New 145th Street Bridge Arrives in the City Via Barge

The 145th Street Bridge is floating in the Harlem River.A barge carrying new trusses that will replace the aged four-lane span between 145th Street in Manhattan and 149th Street in the Bronx arrived yesterday from an assembly yard in Coeyman, N.Y., and parked in the river next to the Third Avenue bridge.One tugboat pulled, one tugboat pushed, and a third tugboat navigated the clunky boating party around the northern tip of Manhattan to its temporary home in the river.The new bridge arrives before the old bridge departs in order to ensure the shortest and smoothest transition possible during reconstruction. “Preconstructing the moveable span is part of our continuing effort to keep construction impacts to a minimum as we work to rebuild the aging bridge infrastructure,” the Department of Transportation commissioner, Iris Weinshall, said.Once the old bridge is disassembled and disposed of by the contractor, Kiewit/Pully, the new trusses will be floated in at high tide.Over the next four months, deconstruction will occur in a few distinct phases. Today begins step one— the preparation of the center pier, which supports the bridge’s three trusses. The new trusses are scheduled for installation in the refurbished center pier by mid-January.The 145th Street Bridge, constructed in 1905, received a low reliability rating in 2000, according to a DOT spokesman, Craig Chin. DOT decided that full reconstruction was in order.Today, the old bridge closes for a $70 million reconstruction. A crew of about 60, led by engineer Rafeek Shaker, will work full-time to disassemble the old bridge while the final touches are put on the new bridge. The drum and distribution girder, which help support the bridge, were assembled in Alabama and have also already been shipped to New York.The bridge will open again to vehicles, bikers, and pedestrians in March. Until then, Bronx-bound traffic will be rerouted to the Willis Avenue Bridge, the Macombs Dam Bridge, the Madison Avenue Bridge, or the tolled Triborough Bridge.DOT is recommending that drivers coming into Manhattan use the Third Avenue Bridge, the Macombs Dam Bridge, or the Triborough Bridge.Subway service will not be interrupted, and buses will be detoured over adjacent bridges.

New 145th Street Bridge Arrives in the City Via Barge

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