The iconic Brooklyn Bridge in New York turns 140 and the city’s mayor, Eric Adams, has announced what will be his gift to commemorate the opening of this infrastructure connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan.
Adams announced that the occasion would be celebrated with the reopening of a public space, after ten years of disuse, that would have areas for sports, games and seats, and that would be inaugurated exactly on May 24, when The day the bridge was built. over the Rio del Este, considered one of the greatest engineering feats of the 19th century.
Adams assured that this reopening is “a historic moment for the recovery of our communities, our public spaces and our city.”
“Public spaces like this are a critical component of our administration’s strategy for an equitable, inclusive and prosperous economic recovery,” he said, adding that $375 million will be invested in public spaces in the five cities.
He said they are also part of the recommendations made by a group he convened with Gov. Cathy Hochul, which proposed public realm improvements throughout the city, including under and around the Brooklyn Bridge.
Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said, “With the rehabilitation work completed ahead of schedule, we are incredibly excited to reopen this historic space to New Yorkers, celebrating the anniversary of the bridge and this beautiful spring weather.” to celebrate.” (DOT) ), which is in charge of its maintenance and is currently working on the bridge built between 1870 and 1883.
The rebuilding of the bridge, for the first time since its construction, included an extensive and careful cleaning of the granite stones, which changed them from gray – the result of more than a century of dust, soot and pollution – to the gray they had had since the 19th century. Brilliant Original.
While the granite was cleaned, skilled masons replaced the mortar between the individual stones, a process using cement obtained from the same upstate New York quarries used by members of the Roebling family, which gave the bridge its original shape. Designed for initial construction.
Masons are currently completing the reconstruction of the red brick arch to the original designs by hand, with the project expected to be completed by the end of this year, a statement said.
At the time of its opening it was the largest suspension bridge in the world (measuring 1,825 m long and 25 m wide) and the first suspended by means of steel cables.
On the first day, more than 1,800 vehicles and 150,000 people crossed it. It cost $15.1 million to build and killed 27 people.
