Kosciuszko Bridge#1939 bridge

The first bridge on the site was built in 1803 through an Act of Legislature authorizing the building of a Toll Bridge over Newtown Creek: this bridge charged one cent per foot passenger, which was why the bridge was called the "Penny Bridge." The original bridge was replaced several times. A temporary wooden bridge collapsed on January 12, 1894, leading to the death of nine.{{Cite news |date=1894-03-13 |title=JOHN Y. MKANE SIGNED THE CONTRACT.; Verdict Blaming Engineer McLaughlin for the Newtown Cree Disastor. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1894/03/13/archives/john-y-mkane-signed-the-contract-verdict-blaming-engineer.html |access-date=2022-07-09 |issn=0362-4331}} Also called Meeker Avenue Bridge, the more permanent structure in use since 1894 was still informally known by some as the Penny Bridge. The bridge structures connected Meeker Avenue in Brooklyn to Review Avenue and Laurel Hill Boulevard in Queens.{{Cite web |date=2017-07-05 |title=The Kosciuszko Bridge and the Changing Face of Brooklyn |url=https://www.bklynlibrary.org/blog/2017/07/05/kosciuszko-bridge-and |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=www.bklynlibrary.org |language=en-us}}

The bridge was operated by private companies until 1888.{{dubious|the above paragraph says "the" bridge was used since 1894, which is after this clause. is it referring to temporary bridges? it's odd to call it "the bridge" then|date=January 2024}} In 1896, the bridge became the property of the city of Brooklyn and in 1898, upon consolidation, it was taken over by the Department of Bridges of the Greater City of New York. The bridge was later torn down when construction began on the 1939 bridge.{{Citation needed|reason=Find exactly when it was torn down.|date=December 2023}}

{{Infobox Bridge

|bridge_name= Kosciuszko Bridge

|image= Kosciusko bridge from up Newtown Creek jeh.jpg

|caption= 1939 bridge as seen from upstream Queens side, 2008

|image_size=325

|official_name=

|carries=

|crosses= Newtown Creek

|locale= Brooklyn and Queens, New York City

|maint= New York State Department of Transportation

|id=

|design= Truss bridge

|mainspan= {{convert|300|ft|m}}

|length= {{convert|6021|ft|m}}

|width=

|height=

|clearance=

|below= {{convert|125|ft|m}}

|traffic= 162,581 (2021){{cite web|url=https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/nyc-bridge-traffic-report-2016.pdf|title=New York City Bridge Traffic Volumes|date=2016|publisher=New York City Department of Transportation|page=9|access-date=March 16, 2018}}

|open= {{start date and age|1939|08|23}}

|closed={{start date and age|2017|04|27}}

|demolished={{start date and age|2017|10|01}}

|coordinates = {{coord|40.7277|-73.9291|display=inline,title}}

| preceded = Greenpoint Avenue Bridge

| followed = Grand Street Bridge

}}

By the mid-1920s, plans for another replacement of the Meeker Avenue bridge had already been suggested. However, funding for the new bridge was not allocated until 1938, though construction on the new span began almost immediately. At this point, the 1894 span was permanently closed and subsequently dismantled.{{cite web | title=Kosciuszko Bridge (Meeker Avenue Bridge) | website=HistoricBridges.org | date=July 13, 1930 | url=https://historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=newyork/kosciuszkobridge/ | access-date=August 20, 2024}} One person who helped build the new $1.5{{nbsp}}million Meeker Avenue Bridge was John Kelly, a former Navy deep-sea diver from Greenpoint, Brooklyn. In 1938, he completed his task of building a cofferdam, a box-like structure made of 250 steel sheets. This enabled workmen to operate and build an underwater pier in dry surroundings on the Brooklyn side of the new bridge. After that, Kelly began cutting away cofferdam bracings on the Queens side, at Laurel Hill Boulevard and Review Avenue. One of the tools he worked with was an underwater-operated cutting torch that burned oxygen, hydrogen, and compressed air.Anonymous. "His Mistake In Joining Navy Instead Of The Army Makes Former Flushing Man Famous As Diver." Long Island Daily Press. October 11, 1938. The new Bridge was formally opened to traffic on August 23, 1939.Anonymous. "Meeker Avenue Bridge Opened." Queens Borough. August 1939.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1939/08/24/archives/mayor-opens-span-with-peace-plea-denounces-foes-of-amity-at.html |title=Mayor Opens Span With Peace Plea|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 24, 1939|access-date=February 18, 2017|page=25}} It was built at a cost of $6{{nbsp}}million{{Cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/52689820/?terms=Kosciuszko%2BBridge|title=Kosciuszko Bridge Named by Mayor for Hero of 1776|date=September 23, 1940|work=Brooklyn Eagle|access-date=December 27, 2016|via=newspapers.com}} to $13{{nbsp}}million (equal to between ${{Inflation|index=US|value=6000000|start_year=1939|r=-6|fmt=c}} and ${{Inflation|index=US|value=13000000|start_year=1939|r=-6|fmt=c}} in {{inflation-year|US}} dollars).{{Inflation-fn|US}} The Meeker Avenue Bridge's design and form were vastly different than the first Meeker Avenue Bridge. The earlier was a swing drawbridge and carried a two-lane, {{convert|20|ft|m|adj=mid|-wide}} roadway and two sidewalks. The new bridge carried two three-lane concrete roadways each {{convert|32|ft|m}} wide and separated by a {{convert|4|ft|m|adj=on}} median, as well as sidewalks. This new bridge structure contained {{convert|16,315|ST|0}} of steel, along with {{convert|88,120|yd3|m3}} of concrete masonry.

