Some Brooklyn Residents Sounding Off on Kosciuszko Bridge Implosion
New York Governor Cuomo's plan to blow up the Kosciuszko Bridge is getting pushback by some Brooklyn officials and community members who feel left out of the loop on the plan and worry about the environmental impacts.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams called on New York's Department of Transportation, which is heading up the operation on the bridge, to hold off on imploding the bridge until their concerns are acknowledged.
"Without a full understanding of the method [they're] going to use and what's the environmental impact, there's too many question marks that are lingering. We believe the community should know. And we need to scrutinize [their] method," said Adams, "We don't need expediency. We need quality health and public safety."
Adams said that the Governor's plan to implode the bridge may be an attempt to speed up construction on the bridge.
Richard Mazur, who has been living in Greenpoint since 1950, said he's concerned about what the health effects could be considering the amount of environmental damage Brooklyn has sustained over the years.
"I read about it in the New York Post that they're going to blow up a bridge. Sounds wonderful, sounds like a movie scene. But I've lived here all my life and I know the results of debris coming off of a bridge," said Mazur.
Mazur is referencing the 1992 sandblasting of the Williamsburg Bridge which resulted in elevated levels of lead in the neighborhood. He said he wants the DOT to take their time with the implosion project.
"Expediency without caution is usually a dumb move," said Mazur.
A spokesman for the Governor's office said the Kosciuszko Bridge was removed of all lead paint 16 years ago, so levels of lead increasing from debris should be of no worry. Addressing lack of communication with community members in a statement, the spokesman also reassured implosion as the safest method for removing the old bridge.
"The state has had more than 140 meetings to date and we will continue public dialogue with all stakeholders throughout the remainder of this project. Implosion is the safest and the most efficient plan so any theatrics or grandstanding from community leaders is not only unnecessary but entirely misleading. We are surprised that the borough president suddenly has an interest in this project considering he didn’t attend a single one of the five briefing meetings or two tours that he has been invited to since he took office," said the spokesman in a statement.
