When Squibb Park Bridge finally reopens, the bouncy wooden walkway will not be quite as bouncy. The 400-foot-long, zig-zagging bridge, which connects the Brooklyn Heights promenade to Brooklyn Bridge Park, closed last August after its bounce became too much, and repairs will likely lessen the bounce permanently. The bridge had only been opened for 17 months before it closed, and park officials still don't know what went wrong, though a spokesperson for the park told the New York Times that they believe it is a "misalignment" issue. Engineers are currently "pulling it back into alignment and testing it, section by section," but they still can't say when it could reopen. In the fall, they said spring, and now that spring is underway, officials say it will be late spring.
To help keep the bridge properly aligned, cross braces will be added to the structure, which will result in less bounce. The bridge, designed by Ted Zoli, who the Times calls "a rising star in the world of bridge design," uses trail bridge technology and was meant to have a slight spring. Some speculate that the problems were caused by construction from Pierhouse, which is rising on either side of the bridge, but others think it could have been the fact that people deliberately bounced it to the max.
The repairs are estimated to cost $700,000, and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation plans to recoup that cost, but it's unclear if they will also sue Zoli. Does Brooklyn Bridge Park really need more drama?
· Slow Rebound for a Bridge in Brooklyn Whose Bounce Became Worse [NYT]
· All Squibb Park Bridge coverage [Curbed]
· Squibb Park Bridge [official]
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