FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM MAY 4, 2017 • THE QUEENS COURIER 11 New Kosciuszko Bridge makes its big debut BY ANGELA MATUA amatua@qns.com / @amatua Driving in on Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s 1932 Packard, Gov. Andrew Cuomo offi cially marked the opening of the new Kosciuszko Bridge on April 27. New York City’s fi rst new bridge in more than a half-century opened on the Brooklyn/Queens border, as the completed fi rst half of the Kosciuszko Bridge reconstruction project was unveiled in a ceremony. “I drove up in Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s 1932 Packard,” Cuomo said. “It is the fi rst time the car has been used in 30 years. I brought it to commemorate today and to bring the spirit of FDR to this bridge. FDR had a tremendous positive energy and FDR was all about what we can do. He never took no for an answer. He believed in New York, he believed in New Yorkers and he believed there was nothing New Yorkers couldn’t do.” Th e new cable-stayed bridge was built adjacent to the rusting, 78-year-old traffi c nightmare that carries the Brooklyn- Queens Expressway (BQE) over the Newtown Creek between Maspeth and Greenpoint. “Th e old bridge did its job well but it is structurally and operationally obsolete; it has been for a long time,” Cuomo said. “Th e delays have been legendary. Th e fi rst time I heard my father use expletives was on this bridge.” Th e structure, twin cable-stayed spans, is the fi rst new bridge built in New York since the Verrazano-Narrow’s Bridge was completed in 1964. Th e Queens side of the bridge will hold fi ve lanes of traffi c while the Brooklyn span will hold four. Th e fi rst phase that was offi cially opened today opens three lanes of traffi c in both Photo by Angela Matua/QNS directions until the second phase is complete in 2020. “We have the proud son of Queens in Gov. Andrew Cuomo,” said Queens Borough President Melinda Katz. “Th is is a governor that has never forgotten where he comes from in the city of New York. He’s invested in our airports, in our roads, in our future and today has taken one giant step towards making sure that the future generations, those that we will never meet have an infrastructure that they can count on in the city of New York.” Consulate General of Poland in New York Maciej Golubiewski also attended the event to give a brief history of Th addeus Kosciuszko, the milita ry engineer the bridge was named aft er in 1940. “Kosciuszko was a prince of tolerance who stood up for the rights of European serfs and specifi cally African slaves for whose education he designated all of his fortune in his last will. His dear friend Th omas Jeff erson, who we all know, called Kosciuszko ‘the purest son of liberty I have ever known.’” Th e old bridge was supposed to accommodate about 10,000 drivers a day, according to Cuomo, but now, approximately 180,000 drivers use it. Once completely fi nished, the new iteration is supposed to reduce delays by 65 percent. Cuomo announced earlier this year that the approaches to the bridge would be imploded, but the steel span above the Newtown Creek will be taken apart piece by piece. Th e new Kosciuszko Bridge is the fi rst of twin cable-stayed spans across the creek. It will temporarily carry three lanes of BQE traffi c in each direction over the next several years while the second new bridge is built in the footprint of the old span. Great rates like ours are always in season. 1.60% 24-Month CD APY1 $5,000 minimum deposit 1.90% 36-Month CD APY1 $5,000 minimum deposit To qualify you must have or open any Flushing Bank Complete Checking account.2 Get the complete access and control you desire with a competitive interest rate and banking on-the-go with our Flushing Bank Mobile3 app. For more information and to find out about our other great offers, visit your local Flushing Bank branch, call 800.581.2889 or visit www.FlushingBank.com. Small enough to know you. Large enough to help you. 1. New money only. APY effective April 10, 2017. Annual percentage yield assumes principal and interest remain on deposit for a full year at current rate. Minimum deposit balance of $5,000 is required. Funds cannot be transferred from an existing Flushing Bank account. Premature withdrawals may be subject to bank and IRS penalties. Rates and offer are subject to change without notice. 2. A Flushing Bank checking account with a $5,000 minimum balance is required to receive the advertised rate. Certain fees, minimum balance requirements and restrictions may apply. For new IRA and rollover accounts, the minimum deposit balance is $5,000. A checking account is not required for IRA accounts. Speak with a Flushing Bank representative for more details. 3. Flushing Bank Mobile Banking is available to all Flushing Bank online banking users. Mobile carrier fees may apply. Flushing Bank is a registered trademark
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