Kosciuszko Bridge

In 2009, it was decided to replace the 1939 structure with a new bridge, which was to consist of a five-lane eastbound span, a four-lane westbound span, a bike path, and a walkway.[17] Four designs were considered for the new structure: a cable-stayed bridge, a through arch bridge, a box girder bridge, and a deck arch bridge.[18] The cable-stayed bridge design, selected after a public review process, makes the replacement bridge the first vehicular cable-stayed bridge in New York City since the Brooklyn Bridge (which has a hybrid suspension/cable-stayed design),[19] as well as the first major new bridge in New York City since the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge's completion in 1964.[19][20]

Construction was originally expected to begin in 2013,[21] but was then delayed to winter 2014. About 140 trees were removed on both sides of the bridge in April 2014 in preparation for the rebuilding, though officials say twice the number of trees will be replanted once the bridge's reconstruction was completed.[22]

On May 23, 2014, a $554.77 million design-build contract, for the construction of the eastbound span and demolition of the old bridge was awarded to a team consisting of Skanska, which will be managing partner; Ecco III of Yonkers; Kiewit Corporation of Nebraska; and HNTB of Kansas as the lead design firm.[23][24] It is the largest single contract ever awarded by the New York State Department of Transportation. The work involved building a new eastbound viaduct, which was completed in 2017; the existing eastbound structure would then be demolished. The westbound viaduct would then be completed by 2020.[25] The new bridges are being built since the Kosciuszko Bridge is known as a notorious traffic bottleneck; according to The New York Times, it is "perhaps the city's most notorious [bridge], hated and feared by drivers and synonymous in traffic reports with bottlenecks, stop-and-go and general delay."[18] The bridges would reduce delays by up to 65% during rush hours, as well as provide a new pedestrian/bicycle connection between the boroughs.[26][27]

On December 4, 2014, work began on the eastbound bridge, which entailed temporarily narrowing the Meeker Avenue entrance on the Brooklyn side on the bridge in order to widen it in the long run. Work was to take place in the daytime, temporarily causing more traffic congestion.[28] By August 2015, the two pylons for the eastbound bridge, as well as part of the bridge structure, were under construction.[29] The 287-foot-high (87 m) pylons were sunk 150 to 185 feet (46 to 56 m), with each pylon resting on four foundations at that depth. After the pylons were completed, a supporting steel-and-concrete deck section called a pier table was built between the two pylons. The other deck sections were then built outward from the pier table, with two cables supporting each section, creating a 1,001-foot-long (305 m) deck supported by 56 cables in total. A 4,000-short-ton (3,600-long-ton) counterweight was built under the western section of the eastbound bridge since the eastern section was longer and heavier.[19] The new bridge was built to withstand a century's worth of traffic.[30]

The new eastbound bridge, which initially hosted both directions of traffic,[31] opened ahead of schedule[32] on April 27, 2017,[20] with a ceremony attended by Governor Andrew Cuomo.[26] The bridge is the first of several bridges citywide to feature an advanced lighting system – part of Governor Cuomo's "New York Harbor of Lights" initiative – which would allow the bridge to display light shows as a tourist attraction.[20] At that time, five of six lanes of traffic were shifted to the new bridge, with a single lane of westbound traffic temporarily using the old bridge until the end of the month.[26][33] The new bridge kept the same name as the original.[30]

Collapsed approach at Queens (east) end

Part of the original structure was set to be demolished by controlled explosion in summer 2017[34] so that work on the new westbound bridge could begin soon after.[35][36] This type of demolition, beginning with Governor Cuomo personally pushing the button to detonate the bridge, saved seven to nine months compared to if the entire bridge had been carefully dismantled. The new westbound span and pedestrian/bike lanes would be ready in 2020, providing the bridge with extra traffic capacity.[26][34] Initial reports speculated that the explosion date would be July 11. Instead, the main span of the bridge was lowered onto a barge, and the approaches would then be exploded. This updated plan was meant to be environmentally friendly since less of the bridge would be scattered into the creek below.[37] At the time there was no date set for the actual demolition.[38]

The old bridge's main span was lowered onto two barges tied together, and on July 26, 2017, the main span was shipped to New Jersey to be recycled.[39][40] This marked the completion of the first phase of the old bridge's demolition.[41] The approaches to the former main span were demolished on October 1, 2017, with the detonation of 944 small explosive charges.[42][43] This was the largest explosive demolition in New York City and the first of a bridge there.[44] The state would recycle the twenty trusses from the approaches, which weigh a combined 22,000,000 pounds (10,000,000 kg).[45]

Westbound span, opened September 2019; the walkway and bikeway is to the left

Afterward, construction started on the westbound bridge. Work progressed quickly, and in May 2019, Cuomo announced that the westbound bridge would open by that September.[46][47] The opening date of the westbound bridge was later revised to August 29, 2019.[48][49] The westbound bridge opened as scheduled on that date,[50] though pedestrians and bicyclists were allowed to cross the day before.[51][52] As part of the construction of the westbound span, it was announced that a 7-acre (2.8 ha) park would be built in the unused space beneath the Brooklyn approach, and would open in 2020. The park, to be named "Under the K", would contain four segments: a pathway called the Arm, a multi-use zone called K-flex 1, a performance space called K-flex 2, and a waterfront seating area called Creekside.[53]

The nameplate of the Kosciuszko Bridge

In 2008, it was discovered that two Native American tribes indigenous to Queens, the Matinecocks and the Canarsies, were not informed of the bridge replacement project under federal law. The Delaware Nation, in Oklahoma, and the Stockbridge-Munsee, in Wisconsin, both originally native to New York City, were given a month to comment on the bridge project, in addition to the Matinecocks and the Canarsies.[54]

Following the opening of the westbound bridge, bicyclists' advocacy groups pointed out that there was not enough bike infrastructure connecting to either end of the bridge, especially since both ends were in primarily industrial neighborhoods.[52] The city planned to install short, on-street bike lanes leading to both ends of the bridge. In response, comptroller Scott Stringer said that there needed to be "protected bike lanes", completely segregated from traffic, on both sides of the bridge.[55]

A lawsuit was filed in February 2020 by armor-manufacturing company Hardwire against its former vice president, Irvin Ebaugh IV, who was the new bridge's manager of bridge safety. In the lawsuit, it was alleged that the Kosciuszko Bridge was susceptible to terrorist attacks and was a danger to public safety. Specifically, the allegations held that the bridge was dangerous due to improperly manufactured armored cables, and because plans for the cables' composition had been posted online. The Federal Bureau of Investigation opened a criminal investigation into the details of this case.[56]