The second span of the Kosciuszko Bridge opened this week, four years ahead of schedule and with a higher price tag than any single-contract public works project in state history. But expeditious infrastructure deployment isn't all light shows and high-fives.
In recent days, excitement over the bridge's roomy 20-foot walking and cycling path has been largely dimmed by the realization that accessing the crossing remains treacherous, thanks to a glaring lack of bike- and pedestrian-friendly connections on both sides of the bridge. Advocates are faulting the city's transportation department, which in turn is blaming Cuomo's sped-up timeline for the project.
A spokesperson for the DOT told Gothamist that markings and signage work for new bike lanes on both sides of the bridge would begin next week. "We had been planning to implement in the Fall," he said, "though the State accelerated the opening of the path."
Comptroller Scott Stringer, meanwhile, penned a letter to the agency on Friday, saying it was "utterly baffling that a new bike and pedestrian path could be introduced without sufficient connecting infrastructure—on Day One." The letter calls for traffic-calming measures in the lead-up to the bridge, and demands a "full accounting" of why the DOT was not prepared ahead of the bridge opening.
Moreover, advocates say that the existing plans to eventually add bike lanes to the surrounding Brooklyn and Queens neighborhoods are woefully inadequate. With the exception of one protected bike lane on Laurel Hill Boulevard, the new infrastructure is limited to painted lanes and shared markings.
"The fact that there's no robust, protected bike lane connection is disappointing, and shows the need for a master plan for biking in New York City," Erwin Figueroa, senior organizer at Transportation Alternatives, told Gothamist. "It's a huge missed opportunity."
Figueroa also pointed out that the portion of Meeker Avenue under the Brooklyn Queens Expressway is primarily used for car storage. Eliminating that parking and adding a protected bike lane to the corridor could allow cyclists to ride from Manhattan to Queens on a nearly uninterrupted protected path.
A spokesperson for the DOT said they were exploring protected connections on both sides of the bridge as part of Mayor Bill de Blasio's Green Wave program, released earlier this summer in the wake of several cyclist deaths.
Three of the 20 cyclists killed on city streets this year have been stuck in Greenpoint. Officials believe the uptick in deaths can be partially attributed to the influx of residents in formerly industrial areas, particularly in Brooklyn, leading to more interactions between heavy trucks and cyclists.
"This is an industrial area where trucks and industrial traffic still rule the road," added Figueroa. "They're presenting plans that should not be implemented in this age of cycling in New York City."
