Bath Beach pedestrian bridge reconstruction project drags years behind schedule
A delayed pedestrian bridge reconstruction project in Bath Beach, Brooklyn, is drawing mounting frustration from residents and community leaders who say the prolonged closure has severed a vital connection to the neighborhood's waterfront.
The old 17th Avenue pedestrian bridge once spanned the Belt Parkway, linking Bath Beach residents to views of Gravesend Bay. It was closed in 2021 for reconstruction and demolished in 2022.
"It's pathetic, and you can't get any answers"
"We are ranked in the top five community districts with the lowest percentage of open space," said Marnee Elias-Pavia, district manager of Brooklyn Community Board 11.
City officials said the closure was necessary due to safety concerns.
"This overpass was one of the most hit by tractor trailers because of the clearance," said City Councilmember Justin Brannan, who represents the district. "So I think DOT was in a rush to tear it down."
But neighbors say they were promised a much quicker rebuild.
"This was originally supposed to be finished in fall of 2023," said Laurie Windsor, chair of Community Board 11.
Now, as construction continues with no firm completion date, residents like Mike Smollar say they are fed up.
"It's pathetic," Smollar said. "And you can't get any answers out of anybody. All you get is a bunch of garbage."
For Patricia Tronolone, the closure has disrupted her routine.
"I used to go maybe two or three times a week over the bridge to walk to Kohl's," she said. "And it was so easy along the water. You could ride your bike, you could exercise. Now, it's terrible."
With the bridge gone, neighbors must walk an additional 20 to 30 minutes to reach another entrance to the beloved promenade.
"It's taking too damn long"
Community Board 11 has filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking clarity on the delays.
"We didn't feel that we had a clear-cut answer to give to the community," Windsor said. "And we didn't understand why."
Brannan said he shares much of that frustration, calling the protracted project an "old-fashioned boondoggle."
He says much of bridge is being fabricated in a different location, which has added to residents' confusion.
"Part of the reason why people are so frustrated is because a lot of the work that's being done is being done off-site," he said. "Regardless, it's taking too damn long."
The city's Department of Transportation said in a statement that work is progressing and the project is expected to be completed next year. DOT attributed the delays to the pandemic, steel fabrication issues, and unexpected complications related to underground utilities. In addition, the agency says the design had to be changed multiple times.
Still, residents remain skeptical.
"You can work here 24/7 from now until the end of the year," Smollar said. "It's not getting done."
Their frustration is compounded by the comparison to another major infrastructure project visible from the promenade: the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. The landmark suspension bridge, the longest of its kind in the United States, was built in five years -- the same amount of time this small pedestrian bridge project is now expected to take.
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