Squibb Playground Pedestrian Bridge To Brooklyn Bridge Park Approved

Squibb Playground - April 3, 2010. Brooklyn Bridge Park Corp. approved a $445,148 contract with HNTB New York Engineering & Architecture to design a long-awaited pedestrian bridge over Furman Street to connect Squibb Park to Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 1. Construction on the $4 million bridge is set to begin next summer and possibly be complete in 2012. It is being paid for with capital funds secured by Borough President Marty Markowitz and Councilman Steve Levin. The long shuttered playground (above) was being reconstructed under a Parks Department Capital Requirement Contract earlier this year. A speck of green from Brooklyn Bridge Park can be seen in the backgound. (Photo: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on Image to enlarge.

Brooklyn

Honchos overseeing Brooklyn Bridge Park yesterday hired an architect to design a long-awaited pedestrian bridge over Furman Street to connect the park’s Pier 1 with nearby Squibb Park, according to the New York Post.

The city’s Brooklyn Bridge Park Corp. approved a $445,148 contract with HNTB New York Engineering & Architecture, which has extensive experience in designing and the engineering of pedestrian bridges.

Construction on the $4 million bridge is set to begin next summer and possibly be complete in 2012. It is being paid for with capital funds secured by Borough President Marty Markowitz and Councilman Steve Levin.

This pedestrian bridge will connect Brooklyn Bridge Park at Pier 1 to the western edge of Squibb Park off Middagh Street, allowing easier access from Brooklyn Heights and the A/C and 2/3 subway stations to Pier 1’s pathways and main promenade.

Currently, pedestrian access to the Brooklyn Bridge Park is not exactly direct. The Robert Moses-era Brooklyn- Queens Expressway, literally divided the nearby Brooklyn Heights neighborhood from the river. Park planners recently received approval for a $4.9 million, sustainable, 396-foot-long timber bridge designed by structural engineer Ted Zoli that will connect Squibb Park, a small, paved park at the north end of the Brooklyn Heights Promenade with the Brooklyn Bridge Park. It will provide a quicker path to the Brooklyn Bridge Park for those using several nearby subway lines." Deena Parham

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Pedestrian bridge approved to connect Squibb Park with Brooklyn Bridge Park

New York Post The Brooklyn Blog - November 18, 2010 - By Rich Calder