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NYPD Celebrates Independence Day By Closing Off Bridge Paths for Biking and Walking

Officers were stationed at both sides of the Manhattan and Williamsburg bridge bicycle and pedestrian paths for hours last night, blocking access across the East River for people biking and walking.
NYPD Celebrates Independence Day By Closing Off Bridge Paths for Biking and Walking
Police officers blocking the Brooklyn entrance to the Williamsburg Bridge bicycle and pedestrian path last night. Photo: @davejohannes

NYPD officers were stationed at both sides of the Manhattan and Williamsburg bridge bicycle and pedestrian paths for hours last night, blocking access across the East River for people biking and walking.

No public notice was provided about the closures, which ostensibly were to prevent crowds forming on the bridge paths during the fireworks display on the East River.

Instead of bringing their bikes onto trains packed with Fourth of July crowds or going several miles out of their way to another bridge crossing, some people biked on the main roadway of the Williamsburg Bridge, alongside car and truck traffic moving at highway speeds. Dave Johannes captured the scene on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/davejohannes/status/882431656598089730

NYPD also closed the Pulaski Bridge to people biking and walking, but people in cars were allowed to stop and take in the fireworks, according to Rebecca Baird-Remba.

The NYPD’s street closure listings did not mention the bridges, and there were no announcements posted to DOT’s Facebook or Twitter pages, as is typical during closures of this kind.

Photo of David Meyer
David was Streetsblog's do-it-all New York City beat reporter from 2015 to 2019. He returned as an editor in 2023 after a three-year stint at the New York Post.

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