The city government officially renamed the new bridge after Tadeusz Kościuszko, a Polish general in the American Revolutionary War, on July 10, 1940. On September 22, 1940, months after the conquest of Poland, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia led a renaming ceremony.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1940/09/23/archives/kosciuszko-bridge-is-named-by-mayor-he-and-bennett-tell.html |title=Kosciuszko Bridge is Named by Mayor|newspaper=The New York Times|date=September 23, 1940|page=19|access-date=February 18, 2017}}{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/13/nyregion/thecity/13brid.html |title=Plans and Wary Neighbors for an Icon of Gridlock |last=Mooney |first=Jake |date=February 13, 2009 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=August 15, 2009}} The naming occurred in the presence of 15,000 people, mainly Polish-American residents and city and state government representatives, some stating that the spirit of Polish liberty would never die. There were parades at both ends of the bridge, and La Guardia unveiled plaques that commemorated the new name. The mayor described President Franklin D. Roosevelt, like Kościuszko, as a "champion of liberty during a difficult period", referring to the World War II occupation of Poland by Germany. He also stated, "I am confident that Poland will live again. Any land that breeds such lovers of freedom can never be kept enslaved. The Polish people may be captive, but the flaming spirit of Polish liberty will never be destroyed." Two of the bridge towers were surmounted with eagles, one with the Polish eagle and the other the American eagle.{{cite news |title=Bridge Plan Up For Public Approval |first=Brian |last=Rafferty |url=https://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4038|newspaper=Queens Tribune via reprint in the wirednewyork.com Thread: Kosciuszko Bridge|date=April 5, 2007 |access-date=April 24, 2015}}

A repaving project in 1958 temporarily made the bridge a one-way operation for five months. Only Queens-bound traffic was allowed during afternoons and evenings, while only Brooklyn-bound traffic was permitted at all other times.{{Cite news|url=https://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspaper%252014%2FLong%2520Island%2520City%2520NY%2520Star%2520Journal%2FLong%2520Island%2520City%2520NY%2520Star%2520Journal%25201958%2FLong%2520Island%2520City%2520NY%2520Star%2520Journal%25201958%2520-%25202543.pdf%23xml%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FdtSearch%2Fdtisapi6.dll%3Fcmd%3Dgetpdfhits%26u%3Dffffffffde30c4ba%26DocId%3D4480134%26Index%3DZ%253a%255cIndex%2520U%252dF%252dP%26HitCount%3D46%26hits%3D11%2B12%2B1b%2B2e%2B2f%2B35%2B37%2B58%2B65%2B84%2Ba0%2Baf%2Bc2%2Bc7%2Be5%2Beb%2B115%2B118%2B119%2B127%2B12e%2B14d%2B152%2B15a%2B15b%2B18a%2B199%2B1a8%2B1ce%2B227%2B242%2B262%2B293%2B2ae%2B43d%2B473%2B61d%2B66e%2B728%2B786%2B7a9%2B8a2%2B901%2B928%2B9f5%2Ba3c%2B%26SearchForm%3D%252fFulton%255fNew%255fform%252ehtml%26.pdf&uri=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspaper%252014%2FLong%2520Island%2520City%2520NY%2520Star%2520Journal%2FLong%2520Island%2520City%2520NY%2520Star%2520Journal%25201958%2FLong%2520Island%2520City%2520NY%2520Star%2520Journal%25201958%2520-%25202543.pdf&xml=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FdtSearch%2Fdtisapi6.dll%3Fcmd%3Dgetpdfhits%26u%3Dffffffffde30c4ba%26DocId%3D4480134%26Index%3DZ%253a%255cIndex%2520U%252dF%252dP%26HitCount%3D46%26hits%3D11%2B12%2B1b%2B2e%2B2f%2B35%2B37%2B58%2B65%2B84%2Ba0%2Baf%2Bc2%2Bc7%2Be5%2Beb%2B115%2B118%2B119%2B127%2B12e%2B14d%2B152%2B15a%2B15b%2B18a%2B199%2B1a8%2B1ce%2B227%2B242%2B262%2B293%2B2ae%2B43d%2B473%2B61d%2B66e%2B728%2B786%2B7a9%2B8a2%2B901%2B928%2B9f5%2Ba3c%2B%26SearchForm%3D%252fFulton%255fNew%255fform%252ehtml%26.pdf&openFirstHlPage=false |title=Bridge Paving Job to Force Queens-Brooklyn Detours |work=Long Island Star-Journal |date=March 22, 1958 |page=1 |via=Fultonhistory.com}}

