If you’ve ever wanted to cross from Queens to Manhattan (or vice-versa) without the roar of traffic alongside you, your dream may finally be coming true.
A group of transportation experts—including a former city traffic commissioner and engineers from NYU and T.Y. Lin International—have proposed a pedestrian and cyclist only bridge, that would run from Long Island City, over Roosevelt Island, and into Midtown Manhattan. Astoria Post reported the news when renderings were released last week.
The bridge is being called the “Queens Ribbon” since it offers a very lean design, including two five-foot lanes for cyclists and a separate 10-foot lane for pedestrians. The bridge would hang about 125 feet above the East River, and would be suspended by cables, which would connect at towers near the Long Island City shore, at Roosevelt Island, and near the Manhattan shore. Another plus? It would offer stunning panoramic views of the city skyline.
According to the report, cycling over the East River bridges has “exploded by 132% over the last decade.” Still, bicyclists and pedestrians on bridges like the Queensboro Bridge, for example, are still sharing highly crowded space.
The group said the preliminary cost would be $100 million and it could be constructed in 10 years. But, when Mayor de Blasio was recently asked about the proposal, he said it was hard to imagine the bridge being a viable project due to the current economic turmoil the city is going through due to COVID-19.
You can read the full report and proposal with additional photos online here,
In other news: A New Park Plaza Will Offer Waterfront Views Directly Beneath The Brooklyn Bridge
featured image source: Sam Schwartz/T.Y. Lin International