Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
BFD: Biden. Bloomberg. Brooklyn Bridge.
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 2, 2010
Modified Jun 2, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 2, 2010
Modified Jun 2, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Vice President Joe Biden was in town to kick off the beginning of the big Brooklyn Bridge rehabilitation project. According to Mayor Bloomberg's office, it's "a $508 million project - supported by $30 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds - that will bring the nationally and locally landmarked bridge into a state of good repair and improve traffic flow. The project starts the four-year process to replace bridge decks on the ramp and approach structures, expand the numbers of lanes on ramps and repaint of all the bridge’s steel components."
Bloomberg said, "Thanks to stimulus funding and a major investment by the City, we’re about to begin more than a half billion dollars worth of improvements to the City’s most famous bridge. The work will bring the bridge into a state of good repair, improve traffic flow and create needed construction jobs." Of course, some residents who use the bridge are worried about impending closures:
The majority of the work on the Brooklyn Bridge will be performed at night, requiring nighttime lane closures on the bridge’s Manhattan-bound lanes. However, for approximately 24 weekends, full closures of the span’s Manhattan-bound lanes will be required throughout the weekend beginning at 12:01 AM on Saturday night and re-opening at 5:00 AM on Monday. Brooklyn-bound traffic will be maintained during these nights and weekend closures. Traffic is expected to use the Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges for alternate access to Manhattan, with some traffic moving to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. There will be no weekend closures during special events or during the holiday construction embargo. A schedule will be posted as the dates are determined.
More details here.
Tagged
brooklyn
brooklyn bridge
dot
infrastructure
mayor bloomberg
transportation
vice president joe biden
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Judge temporarily halts overnight construction at NYC’s Chinatown jail
The order comes after Chinatown residents sued the city over noise, health concerns and years of planned after-hours construction.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 26, 2026 at 7:08 p.m. ET
Pressure grows on Mamdani to reform admissions to NYC specialized high schools
A former top-school official will join councilmembers and other prominent educators at an event focused on specialized high schools.
By
Elizabeth Kim
News
Pressure grows on Mamdani to reform admissions to NYC specialized high schools
A former top-school official will join councilmembers and other prominent educators at an event focused on specialized high schools.
By
Elizabeth Kim
Police search for man in Central Park sexual assault
By
Charles Lane
Rockefeller Center's 2026 Christmas tree is a 76-foot spruce from Upstate New York
By
Giulia Heyward
‘A killer cop lives here’: Brooklyn arrests raise questions about limits of free speech
By
Ben Feuerherd
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .