By Philip Newman
Transit officials said Tuesday they plan to re-open the fire-damaged Throgs Neck bridge to most trucks July 25 and restore the span to near normal by Aug. 10.
“We are making progress in all three of our goals related to the Throgs Neck: mitigating traffic, identifying repair plans and fully investigating the cause of the accident,” said Helena Williams, interim executive director of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
“We regret the continued inconvenience to our customers, but we are pleased that we can return to near normal operations soon,” she said.
One of the three northbound lanes and the Cross Island Parkway on-ramp have been closed and Bronx-bound trucks have been banned since the July 10 fire. As a result, northbound trucks and other traffic have shifted to the Bronx-Whitestone and Robert F. Kennedy bridges and other feeder roads have been affected as well.
Preliminary investigation concluded the fire was caused by a worker’s blowtorch.
Reach contributing writer Philip Newman by e-mail at timesledgernews@cnglocal.com or phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 136.