In 1960, the bridge was designated as part of I-278.https://historicbridges.org/newyork/kosciuszkobridge/surveyreport.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}

In 1965, a project to widen the Kosciuszko Bridge and reconstruction of the Brooklyn–Queens Expressway (BQE) and Long Island Expressway (LIE) interchanges into rebuilt into an incomplete partial cloverleaf interchange, began, and would cost $32.7{{nbsp}}million.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/05/21/archives/32million-queens-cloverleaf-approved-by-board-of-estimate-it-will.html |title=$32-Million Queens Cloverleaf Approved by Board of Estimate; It Will Link Brooklyn-Queens and Long Island Expressways 50 Maspeth Homeowners Protest Vainly|date=1966-05-21|work=The New York Times|access-date=2017-09-26|issn=0362-4331}} The BQE was also being rebuilt from Cherry Street, at the Brooklyn end of the bridge, to Queens Boulevard, and a small section of the LIE was reconstructed near its interchange with the BQE, between Van Dam Street and Maurice Avenue.{{Cite news|url=https://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspapers%252023%2FBrooklyn%2520NY%2520Greenpoint%2520Daily%2520Star%2FBrooklyn%2520NY%2520Greenpoint%2520Daily%2520Star%25201967-1968%2FBrooklyn%2520NY%2520Greenpoint%2520Daily%2520Star%25201967-1968%2520-%25200107.pdf%23xml%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FdtSearch%2Fdtisapi6.dll%3Fcmd%3Dgetpdfhits%26u%3Dffffffffb5b8decd%26DocId%3D4060535%26Index%3DZ%253a%255cDISK%2520S%26HitCount%3D55%26hits%3D5%2B15%2B2b%2B43%2B86%2Bbd%2Bbe%2B12b%2B12c%2B137%2B13a%2B13b%2B13f%2B152%2B156%2B1fb%2B1fc%2B23f%2B27c%2B287%2B2be%2B2c3%2B2d3%2B2e9%2B313%2B32a%2B352%2B35e%2B36e%2B37f%2B380%2B39c%2B3e1%2B3fd%2B408%2B435%2B45f%2B46a%2B491%2B4a3%2B4ae%2B4af%2B4b2%2B4c3%2B4c8%2B4d9%2B4df%2B4e8%2B50c%2B6c6%2B6c7%2Bd27%2Bd9c%2Bda1%2Bda8%2B%26SearchForm%3D%252fFulton%255fNew%255fform%252ehtml%26.pdf&uri=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspapers%252023%2FBrooklyn%2520NY%2520Greenpoint%2520Daily%2520Star%2FBrooklyn%2520NY%2520Greenpoint%2520Daily%2520Star%25201967-1968%2FBrooklyn%2520NY%2520Greenpoint%2520Daily%2520Star%25201967-1968%2520-%25200107.pdf&xml=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FdtSearch%2Fdtisapi6.dll%3Fcmd%3Dgetpdfhits%26u%3Dffffffffb5b8decd%26DocId%3D4060535%26Index%3DZ%253a%255cDISK%2520S%26HitCount%3D55%26hits%3D5%2B15%2B2b%2B43%2B86%2Bbd%2Bbe%2B12b%2B12c%2B137%2B13a%2B13b%2B13f%2B152%2B156%2B1fb%2B1fc%2B23f%2B27c%2B287%2B2be%2B2c3%2B2d3%2B2e9%2B313%2B32a%2B352%2B35e%2B36e%2B37f%2B380%2B39c%2B3e1%2B3fd%2B408%2B435%2B45f%2B46a%2B491%2B4a3%2B4ae%2B4af%2B4b2%2B4c3%2B4c8%2B4d9%2B4df%2B4e8%2B50c%2B6c6%2B6c7%2Bd27%2Bd9c%2Bda1%2Bda8%2B%26SearchForm%3D%252fFulton%255fNew%255fform%252ehtml%26.pdf&openFirstHlPage=false |title=Motorists, Clip and Save: Alternate Routes Listed |work=Greenpoint Weekly Star |date=March 31, 1967 |page=5 |via=Fultonhistory.com}} Because of this, the original bridge's sidewalks were removed to make way for a widened roadway.{{cite web | last=Xu | first=Susan | title=10 Fun Facts About the New Kosciuszko Bridge Between Brooklyn and Queens | website=Untapped Cities | date=April 28, 2017 | url=https://untappedcities.com/2017/04/28/top-10-fun-facts-about-the-new-kosciuszko-bridge-between-brooklyn-and-queens/ | access-date=August 29, 2019}} All of these projects were completed in 1967, and also included the installation of a median barrier, replacement of the concrete deck, and other miscellaneous improvements.

