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  1. We are WSP
  2. What we do
  3. Projects
  4. Kosciuszko Bridge Reconstruction

Kosciuszko Bridge Reconstruction

The Kosciuszko Bridge represents a big step forward in addressing the growing transportation needs of the New York City region.

 

Location

  • Brooklyn and Queens, New York, USA

Project Status

  • Completed August 2019

Awards

  • Green Leadership in Transportation Environmental Sustainability (GreenLITES) - Certified Gold Project

A New Signature Structure in New York City

The second span of the Kosciuszko Bridge opened to traffic in August 2019 four years ahead of schedule and on budget. The new bridge provides the city with a signature structure connecting Brooklyn and Queens.

The Kosciuszko Bridge project replaces the existing 77-year-old bridge, first opened in 1939 under President Roosevelt's administration, with two new state-of-the-art, cable-stayed bridges: one for Queens-bound traffic and one for Brooklyn-bound traffic. The Queens-bound bridge carries five lanes of traffic and the separate Brooklyn-bound bridge carries four lanes, as well as a 20-feet-wide bikeway/walkway with spectacular views of Manhattan. Shoulders have been added to both bridges, where none previously existed. The roadway incline has also been lowered by approximately 35 feet. This makes it easier for trucks and other large vehicles to maintain consistent speeds on the bridge, helping reduce traffic congestion.

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The bridge features a dedicated bike/pedestrian path, which will provide new access for non-motorized commuters.

WSP USA's Role

WSP has played multiple key roles throughout the design and construction of the bridge on behalf of the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). We served as the engineer of record for the second span (Phase 2) of the project, which carries Brooklyn-bound traffic and includes a single tower cable-stayed main span and 16 prestressed concrete girder approach spans.

The Phase 1 contract was NYSDOT’s largest ever and one of its first design-build contracts. Completed in 2017, this phase included the span that carries Queens-bound traffic. WSP was the owner’s engineer and provided design quality assurance and design oversight for the design-build contract, as well as an independent check of the cable-stayed main span design.

Shaping the Skyline

Single tower cable-stayed bridges like this are uncommon, and this one will change the Brooklyn-Queens skyline while alleviating traffic congestions for estimated 180,000 vehicles that cross it each day.

WSP is also the lead designer of two new parks being constructed as part of the project.

Other challenges that we have overcome