MTA Bridges and Tunnels Construction Improvements

Henry Hudson Bridge

A three-year, $33 million project is underway to replace the original 1930s steel curb stringers that support the upper level roadway on either side of the bridge. In addition to replacing the stringers and installing 3,600-feet of new bridge decking, new energy-efficient roadway lighting will also be added. The new light poles will replicate the original 1938-style light poles in keeping with the bridge’s Depression-era design. Motorists will also benefit from the removal of an unused, maintenance sidewalk, which is closed to the public. The new space will be re-striped, resulting in wider traffic lanes of 11-feet-6-inches across the bridge. Bridge lanes are currently about 10-feet wide. The lower level pedestrian walkway will remain open while this work is done. In the first half of the project the far left (west) lane from just after the toll plaza across the full-length of the bridge will remain closed through summer 2012; two lanes will remain open during peak, weekday travel times. The Henry Hudson Bridge, connecting the northern tip of Manhattan to the Riverdale section of the Bronx, turned 75 on December 12, 2011. Today an average 63,000 cars use the bridge daily.

Northbound upper level roadway, view toward Bronx, Henry Hudson Bridge
Workers replacing the bridge’s original curb stringer boxes, commonly used in the  1930s when the bridge was built, with new sub-structure steel beams, shown here being hoisted. All together there will be 30 of these steel girders installed. Each steel beam weighs 3,000 lbs.
Protective shield installation for upper level work.
Old stringer curb box that is being removed	Example of corroded stringer box that is being removed. This is what happens when water seeps into the empty stringer box.
New steel grid put in place after old stringer box was removed.
Henry Hudson Bridge Stringer Replacement

Bronx-Whitestone Bridge

Construction started in early 2009 to replace and widen the roadway and supporting structure of the Bronx approach.  Major elements of this four-year, $192.8 million project include new piers—expanded from two to three—with foundations; removal of the median barrier; demolition of the existing roadway and construction of the new roadway superstructure; and demolition of the existing piers and final site improvements such as landscaping, drainage, etc.

Original two-pier structure	Three new piers take shape under roadway
Construction in progress	Pier close up

Throgs Neck Bridge

The Queens approach of the 51-year-old bridge is being replaced under this $96.7 million contract. Main features of project include replacement of the entire concrete roadway deck, which was nearing the end of its useful life, at the Queens side of the span; rehabilitation of abutment and concrete retaining walls; and painting of structural steel including the Cross Island Parkway on- and off-ramps.  More than 140,000 square feet of the roadway deck on 11 spans of the bridge in Queens are being replaced.  Active construction will continue through mid-2010, with full project completion in 2011.

Northbound roadway in Queens under construction	Paint removal containment operation.
New roadway taking shape

Verrazano-Narrows Bridge

• VN Toll Booth Removal
• VN Paint Project

Toll Booth Removal Project

On the night of Feb. 1-2, 2012, the last remaining long-decommissioned eastbound toll booths at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge were torn down. The work is part of a $50 million Capital project to improve traffic flow through the toll plaza.
Other highlights of the project, which is expected to be completed by 2015 include:

• A new fly-over ramp from Narrows Road South (service road) will be built to help ease both car and bus traffic onto the Brooklyn-bound upper level of the bridge.
• Rehabilitation of the toll plaza roadway from the Staten Island Expressway to accommodate traffic that will be traveling through the area at highway speeds rather than toll booth stop and go conditions.
• Construction of a new lower level connector ramp that will take motorists directly from the Staten Island Expressway to the bridge’s lower level.
• A new fly-over ramp at the Lily Pond entrance ramp to the bridge will be constructed to improve roadway logistics and allow smoother access for buses and cars onto the bridge’s upper level.
• Rehabilitation of the Father Capodanno entrance ramp and the Lily Pond exit ramp.

 

Photos by Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin.

Paint Removal Project

Containment system wrapping the lower tower legs of the bridge is part of a two-year, nearly $19 million Capital construction project to remove old lead paint, repair and rehabilitate steel and  repaint the interior and exterior of the tower legs on both the Staten Island and Brooklyn sides of the bridge. The shroud-like covering is put in place to make sure the old paint does not escape into the environment. It is then collected and disposed of in strict accordance with New York State regulations.

Bridges need to be painted in order to keep them in a state of good repair and to provide protective coating against corrosion. The Verrazano-Narrows is particularly susceptible to corrosion because of the wind patterns where it sits in New York Bay and its exposure to harsh sea and salt air.  An estimated 11,500 gallons of high-performance paint, specially designed for bridges, will be used for this project.

VN legs paint 4: Cable and pulley system is constructed on the Staten Island tower legs in preparation for the tarps that will completely enclose the steel structure before abrasive blasting of old paint begins.	VN Tower Legs 2:  Side view of Staten Island tower leg completely wrapped in the containment system. Work began in late 2010 with actual removal of paint beginning in July 2011.
VN SI Tower Legs:  View of the Staten Island tower legs under containment system taken from the Brooklyn side of the bridge. Once completed, work will move to the Brooklyn side of the bridge.

Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge

This three-year, $56.9 million project centers on reconstructing the 37-year old deck and its Rockaway ramps, which have weathered decades of use by 7.3 million vehicles each year in the corrosive salt water environment. The work involves replacement of asphalt overlay, rehabilitation of concrete girders, a new fire stand pipe, and replacement of the deck joints, which allow for contraction and expansion of the bridge.  New concrete barriers and railings along the sidewalk were installed, and the walkway re-opened to the public in October 2008.  The project was completed on time in May 2010 as promised, however minor maintenance work is still in progress on the ramps.

Before and after new asphalt pavement on a bridge ramp looking northward