In 1996, a project to reinforce the concrete piers began. It was completed in 1999.

In 2000, a project to improve the structural system was completed.

In 2005, a pavement rehab project was completed, also included as part of this project was deck and ramp repairs.

The 1939 bridge, which was meant to serve 10,000 vehicles per day, carried 18 times that amount of traffic when it became part of the Interstate Highway System. It was not up to Interstate standards since it did not have any drainage pipes or shoulders.{{Cite news|last=Barone|first=Vincent|date=April 26, 2017|title=Kosciuszko Bridge opening signals new beginning|work=AM New York|url=https://www.amny.com/transit/kosciuszko-bridge-opening-signals-new-beginning-for-nyc-commuters-1.13528599|access-date=April 28, 2017}}

{{Clear}}

File:Kosciuszko Bridge 2017-02a jeh.jpg is in foreground left. The 1939 truss bridge is behind it and right.]]

By the 1990s, the old bridge, still not up to carrying interstate traffic, was deteriorating and heavily congested. After an 18-month study in 1994–1995, State Transportation Department officials concluded that in order to relieve congestion on the busy span, a new $100{{nbsp}}million bridge, which included an additional three lanes, should be built next to the original six-lane Kosciuszko Bridge. This new bridge would be part of a renovation project planned for the entire crossing. DOT Supervisor Peter King stated that this new bridge may be required to avoid severe traffic backups on neighborhood streets surrounding the bridge during renovation of the Kosciuszko. King felt that in order to resolve the increasing number of severely congested streets and intersections, "a second parallel span" may be the answer.{{cite news |last=Strong |first=Otto |title=$100M Bridge Relief? |newspaper=Newsday |date=May 25, 1995}}

In 2009, it was decided to replace the 1939 structure with a new bridge, which was to consist of a five-lane eastbound span, a four-lane westbound span, a bike path, and a walkway.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/nyregion/thecity/12brid.html |title=Uneasily Contemplating the Arrival of a Spiffy Newcomer |last=Angelos |first=James |date=April 10, 2009 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=June 29, 2009}} Four designs were considered for the new structure: a cable-stayed bridge, a through arch bridge, a box girder bridge, and a deck arch bridge. The cable-stayed bridge design, selected after a public review process, made the replacement bridge the first vehicular cable-stayed bridge in New York City since the Brooklyn Bridge (which has a hybrid suspension/cable-stayed design),{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/27/nyregion/3-new-bridges-rise-in-new-york-with-looks-that-could-stop-traffic.html |title=3 New Bridges Rise in New York, With Looks That Could Stop Traffic |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=April 27, 2017 |work=The New York Times|access-date=April 27, 2017 |issn=0362-4331}} as well as the first major new bridge in New York City since the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge's completion in 1964.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/kosciuszko-bridge-flashy-thursday-debut-featuring-cuomo-article-1.3089276 |title=Kosciuszko Bridge to make flashy Thursday debut, featuring Cuomo |last=Blain |first=Glenn |date=April 23, 2017 |work=Daily News |location=New York|access-date=April 23, 2017}}

