Project Identification, Evolution, Chapter II …...Project Identification, Evolution, Chapter II...
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Kosciuszko Bridge Project II-1 September 2008 Project Identification, Evolution, Chapter II Conditions and Needs, and Objectives This chapter identifies and describes the project’s limits, the history of the corridor and project, and the purpose and need for the project. A. PROJECT IDENTIFICATION This section describes the type and location of the Kosciuszko Bridge Project. A.1. Project Type The primary objective of the Kosciuszko Bridge Project is the evaluation of possible improvements to the Kosciuszko Bridge, which crosses Newtown Creek between Brooklyn and Queens. The alternatives evaluated in this document include rehabilitation of the existing bridge with construction of a new parallel bridge or replacement of the existing bridge in its entirety. This effort may also include construction of a bikeway/walkway, intersection reconstruction, and safety improvements to the highway and to local streets affected by the project. A.2. Project Location/Description The Kosciuszko Bridge carries a 1.1-mile segment of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE, Interstate 278) from Morgan Avenue in the borough of Brooklyn (Kings County) to the Long Island Expressway (LIE) interchange in the borough of Queens (Queens County) as shown in Figure II-1, “Project Location.” The Main Span of the bridge carries BQE traffic over Newtown Creek, which forms the border between Brooklyn and Queens in this area. North of the bridge, the BQE connects to the LIE and the Grand Central Parkway, which extends to LaGuardia International Airport and across the Triborough Bridge leading into Manhattan and the Bronx. To the south, the BQE connects to the Williamsburg, Manhattan, and Brooklyn Bridges, as well as the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, leading into Manhattan, and continues south to the Gowanus Expressway and across the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, leading to Staten Island. While the BQE is signed as, and generally recognized as an east-west route, the highway runs in a north- south direction through the project area. As one of New York City’s few north-south interstates, the BQE serves commuter and local traffic as well as a significant amount of truck traffic, which is prohibited from neighboring parkways. The limits of the project, shown in Figure II-2, “Kosciuszko Bridge Project Limits,” extend from Morgan Avenue in the Greenpoint/Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn to the LIE in the West Maspeth neighborhood of Queens and include the entrance and exit ramps in the area of Vandervoort Avenue in Brooklyn. While the project is focused on the rehabilitation/replacement of the existing structure from reference marker 278IX2M24121 just west of Morgan Avenue to
Transcript of Project Identification, Evolution, Chapter II …...Project Identification, Evolution, Chapter II...
Kosciuszko Bridge Project II-1 September 2008
Project Identification, Evolution, Chapter II Conditions and Needs, and Objectives This chapter identifies and describes the project’s limits, the history of the corridor and project, and the purpose and need for the project.
A. PROJECT IDENTIFICATION
This section describes the type and location of the Kosciuszko Bridge Project.
A.1. Project Type
The primary objective of the Kosciuszko Bridge Project is the evaluation of possible improvements to the Kosciuszko Bridge, which crosses Newtown Creek between Brooklyn and Queens. The alternatives evaluated in this document include rehabilitation of the existing bridge with construction of a new parallel bridge or replacement of the existing bridge in its entirety. This effort may also include construction of a bikeway/walkway, intersection reconstruction, and safety improvements to the highway and to local streets affected by the project.
A.2. Project Location/Description
The Kosciuszko Bridge carries a 1.1-mile segment of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE, Interstate 278) from Morgan Avenue in the borough of Brooklyn (Kings County) to the Long Island Expressway (LIE) interchange in the borough of Queens (Queens County) as shown in Figure II-1, “Project Location.” The Main Span of the bridge carries BQE traffic over Newtown Creek, which forms the border between Brooklyn and Queens in this area. North of the bridge, the BQE connects to the LIE and the Grand Central Parkway, which extends to LaGuardia International Airport and across the Triborough Bridge leading into Manhattan and the Bronx. To the south, the BQE connects to the Williamsburg, Manhattan, and Brooklyn Bridges, as well as the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, leading into Manhattan, and continues south to the Gowanus Expressway and across the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, leading to Staten Island. While the BQE is signed as, and generally recognized as an east-west route, the highway runs in a north-south direction through the project area. As one of New York City’s few north-south interstates, the BQE serves commuter and local traffic as well as a significant amount of truck traffic, which is prohibited from neighboring parkways.
The limits of the project, shown in Figure II-2, “Kosciuszko Bridge Project Limits,” extend from Morgan Avenue in the Greenpoint/Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn to the LIE in the West Maspeth neighborhood of Queens and include the entrance and exit ramps in the area of Vandervoort Avenue in Brooklyn. While the project is focused on the rehabilitation/replacement of the existing structure from reference marker 278IX2M24121 just west of Morgan Avenue to
Final Environmental Impact Statement Section II.A
Kosciuszko Bridge Project II-2 September 2008
278IX5M34005 at the beginning of the LIE interchange, it will be necessary to do work outside of these limits in order to safely maintain traffic throughout construction. Figure II-3, “Project Segments and Descriptions Used in the FEIS,” shows the segments of the project limits that will be used throughout the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) to describe the Kosciuszko Bridge. The through truss (Main Span) is named such because vehicles travel through the truss and was used here to allow greater clearance for ships. The deck trusses on the Brooklyn and Queens Approaches support the roadway from below. See Section II.C.1.o for further explanation of the types of structures that make up the bridge.
Because the bridge crosses over and, at the on- and off-ramps in Brooklyn, interacts with several local streets and intersections, the project also includes some physical changes to streets and intersections immediately adjacent to the highway.
FIGURE II-1: PROJECT LOCATION
