AASHTO Journal, 6 June 2014
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo this week joined New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald to announce that the state has chosen a design-build team to tackle its largest single contract ever—a $555 million bridge replacement in the New York City area.
The Kosciuszko Bridge, which carries the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway over Newtown Creek, will be replaced by a team of several companies at the design and construction levels—Skanska, Ecco III, Kiewit, and HNTB. The team will replace the 1.1-mile-long eastbound viaduct by building the new span alongside the current bridge. According to state officials, the new bridge will improve safety for users while also cutting congestion through wider lanes, the addition of shoulders, and a grade reduction to help keep trucks up to speed.
“Replacing the Kosciuszko Bridge with a new span designed to last for the next 100 years means providing a stronger and more resilient transportation network for commuters throughout the New York City area for generations to come,” Cuomo said in a statement. “Utilizing design-build will upgrade our vital infrastructure in a way that expedites the overall project and saves taxpayer dollars.”
McDonald said the replacement of the well-traveled bridge will prove beneficial to the area.
“The aging Kosciuszko Bridge carries more than 160,000 vehicles between Brooklyn and Queens each day and is essential to local and regional commerce,” McDonald said. “I commend Governor Cuomo for his dedication to making this critical investment in our transportation infrastructure in New York City that will keep travelers safe for decades to come and will support environmental and quality of life improvements in the communities it serves.”
NYSDOT officials said construction will begin on the bridge “later this summer,” with all work expected to be completed by early 2018. A westbound viaduct will be built at a later time in a separate project.
Additional information on the Kosciuszko Bridge project is available here.
