MTA Bridges and Tunnels Construction Improvements

What’s Happening

Robert F. Kennedy Bridge Planned Rehabilitation Projects
MTA Spending Nearly $1 Billion In Capital Improvement Projects Over Next 15 Years

Effective July 2011 through 2019


Project Overview

MTA Bridges and Tunnels is making needed repairs and improvements to the agency’s 1930s-era flagship bridge. The work includes:

  • Reconstructing supporting bridge structures at Manhattan and Bronx toll plazas
  • Rehabilitating and replacing the bridge’s seven ramps

 

Worker operates a large remote controlled jack hammer while removing existing roadway deck on the RFK Queens-to-Manhattan ramp. Second worker sprays water to control dust.

RFK Capital1: Worker operates a large remote controlled jack hammer while removing existing roadway deck on the RFK Queens-to-Manhattan ramp. Second worker sprays water to control dust.

  

Big Picture Project

The largest portion of the estimated $1 billion in improvements includes $700 million for reconstruction of the structures that support the bridge’s two toll plazas. Timeline:

  • Design for Bronx plaza rehabilitation scheduled to begin late 2011. Construction will begin in mid-2014.
  • Design for reconstruction of Manhattan plaza to begin in 2015. Construction will begin in 2019.

Long stretch of roadway on the RFK Queens-to-Manhattan ramp where old decking was removed. Steel reinforcing rods need to be cleaned, form work installed from below and new concrete poured

RFK Capital2: Long stretch of roadway on the RFK Queens-to-Manhattan ramp where old decking was removed. Steel reinforcing rods need to be cleaned, form work installed from below and new concrete poured.

  
   
   
   
   

Immediate Planned Work

If you use the RFK Bridge, you’ve already noticed work is underway and there is a lot of construction activity taking place. Here‘s a look at some of the projects:

  • Removal and replacement of 400,000-square-feet of old asphalt on the Manhattan toll plaza with a new, rubberized asphalt to help prevent water from seeping into the concrete deck. This $5.8 million project will provide a smoother riding surface for customers and extend the life of the plaza roadway until full reconstruction begins in 2019. Work is expected to be completed by fall.
  • Replacement of bonded wearing surfaces on the East River suspension span, the Harlem River Lift span and the Bronx truss span. This $13 million project is being done at night during off-peak hours and will be completed in the fall.
  • Complete replacement of the 12,000-square-foot Harlem River Drive southbound exit ramp, which leads onto the bridge at East 125th Street. The old ramp will be closed right after Labor Day and a temporary ramp will be built to accommodate traffic. Motorists will be detoured through local streets. The $12 million project is expected to be completed by the end of 2011.
  • Replacement of 40,000-square-feet of roadway decking on the Queens-to-Manhattan ramp. Two lanes of traffic are being maintained during peak driving times. The $5 million project will be completed by the end of 2011.
  • Repair and replacing 39,000-square-feet of protective asphalt overlay on the Queens-to-Bronx Randall’s Island ramp and Randall’s Island-to-Queens ramp. Work on this $900,000 project will begin late summer 2011 and be completed by the fall.

Check back for updates and photos of capital projects underway at the RFK.

New concrete decking in place on RFK Queens-to-Manhattan ramp.

RFK Capital3: New concrete decking in place on RFK Queens-to-Manhattan ramp.

 

Work in Progress

The demolition and reconstruction of the Harlem River Drive southbound ramp leading onto the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge is a $12.4 million project that is expected to be completed by the end of the year. A temporary ramp, with a quick detour through local streets, is in place, continuing to give motorists access to the RFK Bridge ramp at 125th Street.

The contractor for the design/build project is Defoe of Mount Vernon, N.Y. The project is part of the nearly $1 billion in capital improvements planned over the next 15 years for the sprawling 75-year-old Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, which connects Manhattan, the Bronx and Queens and serves a combined average of 170,000 vehicles daily.

New Harlem River Drive Southbound Ramp 1
New Harlem River Drive Southbound Ramp 1: Taken prior to the installation of the last remaining stringers where the Harlem River Drive ramp meets the northbound FDR on ramp to the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge.
New Harlem River Drive Southbound Ramp 2
New Harlem River Drive Southbound Ramp 2: New galvanized floor beams and stringers in place.

New Harlem River Drive Southbound Ramp 3
New Harlem River Drive Southbound Ramp 3: Stay in place metal forms for the new concrete roadway deck, and new railings in place.

New Harlem River Drive Southbound Ramp 4
New Harlem River Drive Southbound Ramp 4: Work progresses up the ramp to where it will meet the northbound FDR entrance ramp to the RFK Bridge.




The Harlem River Drive southbound ramp
Photo of old ramp, seen where yellow arrows are pointing, before it was demolished as part of a $12.4 million Capital Construction project.
Start of ramp demo area
Pile of rubble shows where the nearly 50-year-old Harlem River Drive southbound ramp once stood.



New beam support
The original steel support columns are the only piece of the old ramp that remain. New galvanized steel beams will be placed horizontally across them, as seen in this photo, followed by new steel stringers and a brand new, slightly wider roadway.

Top end ramp supports
Steel supports for the new ramp in place near what will be the top of the ramp.

About RFK (formerly Triborough) Bridge

  • The sprawling 75-year-old RFK Bridge includes three bridges, and 14 miles of roadways that merge at a junction structure on Randall’s Island where traffic is distributed to and from Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx.
  • Each bridge is a different design and includes, the suspended span over the East River connecting Manhattan and Queens; the fixed truss span in the Bronx over the Bronx Kills and the Harlem River Lift Span in Manhattan which raises up like an elevator to allow marine traffic to pass beneath.
  • The Triborough Bridge, renamed the bridge in honor of the late U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in 2008, was used by an estimated 60 million cars and trucks in 2010.

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