The new Kosciuszko Bridge offers multi-modal passage between boroughs, views to the Manhattan skyline, and probably impossible promises of congestion reduction.
Azi Paybarah and Nate Schweber report from New York City:
The second span of the cable-stayed Kosciuszko Bridge (arguably pronounced ko-SHCH-OO-SH-ko), which connects Brooklyn and Queens over Newtown Creek, opened to vehicles on Thursday as part of an $873 million project. The first span opened in 2017. Both spans replaced the crumbling bridge that opened in 1939 and became a despised crossing because of its choking traffic.
The new span carries traffic to Brooklyn. The previously opened span carries traffic to Queens. The bridge also includes a 20-foot wide protected lane for pedestrians and people on bikes.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was on hand for the grand opening of the bridge the day before the bridge opened to traffic. Governor Cuomo claimed the bridge would reduce congestion by 65 percent, though that claim is met with skepticism in the article. "The new bridge is 35 feet lower than the original. The shorter incline allows large vehicles to maintain a consistent speed, reducing congestion," according to the Paybarah and Schwerber.
The article also includes early reviews and impressions of the new bridge from the first members of the public to use the new span last week.
Read the full story: The City’s Most Hated Bridge Gets a Nearly $1 Billion Makeover
New York City's Kosciuszko Bridge Getting Demolished
Traffic-plagued Kosciuszko will soon be replaced, and some commuters are celebrating its demise.
Manhattan Traffic Spreading to Other Boroughs
New travel patterns and an increased reliance on delivery services and ride-hailing are creating more congestion in New York's outer boroughs.
First New Bridge to Manhattan in Decades Proposed Just for Pedestrians and People on Bikes
Introducing the proposed Queens Ribbon Bridge, a $100 million idea to connect Manhattan to Long Island City in Queens, by way of Roosevelt Island.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
MTA gives itself 30 days to transform pit into basketball court
The site has been under construction since 2022; the city originally estimated it would finish the court in 2024.
Non-stop party: Chicago voters weigh permanent festival grounds
A stable place for bleachers, stages and drainage may streamline the setup and teardown of large events.
Metra may invest $9.1 billion in regional rail
The agency released a draft of a study examining potential ways to offer more frequent train service.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority