New York: Brooklyn Bridge wants a facelift

In New York, the famous Brooklyn Bridge will receive a facelift. The structure, opened in 1883 to link the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn, is no longer adapted to the mobility of New Yorkers. Since the emergence of the coronavirus epidemic, many residents of the “big apple” have preferred to travel by bicycle rather than by metro. And the bridge often finds itself crowded. Traffic is currently on two levels: one for cyclists and pedestrians, considered too small, and the other for motorists.

As the British daily reports The Guardian, the New York City Council launched an architectural design competition earlier this year to adapt the structure to the modern United States. New Yorkers will be invited to vote next week for one of the six selected projects. One of them plans to phase out lanes reserved for cars and replace them with a pedestrian lane. Another advocates the creation of a wooden footbridge, with “microforests” placed at each end of the bridge. A third finalist wants to make part of the level currently dedicated to motorists available to cyclists, and to replace one of the roads with a space for trains. The projects are to be discovered on the site of Van Halen architectural firm.