An expansion of the Brooklyn Bridge walking and biking path could get underway by 2019 if it's folded into a rehab project that's already in the pipeline, DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said this afternoon.
The path is as narrow as 10 feet at pinch points and cannot comfortably accommodate the thousands of people who use it each day.
For now, the next step is a $370,000 feasibility study slated to wrap up in seven months. DOT has already conducted a preliminary assessment of conditions on the bridge path and posted a working concept for the expansion [PDF].
The idea is to widen the pathway by building on top of the steel girders that run over the bridge's main roadways. Most of the wooden deck for walking and biking is four feet below the girders, so the expansions would be at a higher grade than the current path. Trottenberg said DOT will also explore expanding the concrete approaches to the wooden deck on both the Brooklyn and Manhattan sides.
If the concept proves unfeasible for whatever reason, Trottenberg said DOT's attention could turn to the main roadway. "I think if the study finds out that it's not feasible, there is going to be interest in seeing what we would do next in terms of potential traffic," she said. "Look, the Brooklyn Bridge carries a lot of traffic... But I think certainly we're seeing a lot of enthusiasm about the idea of making more of the bridge available for cyclists and pedestrians."
In addition to the engineering challenges of expanding the bridge path, Trottenberg said DOT will also have to coordinate plans for the 133-year-old bridge with NYPD's Counterterrorism Unit, the Landmarks Preservation Commission, and other agencies.
While conflict between pedestrians and cyclists on the narrow pathway is constant, serious injuries are not common. Only three pedestrian injuries were reported on the bridge on 2015. "When we look at the data, at least the NYPD data, we have not seen that there have been a lot of injuries," Trottenberg said. When Daily News reporter Dan Rivoli asked about prohibiting bike access to the bridge, Trottenberg said that is "not on our table at the moment."
Asked about the timing of the project — which advocates and elected officials have wanted for years — Trottenberg and DOT Deputy Commissioner Ryan Russo told reporters that the agency did not previously have the funds to undertake an expansion of the path. "In terms of the moment, we're not that far from the era when we struggled to keep the bridges up," Russo said.