{{multiple image

|align=left

|direction=vertical

|width=250

|image1=Kosciuszko Br new towers from Bk jeh.jpg

|caption1=Two pylons built, June 2016

|image2=Kosciusko Bridge illuminated at night.jpg

|caption2=Seen at night, October 2018

}}

Construction was originally expected to begin in 2013,{{cite news |title=Construction on new Kosciuszko Bridge to begin in 2013, a year ahead of schedule |first=Vera |last=Chinese |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/construction-kosciuszko-bridge-2013-a-year-schedule-article-1.1067433 |newspaper=Daily News |location=New York |date=April 25, 2012 |access-date=April 25, 2012}} but was then delayed to winter 2014. About 140 trees were removed on both sides of the bridge in April 2014 in preparation for the rebuilding, though twice the number of trees were to be replanted once the bridge's reconstruction was completed.{{cite web |last=Furfaro |first=Danielle |url=https://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/37/15/dtg-bridge-project-trees-cut-2014-04-11-bk_37_15.html |title=DOT chopped 53 trees to save Northern long-eared bat Kosciuszko Bridge pain |work=The Brooklyn Paper |date=April 3, 2014 |access-date=April 14, 2014}}

On May 23, 2014, a $554.77{{nbsp}}million design-build contract, for the construction of the eastbound span and demolition of the old bridge was awarded to a team consisting of Skanska, which will be managing partner; Ecco III of Yonkers; Kiewit Corporation of Nebraska; and HNTB of Kansas as the lead design firm.{{cite web |url=https://ny.curbed.com/archives/2014/07/13/check_out_these_renderings_for_the_new_kosciuszko_bridge.php |title=Check Out These Renderings for the New Kosciuszko Bridge |work=Curbed NY |last=Amato |first=Rowley |date=July 13, 2014 }}{{cite web |last=Dai |first=Serena |date=July 10, 2014 |url=http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20140710/greenpoint/this-is-what-kosciuszko-bridge-could-look-like |title=This is What the Kosciuszko Bridge Could Look Like |work=DNAinfo New York |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220214148/http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20140710/greenpoint/this-is-what-kosciuszko-bridge-could-look-like |archive-date=December 20, 2014 }} It is the largest single contract ever awarded by the New York State Department of Transportation. The work involved building a new eastbound viaduct, which was completed in 2017; the existing eastbound structure would then be demolished. The westbound viaduct would then be completed by 2020.{{cite web |url=https://www.dot.ny.gov/kbridge |title=Kosciuszko Bridge Project root page |publisher=New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT)}} The new bridges are being built since the Kosciuszko Bridge is known as a notorious traffic bottleneck; according to The New York Times, it is "perhaps the city's most notorious [bridge], hated and feared by drivers and synonymous in traffic reports with bottlenecks, stop-and-go and general delay."{{cite news |title=A Tired Old Bridge Gets a New Look. No, Four of Them. |first=Andy |last=Newman |url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/18/a-tired-old-bridge-gets-a-new-look-no-four-of-them/ |newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 18, 2010 |access-date=September 20, 2014}} The bridges would reduce delays by up to 65% during rush hours, as well as provide a new pedestrian/bicycle connection between the boroughs.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/28/nyregion/new-kosciuszko-bridge-same-old-traffic.html |title=New Kosciuszko Bridge. Same Old Traffic. |last1=Fitzsimmons |first1=Emma G. |date=April 28, 2017 |work=The New York Times|access-date=April 28, 2017 |last2=Schweber |first2=Nate |issn=0362-4331}}{{cite web |url=https://www.dot.ny.gov/kbridge/benefits-travelers |title=Benefits for Drivers, Cyclists & Pedestrians |publisher=New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT)}}

