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.
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.
Planning for Congestion Relief
The third and final installment of Planetizen's examination of the role of the planning profession in both perpetuating and solving traffic congestion.
Minneapolis Housing Plan a Success—Not for the Reason You Think
Housing advocates praise the city’s move to eliminate single-family zoning by legalizing triplexes on single-family lots, but that isn’t why housing construction is growing.
‘Mega-Landlords’ Threaten Housing Stability for Renters
As institutional investors buy up a larger share of single-family homes, the families renting them are increasingly vulnerable to rent increases and eviction.
Short-Term Rentals Vex Dallas City Council
Residents complain that vacation rentals exacerbate the city’s housing shortage and bring traffic and noise to residential neighborhoods, calling on the city to impose—and enforce—stricter regulations.
Traffic Fatalities Set Records as Pandemic-Era Road Carnage Shows No Signs of Stopping
An estimated 42,915 people died in automobile crashes in 2021, according to recent federal data. The increasing fatalities continue a trend that began with the outset of the pandemic.
Driver Shortage Undercuts the Potential of L.A.’s Recent Bus System Redesign
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority implemented a complete overhaul of its bus system in three waves over the course of 2021. A shortage of drivers for the system has made it impossible to implement that vision.
County of Sonoma
City of Malibu
EMC Planning Group Inc.
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard GSD Executive Education
City of Redwood City
City of Rohnert Park
City of Hot Springs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
