It took more than three years for the $5 million Squibb Park Bridge to become a reality, and after just 17 months of existence, the bouncy pedestrian walkway has closed because it's too bouncy. On August 9, the 400-foot-long bridge, which connects Squibb Park near the Brooklyn Heights Promenade with Brooklyn Bridge Park, closed. At first, park authorities said it would reopen within a few weeks, but now the Brooklyn Eagle and New York Times report that it will be closed until spring as engineers study its movements to determine what is wrong. The bridge, made of black locust timber and galvanized steel cables, zig-zags down across Furman Street to the waterfront, and while it was designed to bounce (similarly to trail bridges in the woods), its movements had substantial increased, causing concern. It also started to tilt and sag in sections.
Park authorities originally thought the structural issues might have been caused by construction of Pierhousethe condo/hotel project that's rising on either side of the bridgebut they aren't sure if that's the case. Engineers, including the bridge's designed, Ted Zoli, have installed instruments on the bridge to measure its movements, and park officials stressed that the wooden design would not be changed.
· Squibb Park Bridge closed until spring due to safety concerns [BK Eagle]
· A New Bridge Bounces Too Far and Is Closed Until the Spring [NYT]
· All Squibb Park Bridge coverage [Curbed]
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