The City is going ahead with the construction of a mostly federally funded $150 million new bridge connecting City Island with the Bronx mainland, despite the fact that community residents don't want it, according to the Post. The new bridge was first proposed by Mayor Bloomberg in 2003 and was scheduled for completion in 2010, but work is just getting started on building a temporary bridge that island residents can use while the old bridge is being swapped with its boondoggle replacement. The current City Island bridge is a low-rise span, and the new bridge is a cable stay span whose tower will rise eight times as high as the existing 20-foot-tall bridge. The new bridge is unpopular with many of City Island's 5,000 residents, according to the Daily News, who say its modern design clashes with the community's rustic, seaside aesthetic. The new bridge is now scheduled for completion in 2016.
· City I. Bridge Plan Ripped [NYP]
· Pols John Liu, Ruben Diaz Jr., James Vacca Slam Lack of Public Review for Over-Budget New City Island Bridge [NYDN]
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