Manhattan

Visual: 350-foot-long, 2,400-ton steel structure carried by twin barges and escorted by the U.S. Coast Guard, enters the East River and passes beneath the Brooklyn Bridge.

The bridge replacement is part of a $612 million project to replace the existing "swing" bridge, which opens on a pivot to allow marine traffic to pass on the Harlem River. This work is part of more than $5 billion in bridge investments made by the Bloomberg Administration since 2002, which includes rehabilitation and repainting projects on all of the City-owned East River bridges.

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