On December 4, 2014, work began on the eastbound bridge, which entailed temporarily narrowing the Meeker Avenue entrance on the Brooklyn side on the bridge in order to widen it in the long run. Work was to take place in the daytime, temporarily causing more traffic congestion.{{cite web |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/kosciuszko-bridge-construction-create-gridlock-hell-article-1.2033979 |title=Reconstruction work on the 75-year-old Kosciuszko Bridge will create added gridlock on a major road leading to the span |work=Daily News |location=New York|date=December 4, 2014 |access-date=December 25, 2014 |first=Eli |last=Rosenberg}} By August 2015, the two pylons for the eastbound bridge, as well as part of the bridge structure, were under construction.{{Cite web |url=https://www.dot.ny.gov/portal/page/portal/kbridge/repository/Key-August-2015-Construction-Activities.pdf |title=Key August 2015 Construction Activities |date=August 2015 |website=New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT)|access-date=February 18, 2017}} The {{convert|287|ft|m|-high|adj=mid}} pylons were sunk {{convert|150|to|185|ft}}, with each pylon resting on four foundations at that depth. After the pylons were completed, a supporting steel-and-concrete deck section called a pier table was built between the two pylons. The other deck sections were then built outward from the pier table, with two cables supporting each section, creating a {{convert|1,001|ft|m|-long|adj=mid}} deck supported by 56 cables in total. A {{convert|4000|ST|LT|abbr=on|adj=on}} counterweight was built under the western section of the eastbound bridge since the eastern section was longer and heavier. The new bridge was built to withstand a century's worth of traffic.{{Cite web |url=https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/04/28/new-kosciuszko-bridge-open/ |title=First Span Of New Kosciuszko Bridge Open To Traffic |last1=Burrell |first1=Janelle |last2=Adams |first2=Sean |date=April 28, 2017 |publisher=WCBS-TV|access-date=April 28, 2017}}

The new eastbound bridge, which initially hosted both directions of traffic,{{Cite web |url=https://www.dot.ny.gov/kbridge/repository/Spring-2016-Newsletter.pdf |title=Coming in Early 2017 New Kosciuszko Bridge |date=Spring 2016 |publisher=New York State Department of Transportation (NYDOT)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131172143/https://www.dot.ny.gov/kbridge/repository/Spring-2016-Newsletter.pdf|archive-date=January 31, 2017|url-status=dead|access-date=February 18, 2017}} opened ahead of schedule{{Cite news |url=http://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/kosciuszko-bridge-coming-along-quick/article_d38c3ca4-9a22-5978-aba0-bce8b74a28c1.html |title=Kosciuszko Bridge coming along quick |last=Barca |first=Christopher |date=January 12, 2017 |newspaper=Queens Chronicle|access-date=February 18, 2017}} on April 27, 2017, with a ceremony attended by Governor Andrew Cuomo. The bridge is the first of several bridges citywide to feature an advanced lighting system – part of Governor Cuomo's "New York Harbor of Lights" initiative – which would allow the bridge to display light shows as a tourist attraction. At that time, five of six lanes of traffic were shifted to the new bridge, with a single lane of westbound traffic temporarily using the old bridge until the end of the month.{{Cite news |last=Strahan |first=Tracie |date=April 28, 2017 |url=http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Rush-Hour-Morning-Traffic-New-Kosciuszko-Bridge-First-Span-Greenpoint-Brooklyn-Maspeth-Queens-420695533.html |title=New Kosciuszko Bridge Takes on First Morning Rush |publisher=WNBC|access-date=April 29, 2017 }} The new bridge kept the same name as the original.

File:K-bridge north approach broken jeh.jpg

Part of the original structure was set to be demolished by controlled explosion in summer 2017{{Cite web |url=https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/02/21/new-kosciuszko-bridge-span/ |title=CBS2 Exclusive: A Sneak Peek At New Kosciuszko Bridge Span |date=February 21, 2017 |publisher=WCBS-TV|access-date=February 22, 2017}} so that work on the new westbound bridge could begin soon after.{{Cite news |url=http://gothamist.com/2017/02/22/bridge_bye.php |title=New York Is Blowing The Kosciuszko Bridge Straight To Hell |last=Colon |first=David |date=February 22, 2017 |publisher=Gothamist|access-date=February 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170224213739/http://gothamist.com/2017/02/22/bridge_bye.php| archive-date=February 24, 2017|url-status=dead }}{{Cite news |url=https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2017/02/22/old-kosciuszko-bridge-plans.html |title=Controlled Implode: Old Kosciuszko Bridge Coming Down This Summer |date=February 22, 2017 |publisher=TWC News|access-date=February 22, 2017 }} This type of demolition, beginning with Governor Cuomo personally pushing the button to detonate the bridge, saved seven to nine months compared to if the entire bridge had been carefully dismantled. The new westbound span and pedestrian/bike lanes would be ready in 2020, providing the bridge with extra traffic capacity. Initial reports speculated that the explosion date would be July 11. Instead, the main span of the bridge was lowered onto a barge, and the approaches would then be exploded. This updated plan was meant to be environmentally friendly since less of the bridge would be scattered into the creek below.{{cite web |title=No Big Bang: Kosciuszko Bridge not being demolished Tuesday |first=Paul |last=Frangipane |website=Brooklyn Eagle |date=July 10, 2017 |url=http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/2017/7/10/no-big-bang-kosciuszko-bridge-not-being-demolished-tuesday | access-date=July 16, 2017}} At the time there was no date set for the actual demolition.{{cite web |url=https://www.wnyc.org/story/despite-rumors-kosciuszko-demo-date-tbd/ |title=Hey Buddy, Wanna Buy a Bridge Explosion? |date=July 7, 2017 |first=Annmarie |last=Fertoli |publisher=WNYC |access-date=July 16, 2017}}

