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Williamsburg Bridge’s Brooklyn-bound lanes to close for three upcoming Saturdays

By Aaron Short
The Brooklyn Paper
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Community Newspaper Group / Aaron Short
Developers hope to build a 15-story residential building on this Broadway lot near the Williamsburg Bridge — replacing a luxury hotel project that has been stalled for years.

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Brooklyn-bound drivers on the Williamsburg Bridge will be stuck in traffic for three Saturdays in April and May as the span’s outroadway is closed for repairs.

Beginning on Saturday, April 16, those critical two lanes will be closed from 6 am until 6 pm so transportation workers can replace seals for the bridge’s expansion joints.

The construction work will cram the 29,284 drivers who typically travel eastbound during that period into the two lanes of the inner roadway.

The Saturday construction work will repeat on April 30 and May 4, unless it rains — then the lanes will be closed on Sunday.

Manhattan-bound lanes and bicycle paths along the bridge will not be affected — as work on the north outer roadway was performed last month and construction along the bicycle path occurred a year ago.

But drivers beware — Manhattan-bound lanes of the Brooklyn Bridge will continue to be shut down on weekends beginning this week, due to the city’s $508-million rehabilitation work.

Trucks that typically drive over the Williamsburg Bridge will be diverted to the Manhattan Bridge — potentially clogging neighboring arteries.

Updated 11:20 am, April 8, 2011: An earlier version of this story was very very wrong. Only the outer roadway will be closed during the construction work. Brooklyn-bound inner roadway lanes will continue to service drivers.

©2011 Community Newspaper Group

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Reader Feedback

mike from GP says:
"The construction work will divert an estimated 29,284 drivers who typically travel eastbound during that period, city statistics show."

Your use of the word "divert" is misleading. Traffic is not like water. It grows and shrinks based on the decisions of drivers in response to public policy. It is not an absolute number that cannot be changed.
April 8, 2011, 7:02 am
anywho says:
They have been rebuilding this bridge for about 20 years. It would have been less expensive to just replace it.

Rush hour on this bridge sucks even with every lane open.
April 8, 2011, 12:29 pm
k from gp says:
@anywho... All the bridges and tunnels suck during rush hour.

Also, if they "replaced" the bridge I hope you understand that they would need to demolish the current bridge and then build a new one. That is a process that could easily take 10 years without a bridge. I doubt it would be cheaper too.
April 8, 2011, 11:19 pm
mike from GP says:
Better to toll it!
April 9, 2011, 1:15 am

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