A pedestrian bridge in Brooklyn Heights has been shut down over safety concerns. NY1′s Bree Driscoll filed the following report.
Little Conor Stewart loves to walk across the Squibb Park Bridge in Brooklyn Heights. However, his mother is not a fan of the wooden pedestrian bridge which was designed to have a light bounce when you walked on it.
“She is afraid of heights and the bridge bounces up and down and it makes it more nervous, even if that is what is suppose to do,” says Matt Stewart of Brooklyn Heights.
Love or hate the so-called bouncy bridge, it is no longer an option. Brooklyn Bridge Park officials shut it down after staff reported unusual movement on the bridge back in August.
Now engineers are further studying the $ 5 million structure which connects Brooklyn Heights and Brooklyn Bridge Park to make sure it is safe and secure.
Officials say they expect the bridge, which opened last year, to remained closed until the spring.
“It makes me feel sad because I really like going on that bridge. It is a good experience that now I won’t get to enjoy,” says Park Slope resident David Pachter.
“In the beginning, you could sense something—that there was some movement. Now as time progressed and, I guess, with more and more people knowing about it and traffic increasing we did notice and substantial increase meaning you would find yourself wobbling through it,” says Brooklyn Heights resident Ivana Nonnis.
Park officials say they installed tilt meters and accelerometers, which monitor movement and, they hope, will diagnose and solve the problem.
Meanwhile, residents say even though the Bridge is closed, they don’t feel inconvenienced.
“I thought the idea of having a direct access from the promenade by bridge to the park was a good idea, but ultimately with all the switchbacks back and forth, and where it ends up, it doesn’t end up being any more direct,” Stewart says.
“It was a quick path down there but it isn’t too bad going down the other way,” Pachter says.
Brooklyn Bridge park representatives say they will continue to keep the public updated on the status of the bridge—but in the meantime, no members of the public will be able to cross it.
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