The old bridge's main span was lowered onto two barges tied together, and on July 26, 2017, the main span was shipped to New Jersey to be recycled.{{Cite web |url=http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/2017/7/26/video-bridge-barge-old-kosciuszko-bridge-span-dismantled-shipped-down-creek |title=VIDEO: Bridge on a Barge: Old Kosciuszko Bridge span dismantled, shipped down creek |last=Frangipane |first=Paul |date=July 26, 2017 |website=Brooklyn Eagle|access-date=August 12, 2017}}{{Cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/old-kosciuszko-bridge-dismantled-span-n-recyling-article-1.3359598 |title=Old Kosciuszko Bridge dismantled, span sent to N.J. for recycling |last=Slattery |first=Denis |date=July 26, 2017 |work=Daily News |location=New York|access-date=August 8, 2017}} This marked the completion of the first phase of the old bridge's demolition.{{Cite news |url=http://www.equipmentworld.com/photos-skanska-completes-first-phase-of-former-kosciuszko-bridge-demo-with-lowering-of-main-span/ |title=PHOTOS: Skanska completes first phase of former Kosciuszko Bridge demo with lowering of main span |last=Hill |first=Chris |date=August 11, 2017 |publisher=Equipment World|access-date=August 12, 2017 }} The approaches to the former main span were demolished on October 1, 2017, with the detonation of 944 small explosive charges.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/01/nyregion/kosciuszko-bridge-demolition.html |title=A Gray Puff, and the Old Kosciuszko Bridge Is No More |last1=Newman |first1=Andy |date=October 1, 2017 |work=The New York Times|access-date=October 3, 2017 |last2=McGeehan |first2=Patrick |issn=0362-4331}} This was the largest explosive demolition in New York City and the first of a bridge there.{{cite news |title=Down and Out 'Energetic felling' process removes a 78-year-old New York City bridge |work=Engineering News-Record |date=October 9, 2017 |page=7}} The state would recycle the twenty trusses from the approaches, which weigh a combined {{convert|22,000,000|lb|kg}}.{{cite web |url=http://pix11.com/2017/09/30/kosciuszko-bridge-to-be-demolished/ |title=Kosciuszko Bridge to be demolished |last=Baulkman |first=Jaleesa |date=September 30, 2017 |publisher=WPIX|access-date=October 1, 2017}}

