Is bridge and ramp design an issue with the Queensbury bridge in New York City? It is beginning to appear that there are problems with the entrances and exits to the bridge. Last week, for the fifth time in two years, a car accident occurred on the bridge. A vehicle crashed coming off the bridge onto 2nd Avenue in Manhattan.
According to news reports, the car flipped over after crashing into a concrete railing around 4 a.m. Other drivers stopped to pull the victim out of the vehicle just before it caught fire. The driver was transported to Cornell Medical Center with a broken leg.
This is the second recent accident on the bridge. Last month, an off-duty police offer was killed on the Queens side of the bridge after she lost control of her car and crashed into a vacant store. The New York City Department of Transportation announced after that accident that it would close the Queens-bound outer roadway at night from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. The night-time closing of the bridge followed a review of traffic volume and travel speeds prompted by the fatal accident.
State Senator Michael Gianaris said, “I applaud the DOT for finally giving this dangerous stretch of road the attention it deserves. Hopefully, the nighttime closure of the Queens-bound outer roadway will provide the time for a proper evaluation of the street design … .”
The Queensboro Bridge, now officially called the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, links Long Island City in Queens with Manhattan. The span over the East River opened in 1909. A $300 million renovation of the structure was completed in 20012. Around 180,000 vehicles use the bridge each day.
Source: ABCLocal.com, “Dangerous Queensboro Bridge ramp to be closed nightly,” Dec, 30, 2013.