12 MARCH 2, 2017 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM EDITORIAL The bridge must go out with a bang One of the most popular stories THE HOT TOPIC STORY: Old Kosciuszko Bridge will be blown up aft er new span opens this spring: governor SUMMARY: The Kosciuszko Bridge on the Maspeth/Brooklyn border will be demolished aft er the fi rst half of its replacement is opened to traffi c. REACH: 31,077 (as of Feb. 27, 2017) COMMENTS: ESTABLISHED 1908 Co-Publishers VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS JOSHUA SCHNEPS Editor-in-Chief ROBERT POZARYCKI Classifi ed Manager DEBORAH CUSICK Assistant Classifi ed Manager MARLENE RUIZ Reporter ANTHONY GIUDICE © 2017 SCHNEPS NY MEDIA, LLC. General Publication Offi ce: 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361 TELEPHONE: 1-718-821-7500/7501/7502/7503 FAX: 1-718-224-5441 E-MAIL: editorial@ridgewoodtimes.com WEB SITE: www.qns.com ON TWITTER @ridgewoodtimes PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY FOR 108 YEARS COMPOSITION RESPONSIBILITY: Accuracy in receiving ads over the telephone cannot be guaranteed. This newspaper is responsible for only one incorrect insertion and only for that portion of the ad in which the error appears. It is the responsibility of the advertiser to make sure copy does not contravene the Consumer Protection Law or any other requirement.TIMES NEWSWEEKLY Is Listed With The Standard Rate & Data And Is A Member Of The New York Press Association SNAPS FLY THE ‘W’ OVER BAYSIDE STATION PHOTO BY ROBERT POZARYCKI Send us your photos of Queens and you could see them online or in our paper! Submit them to us tag @queenscourier on Instagram, Facebook page, tweeting @QNS or by emailing editorial@qns.com (subject: Queens Snaps). we ran last week was about Governor Andrew Cuomo’s announcement that the Kosciuszko Bridge, the obsolete traffi c nightmare that most every commuter has wanted to blow up, would indeed be imploded once a replacement span is completed. The initial euphoria of the bridge’s impending demise gave way to concerns about the implosion plan itself. The main structure would be dismantled by work crews; the approaches to the bridge on either side of the Newtown Creek would be imploded. Local elected offi cials in Brooklyn and Queens have voiced concerns about the potential environmental impact the implosion would have on the area, a center of industry that’s already suff ered from years of heavy pollution. According to Cuomo’s offi ce, “the design-build team conducted detailed engineering and vibration analysis to ensure the environmental safety of the implosion process.” However, in July of 2001, the Greenpoint gas tanks — located a stone’s throw from the Kosciuszko Bridge — were detonated with controlled explosives. In the days before the implosion, nearby residents expressed many of the same concerns being raised over the planned bridge demolition. The gas tanks came down with a big bang, and some kicked up dust that largely fell on the property where the tanks stood. As long as the same care is taken to keep the area safe, the Kosciuszko Bridge implosion should go off without a hitch, and expedite the process of replacing the obsolete structure and improving traffi c fl ow. The fi rst of the two new spans to replace the Kosciuszko Bridge is about to be fi nished seven months ahead of schedule. Imploding the old bridge to make way for the second new span will put the state on track to completing that new bridge by 2020, four full years ahead of that schedule. That’s time and money saved which the state should use toward repairing other infrastructure across Brooklyn and Queens. Funds saved by finishing the Kosciuszko Bridge early could be invested in expanding ferry service to northeast Queens, or speeding up the LaGuardia AirTrain project, or something really ambitious such as expanded HOV lanes on the Long Island Expressway. The possibilities are numerous. Af ter decades of suf fering through traffic jams on the Kosciuszko Bridge, it’s time to speed up progress, even if it means sending the old bridge out with a bang.
RT03022017
To see the actual publication please follow the link above