Wards Island Footbridge Reopens After Years Of Work
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - After two years and $17 million in repairs and improvements, the 103rd Street footbridge to Wards Island in the East River reopened on Friday, WCBS 880's Rich Lamb reported.
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"We replaced the deck span. We added new pedestrian fencing, new guard rails, new electrical system, and 25 sleek new lights which improve the lighting and security," Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan told reporters. "Wards Island has been a great backyard for thousands of New Yorkers, who live just a few thousand feet from here. But up until now, it's been very difficult to access."
She said there were also steel repairs along the length of the more than 1,200-foot-long blue and gray span, which allows access from eastern Manhattan by foot, bicycle, skateboard, stroller, and wheelchair to 480 acres of park space.
That includes 60 state-of-the-art ballfields.
The bridge will be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Have you been to Wards Island? What's your favorite thing to do there? Sound off in the comments section below.
