120-year-old Queens-BK bridge gets step closer to replacement
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The reconstruction of the Grand Street Bridge which connects Queens and Brooklyn will get an additional $15 million in funding from the federal government. Flickr photo by Matt Green
By Ryan Schwach
After years of complaints, an over 100-year-old bridge connecting Queens and Brooklyn came one step closer to being replaced this week – but questions over the project’s total cost remain.
The 120-year-old Grand Street Bridge, which connects Maspeth, Queens with Williamsburg, Brooklyn over Newtown Creek, came $15 million closer toward replacement thanks to a federal grant program, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced this week. However, community members on the Queens side of the creek who have wanted the bridge replaced for years say that $15 million is just a portion of what is needed to complete the long-desired project.
On top of the bridge’s age, damage from Superstorm Sandy in 2012 has made the bridge’s replacement a necessity.
Gillibrand announced the funding on Tuesday from the U.S Department of Transportation’s Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient and Cost-Saving Transportation Grant program, which was funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Law.
“The Grand Street Bridge in Brooklyn has served Brooklyn and Queens for over a century, carrying more than 10,000 vehicles every day,” Gillibrand said in a statement. “Unfortunately, Superstorm Sandy inflicted serious damage to this vital conduit, making its replacement absolutely critical.”
“I am proud to deliver this $15 million in funding to replace the Grand Street Bridge and strengthen the infrastructure of New York City,” she added. “This new bridge will get our workers to their jobs, get our kids to school, and help the New York economy remain the strongest it can be.”
Gillibrand says the bridge will be replaced with a new structure that will have elevated electrical and mechanical equipment, which will be resilient against water damage from future anticipated sea level and storm surges. The bridge will also feature standard width lanes, separated cycling infrastructure and wider walking paths.
Other electeds in the Maspeth community applauded the funding, including Councilmember Bob Holden, who’s office says the bridge has needed a replacement for a long time.
Department of Transportation crews have been making repairs to the bridge as recently as this month.
"After 121 years, the Grand Street Bridge is finally getting the overhaul it desperately needs,” Holden said in a statement to the Eagle. “This influx of federal funding is a game-changer and is a welcome relief for commuters and businesses."
The official conversation to replace the 227-foot bridge began in 2018, when the U.S Department of Transportation began looking for proposals on what a new bridge would look like and surveying the area.
In the years prior and since, the bridge has been known for its narrowness, which makes it difficult for two trucks to pass simultaneously. It is also known for its constant closures to make repairs on the fragmenting bridge, which was built when Theodore Roosevelt was president of the United States.
The 1903 version of the bridge, the one that still exists today, is actually the third version, according to a column in the Queens Courier from 2023.
The original was built in 1875, only to be replaced 15 years later due to disrepair. In 1903, the current structure was completed after the bridge was considered too obstructive for passing naval ships.
“The bridge needs to be replaced,” said Queens Community Board District Manager Gary Giordano. “That's what it really comes down to.”
Giordano says that the replacement of the Grand Street Bridge has been a top budget priority for the board for the last five years.
“I don't think two buses can even pass each other, that's how narrow the bridges are as far as the width of the two lanes currently,” he said. “So, we're looking forward to the replacement of the bridge.”
The city DOT did not respond to inquiries from the Eagle on Thursday, but a 2022 story in the Queens Chronicle says that the agency targeted 2026 for the start of the new bridge’s construction.
Giordano welcomed the $15 million – which he hadn’t known about before he was told by the Eagle – but said that it is really just a drop in the bucket for what he thinks rebuilding the bridge will cost.
“This is going to cost a hell of a lot more than that,” he said, projecting the total price tag to be over $100 million.
“My understanding is the great majority of it is supposed to come from the federal government,” he said.
Giordano is right about the $15 million not being enough, and neither will $100 million.
The Department of Transportation estimates the new bridge will cost $300 million, and it will be funded through a combination of $155 million in federal resources, $15 million of which is the PROTECT grant awarded this week and $140 million in National Highway Performance Program money, with what remains coming from the city.
“This federal funding will help replace a 119-year-old bridge that was severely damaged during Superstorm Sandy in 2012, it will facilitate the movement of maritime freight, and it will ensure continued mobility through new separated bike paths and wider pedestrian paths,” said DOT spokesperson Mona Bruno. “We applaud the Biden Administration for its vision in improving the resiliency of our transportation network, and we thank federal, state, and city partners for advocating for this critical investment.”
Regardless, Giordano says the reconstruction is something the community needs, since Grand Street is one of three Newtown Creek crossings, and the others are also generally congested.
“I think it's very important because it's a major route to go from Maspeth to Brooklyn and from Brooklyn back to Maspeth,” he said. “Without that, all we would have is Metropolitan Avenue.”
