18
QUEENS WEEKLY, FEB. 3, 2019
Bridge
Bolt cutters
Street and Liberty Avenue
when he was approached by
two men who exited a 2006
BMW. The suspects proceeded
to assault the victim
about the head and body
with bolt cutters and an unknown
wooden object.
The suspects then took
the victim’s iPhone and keys
before fleeing the location
in the victim’s mini van,
according to authorities.
Police said that the suspects
also displayed a firearm
before fleeing the scene.
The incident was reported
to the 106th Precinct.
EMS responded to the location
and transported the
victim, who suffered multiple
lacerations from the
attack, to an area hospital
for treatment.
One of the suspects has
been identified as 37-yearold
Jeffy Holley, who is described
as a black man with
a long beard, standing 5 feet,
6 inches tall and weighing
175 pounds.
Police described the second
perpetrator — who has
yet to be identified — as a
black man in his mid 30s to
40s and standing between
5 feet, 9 inches and 5 feet, 10
inches tall.
Anyone with information
in regard to this incident
is asked to call the
NYPD’s Crime Stoppers
Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS
(8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-
57-PISTA (74782). The public
can also submit their tips
by logging onto the Crime
Stoppers website, on Twitter
@NYPDTips or by texting
their tips to 274637
(CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
All calls and messages are
kept confidential.
Reach reporter Emily
Davenport by e-mail at edavenport@
qns.com or by phone
at (718) 224-5863 ext. 236.
Continued from Page 1
drivers are. We need more
consideration on our roads
and bridges.”
The Grand Street
Bridge was originally
built in 1903 and spans
227 feet across, but its 19
foot, 7 inch width means
that cars and trucks generally
need wait for other
vehicles already making
the crossing to pass
before taking the road
despite it being two
traffic lanes.
Community Board 5
never gave up the fight
for the 115 year old bridge
to be rebuilt to suit the
needs of the businesses
who operate along Newtown
Creek, such as the
nearby concrete plant
on the south side of the
thoroughfare.
“Grand Street Bridge
update: DOT will be securing
a firm within the
next 90 days,” according
to the email sent Jan. 22.
But since DOT released
a Request for Proposals
(RFP) in June, CB
5 found that their effort,
very much still alive,
to have the bridge replaced
may finally come
to fruition and to the
specifications they
had wanted.
According to the RFP,
the controls are antiquated,
fender system
has degenerated and the
some of the structural
members are not up to the
task of carrying the loads
required of the bridge.
Extremely busy in its
early years, the Grand
Street Bridge opened for
passing boats 5,000 times
in 1918, but the RFP said
it has not been raised at
all since 2012, about the
time some damage was
sustained during Superstorm
Sandy, though it is
not certain if that is the
reason why.
Giordano said DOT
at first planned to build
fixed-span bridge, but arguments
were made from
the community board
to replace the structure
with one that will raise
up to continue to meet
the needs of commerce in
the area.
A meeting between CB
5 in 2002 and the then-director
of Movable Bridges
for DOT showed that
the Grand Street Bridge
was “barely” turned (the
bridge swivels on a concrete
pedestal when boat
traffic needs to pass),
and funds were allocated
for a possible rebuild in
2006. This new bridge
would be 24 to 26 feet wide
with sidewalks.
Coast Guard was expected
to review plans
from the bridge, but it
was suggested in 2002
that a new fixed bridge be
constructed with enough
clearance for ships
to pass.
Existing height between
the water and the
bridge is about 9 feet,
however high tide is the
only time when ships
can pass beneath since
the water becomes too
shallow during low tide,
Giordano said.
But the RFP released
in June calls for a
movable bridge that will
protect the structural
and electrical components
from the elements
while ensuring a
75-year lifespan.
The U.S. Department
of Transportation Federal
Highway Administration
will be paying
for the scope of the job
under the RFP which will
start in June 2019 and
end in 2026.
In 2015, Sandy related
repairs were made to
the bridge’s mechanical
and electrical systems
by DOT and in years
prior they had completed
some resurfacing of sidewalks
and roadways, CB5
records showed.
The bridge was also
closed multiple times in
2017 for different types of
repair work.
On two occasions in
September and October
2018, the bridge was completely
closed for repairs
to the steel grating. Diagonal
bracing work also
shut down the bridge in
recent months.
Reach reporter Mark
Hallum by e-mail at
mhallum@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718)
260–4564.
Continued from Page 1
JEFFY HOLLEY
/qns.com
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