Photo by Will Sherman

More than 125 years of constant use have left the Brooklyn Bridge in rough shape, leading NYCDOT to restoration of the iconic East River crossing in 2010. Last week, Young Professionals in Transportation organized a tour of this work, scheduled for completion in 2014: approach ramp repairs, traffic lane restriping to reduce bottlenecks and a complete repainting of the entire structure in negative-pressure containment units to capture dust. To complicate matters further, traffic impacts must be limited, necessitating most work be completed at night. Speaking on the importance of keeping infrastructure from falling into disrepair, one engineer leading the tour reported that simply restriping the bridge today costs more than its complete construction in the 19th century.

Photo by Will Sherman

Photo by Will Sherman

Photo by Will Sherman