Afterward, construction started on the westbound bridge. Work progressed quickly, and in May 2019, Cuomo announced that the westbound bridge would open by that September.{{cite web |url=https://ny.curbed.com/2019/5/7/18534522/kosciuszko-bridge-open-to-traffic-governor-cuomo |title=Kosciuszko Bridge's second span expected to open in September |last=Ricciulli |first=Valeria |date=May 7, 2019 |website=Curbed NY|access-date=May 7, 2019}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.amny.com/transit/kosciuszko-bridge-span-1.30746800 |title=Kosciuszko Bridge's new span to open in September |website=AM New York |last=Pereira |first=Ivan |date=May 7, 2019 |access-date=May 7, 2019}} The opening date of the westbound bridge was later revised to August 29, 2019.{{cite web | title=Second Span Of Kosciuszko Bridge To Open Thursday | publisher=WCBS-TV | date=August 25, 2019 | url=https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2019/08/25/kosciuszko-bridge-second-span-opening/ | access-date=August 26, 2019}}{{cite web | last=Guse | first=Clayton | title=New Kosciuszko Bridge between Brooklyn and Queens to fully open Thursday, public can walk across it Wednesday | website=Daily News |location=New York | date=August 25, 2019 | url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-kosciuszko-bridge-span-opens-thursday-20190825-miqijof7fjfrpgcijldbdnowtu-story.html | access-date=August 26, 2019}} The westbound bridge opened as scheduled on that date,{{cite news | title=Second Span Of New Kosciuszko Bridge Officially Opens To Traffic | publisher=WCBS-TV | date=August 29, 2019 | url=https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2019/08/29/2nd-span-of-kosciuszko-bridge-set-to-open-to-traffic-today/ | access-date=August 29, 2019}} though pedestrians and bicyclists were allowed to cross the day before.{{Cite web| url=https://abc7ny.com/5498449/| title=Second span of Kosciuszko Bridge opens to bikes, pedestrians|date=2019-08-28|website=ABC7 New York|language=en|access-date=2019-08-30}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.amny.com/transit/kosciuszko-bridge-bike-span-1.35559959|title=Cyclists decry access to new Kosciuszko Bridge span| website=am New York|language=en|access-date=2019-08-30|date=2019-09-28|last=Barone|first=Vincent}} As part of the construction of the westbound span, it was announced that a {{Convert|7|acre| |abbr=|adj=on}} park would be built in the unused space beneath the Brooklyn approach, and would open in 2020. The park, to be named "Under the K", would contain four segments: a pathway called the Arm, a multi-use zone called K-flex 1, a performance space called K-flex 2, and a waterfront seating area called Creekside.{{cite web|url=https://ny.curbed.com/2019/7/22/20703846/kosciuszko-bridge-public-park-greenpoint-brooklyn|title=Empty lot below the Kosciuszko Bridge will be transformed into a public park|last=Ricciulli|first=Valeria|date=July 22, 2019| website=Curbed NY |access-date=July 24, 2019}} In 2022, a set of plaques dedicated to Tadeusz Kościuszko were dedicated on the bridge.{{cite web |date=May 25, 2018 |title=Plaques dedicated to liberty hero Kościuszko unveiled in New York |url=https://www.polskieradio.pl/395/7789/artykul/3054324,plaques-dedicated-to-liberty-hero-kosciuszko-unveiled-in-new-york |access-date=April 1, 2024 |website=PolskieRadio.pl |language=pl}}

File:BklynQns Expy Kosciuszko 10.jpg

In 2008, it was discovered that two Native American tribes indigenous to Queens, the Matinecocks and the Canarsies, were not informed of the bridge replacement project under federal law. The Delaware Nation, in Oklahoma, and the Stockbridge-Munsee, in Wisconsin, both originally native to New York City, were given a month to comment on the bridge project, in addition to the Matinecocks and the Canarsies.{{cite web |last=Lavinger |first=John |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/kosciuszko-bridge-plans-reopen-old-wounds-2-native-american-tribes-article-1.336983 |title=Bridge to a Troubled Past: Kosciuszko plans reopen old wounds for 2 Native American Tribes |newspaper=Daily News |location=New York |date=November 18, 2008 |access-date=February 18, 2017}}

Following the opening of the westbound bridge, bicyclists' advocacy groups pointed out that there was not enough bike infrastructure connecting to either end of the bridge, especially since both ends were in primarily industrial neighborhoods. The city planned to install short, on-street bike lanes leading to both ends of the bridge. In response, comptroller Scott Stringer said that there needed to be "protected bike lanes", completely segregated from traffic, on both sides of the bridge.{{Cite web|url=https://www.amny.com/transit/kosciuszko-bridge-bike-lanes-1.35626402|title=Cyclists need 'safe passage' to Kosciuszko path: Stringer|website=am New York|language=en|access-date=2019-08-30|date=2019-09-29|last=Barone|first=Vincent}}

• {{Portal-inline|Transport}}
• {{Portal-inline|Engineering}}
• {{Portal-inline|New York (state)}}
• {{Portal-inline|New York City}}
• List of bridges and tunnels in New York City

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{{reflist|30em}}

{{commons category}}

• [https://www.dot.ny.gov/kbridge/ New York State Department of Transportation Kosciuszko Bridge Project]
• [https://www.dot.ny.gov/kbridge/repository/Kosciuszko%20Bridge_SAC%20Meeting%20Presentation_3-19-15.pdf Phase 1 Overview]
• [http://www.nycroads.com/roads/brooklyn-queens/ NYCRoads.com Brooklyn-Queens Expressway]

{{NYC Bridge}}

Category:1803 establishments in New York (state)

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