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The first span of the Kosciuszko Bridge opens today


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First span of Kosciuszko Bridge will open on Thursday with a light show coordinated with the Empire State Building

 

 

 

http://qns.com/story/2017/04/25/first-span-kosciuszko-bridge-will-open-thursday-light-show-coordinated-empire-state-building/

 connecting Brooklyn and Queens will open to traffic in both directions on April 27 and will be accompanied by a light show to celebrate the opening, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday.

The first new bridge to be constructed in New York City since the Verrazano Narrows Bridge opened in 1964, the new structure will replace the existing 78-year-old bridge. The final product will be two cable-stayed bridges – the Queens-bound side holding five lanes of traffic and the Brooklyn-bound span holding four lanes of traffic. The Brooklyn-bound span will also feature a 20-foot-wide bikeway and walkway, and both sides will include shoulders.

A 7 p.m. party near the bridge will display the LED light system, which will be installed in all seven MTA-operated bridges and tunnels and the George Washington Bridge by May 2020. According to the governor, this system will act as a tourism revenue boost.

The light show will be coordinated to music airing on multiple iHeartRadio stations and will be the first performance dubbed “The New York Harbor of Lights” that will illuminate crossings with multicolored LED light shows. It will also include coordination with the lights on the Empire State Building.

In February, Cuomo announced that two parts of the bridge would be demolished so that construction for phase 2 of the $555 million project could begin in May, seven months ahead of schedule.

The first new bridge’s opening marks the completion of the project’s first phase. The new bridge will carry three lanes of traffic in each direction until the second bridge is complete in 2020. According to the governor, the new bridge will benefit about 200,000 riders each day.

The roadway incline will also be lowered by approximately 35 feet to make it easier for trucks and other large vehicles to maintain consistent speeds on the bridge.

“The Empire State is undertaking the most ambitious infrastructure program in the nation, and the new Kosciuszko Bridge will be an iconic New York structure for generations to come,” Cuomo said. “The new bridge – the first major New York City Bridge to open in more than 50 years – will bring much-needed relief to commuters and be a spectacular addition to the New York City skyline. It is a vibrant symbol of how the state is not just talking about moving vital infrastructure projects forward, but actually getting them done and restoring New York’s tradition of excellence.”

The bridge is named after Thaddeus Kosciuszko, a Polish general in the American Revolutionary War. The bridge connects Greenpoint, Brooklyn and Maspeth.

 

 

Temporary span for crumbling Kosciuszko Bridge set to open

http://nypost.com/2017/04/26/temporary-span-for-crumbling-kosciuszko-bridge-set-to-open/

 

 

The crumbling Kosciuszko Bridge is another step nearer its destruction.

A state-of-the-art span with the same name is set to open for traffic late Thursday night, and if all goes well, the old crossing will be blown to bits.

The new bridge is part of a two-phase upgrade of the Brooklyn-Queens crossing. It will carry traffic both ways until the state completes the second bridge in 2020, officials said.

Gov. Cuomo will preside over the opening and the first of his “New York Harbor of Lights” shows, which will be synced to lights on the Empire State building and music on iHeartRadio stations.

 

I may road fan tomorrow night.

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I just drove on the BQE, passed two idiots, one in the left lane who slowed down to 25-30mph probably to record the bridge and take pictures and another one in the center lane that slammed on their breaks to get into the right lane to exit to the LIE, (totally unnecessary). THIS is why there is still traffic on the BQE, IDIOTS!!

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If/When I ever start a youtube channel, it would be with videos like that first one.... Barbiepoledancer's channel got me kind of inspired...

I've been driving over bus routes for the past couple weeks now; haven't been recording em though...

 

Anyway, I have to go to Flushing this sunday... Wasn't planning on driving (parking is the main reason), but maybe I'll do so & drive over the bridge just to check it out....

 

 

I just drove on the BQE, passed two idiots, one in the left lane who slowed down to 25-30mph probably to record the bridge and take pictures and another one in the center lane that slammed on their breaks to get into the right lane to exit to the LIE, (totally unnecessary). THIS is why there is still traffic on the BQE, IDIOTS!!

The morons that slam their breaks & cut across multiple lanes to get to an exit, pisses me off to no end... I'm the guy that will be cursing for miles on end about shit like that.... My siblings tend to get a kick out of it, but my mother worries about my BP.....

 

In short, know wtf you're going.... No reason not to have GPS navigation if you're one of these people that suck at directions.....

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