Roosevelt Island Bridge Closure Advisory April 15 - 17, 21 &22, 2009 - Be Careful, It's A Long Way Down To The East River

Image of Half Open Bridge From The Onion

Received the following notice regarding the temporary closure of the Roosevelt Island Bridge.

ATTENTION

ROOSEVELT ISLAND BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION CLOSURE

APRIL 15 – 17, 21 & 22, 2009

FROM 12:30 A.M. TO 5:30 A.M.

THE TRAM AND THE F TRAIN WILL BE OPERATIONAL DURING THAT TIME FRAME

THE MTA NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT Q102 BUS FROM QUEENS WILL OPERATE ON A MODIFIED SCHEDULE, WITH NO SERVICE TO ROOSEVELT ISLAND BETWEEN THE HOURS OF

12:30 A.M. AND 5:30 A.M.

PLEASE NOTE THIS CLOSURE SCHEDULE IS PER THE D.O.T.

RIOC President Steve Shane provides additional information in his April 6 RIOC Report.

36th Avenue Bridge: On April 1, we met with representatives of Skanska and DOT to discuss mandatory bridge closings to replace buffers and cables. They are not kidding. The Bridge will be closed the nights of April 15 & 16 (and if it rains on either, then also on the 17th) between the hours of 12:30AM and 5:30AM. No vehicles will be able to cross during that time. A similar closing is scheduled for June 29 & 30. We are coordinating with emergency services to station fire, police and EMS responders on Island and to plan for transport and response if necessary. We will run the Tram during the period of closure to make sure that there is access and egress. We have lived through this situation before, are well aware of the potential difficulty and will do our best to mitigate the disruption. PLEASE MAKE PLANS ACCORDINGLY.

The complete closure of the Roosevelt Island Bridge could cause serious difficulties to sick or injured residents who need emergency assistance during this time period. Mr. Shane addresses that issue in an email message sent to Roosevelt Island media:

You have all received a copy of the DOT Notice of Bridge Closure.

1. It is absolutely necessary.
2. The Fire Department will station an engine (pumper) and a ladder truck on the Island during the outage to respond to any emergencies. In addition, there will be a fireboat available to deliver additional personnel if a big emergency occurs. An engine company (with 5 firemen) will be at the Vernon Ave. end of the Bridge to provide additional bodies as needed.
3. The Fire Dept. (EMS) will station an ambulance on the Island and an ambulance at the Vernon Ave end of the bridge. In the event of a medical emergency, the victim will be treated and taken to the RI end of the bridge and conveyed on a gurney to the other side where the other ambulance will be waiting to transport. In addition to the 4 EMS persons, there will be the 5 firemen there to assist. If the bridge is completely impassable (one of the procedures will require it to be 6'-8' above the connecting streets), then transport will have to be by Tram to a waiting ambulance on Manhattan side.
4. RIOC will run the Tram all night on 1/2 hour intervals (except in emergency) with the Red bus to match up. The Subway (F Train) should be available.
5.Only 2 nights are needed, and if the weather permits, the later nights will not be required. Steelworkers union contract and OSHA rules do not permit workers on exposed iron surfaces at heights when it is raining.
6. NYPD is also likely to station a squad car on the Island to assist.
We have coordinated all of this with NYPD, NYFD, EMS, DOT, HHC, etc. A necessary evil, but we should get through it. Please try to quell the hysterics.

After the jump more on the history of the Roosevelt Island Bridge including what happened a previous time the Bridge got stuck in an open position.

Read More!

Image of Roosevelt Island Bridge in Open Position From NYC Roads

According to NYC Roads:

... Initially, access to Welfare Island had been through a series of ferries from Manhattan and Queens. In 1930, a four-cab elevator service began between the lower deck of the Queensboro (59th Street) Bridge and the island. The service, which had served 230,000 cars per year by the early 1950's, provided the only public connection to Welfare Island.

The increasing traffic needs to and from Welfare Island, as well as growing congestion on the Queensboro Bridge, prompted the New York City Department of Public Works to propose a new vertical-lift crossing between Queens and Welfare Island. After initial resistance from the New York City Council, which doubted that the $6.5 million span would carry enough traffic to justify its cost, construction of the Roosevelt Island Bridge (then named the Welfare Island Bridge) began on March 17, 1952....

The NY Times reports on a 2004 incident when the Roosevelt Island Bridge was stuck in the open position for more than an hour:

... All the means of access to the sliver-shaped island were out of service for about an hour that day, Aug. 12. The tram was down for a periodic tune-up. The Roosevelt Island Bridge, which lifts to allow boat traffic to pass through, was stuck in the open position. Electrical problems temporarily halted service on the F train.

''If someone had a heart attack or a fire, there would have been no way to get an ambulance onto the island,'' said Matthew Katz, president of the Roosevelt Island Residents Association.

As it turned out, there were no disasters, but Mr. Katz has worried about emergency planning ever since. His solution: additional access routes to serve the island's 12,000 residents.

On Tuesday, the transportation committee of Manhattan Community Board 8 will consider a request from Mr. Katz and his association to allow island residents direct access to the Queensboro Bridge via staircase or elevator...

Image of Roosevelt Island Bridge from Wired New York

Roosevelt Island Bridge Image From Bridge & Tunnel Club