MTA Mulls Plan To Add Pedestrian, Bike Lanes On Verrazano Bridge
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Both an engineering marvel and a regular traffic headache, the 50-year-old Verrazano-Narrows Bridge might someday undergo a major retrofitting.
As CBS2's Steve Langford reported, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is considering building an extra lane on each side of the bridge -- one for pedestrians, the other for bicycles.
"We think it can be done," said MTA spokesman Adam Lisberg. "We have to do more studies to make sure it's possible."
It's 15 years away at least, if the agency even goes through with it. The cost is estimated at $300 to $400 million.
First, the lower deck of the Verrazano has to be replaced with lighter materials, as part of already-scheduled major repair work for the span.
"We don't want to put weight onto the bridge unless we can take an equivalent amount of weight off the bridge," Lisberg said. "We're going to have the opportunity to do that when we put a new deck on the lower level of the bridge."
The concept would have to be tested in a wind tunnel as well. Special bike and pedestrian ramps would be needed, too.
PHOTOS: Verrazano Bridge Turns 50
On Staten Island, there were mixed feelings about the possibility.
"I would like it for me," one woman said.
"Awesome," said another woman. "They need to connect the boroughs for bikers."
"I think the money should go somewhere else, on better things than that," one bicyclist said.
"I think it's ludicrous," a man said. "More chance of people jumping off the bridge."
The MTA says it hasn't yet addressed whether there would be tolls for bicyclists.
The agency said it's also considering an alternate plan to build a new pedestrian- and bicycle-only bridge right next to the Verrazano.
