We are living in a bit of a renaissance for New York City-area bridges. New spans are under construction for the Goethals, Kosciuszko, and Tappan Zee bridges, and the deck of the Bayonne Bridge is being raised. The world’s busiest bridge, the George Washington, is also having work done.
After a crane collapse last February killed a pedestrian in TriBeCa, Mayor Bill de Blasio formed a working group to study the city’s crane regulations. In June, the panel released its recommendations. Today, the City Council took the next step by holding a hearing on a large package of proposed crane and work site safety legislation, including bills unrelated to crane safety that tighten training and worksite requirements.
A new stretch of Brooklyn Bridge Park, which straddles the mouth of the East River along Brooklyn Heights, will come online later this year. Renderings of the six-acre plot, called Pier 5 Uplands and located between Joralemon and Montague streets, have been revealed at Curbed NY.
Governor Andrew Cuomo has unveiled plans for a $10 billion redesign of John F. Kennedy International Airport, in Queens. Broadly, the goal of the project is to better interconnect the airport’s existing terminals and improve the flow of vehicles and people through reconstruction and expansion of roadways, Crain’s reported. There would also be a large parking garage at the center of the airport, possibly to be topped by green space. Mass-transit upgrades are also in store, including plans for a one-seat ride to Manhattan. The state’s Department of Transportation will head the construction pertaining to roadways and mass transit, while the airport is expected to be rebuilt under partnerships with airline companies and operators, including the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey.
In 2014, the Fort Lee, N.J., skyline got its first new high-rise in over a decade. The Modern, at 800 Park Avenue, is a glassy, 496-foot-tall, 47-story, 450-unit rental building. Now, its twin is rapidly rising.
