The Kosciuszko Bridge is getting a much-needed facelift.
The deteriorating bridge — which connects Queens and Brooklyn — was scheduled to be replaced beginning in 2014, but the state announced those plans have been fast-tracked, thanks to the recently-launched New York Works Program.
Construction on the $460 million project will begin by early next year and will be ready for traffic before 2017, three years ahead of what was originally scheduled.
Built in 1939, the aging bridge has been named one of the worst in the city by numerous publications.
The new structure will also feature three additional lanes of traffic, helping to alleviate an often congested span that results in more than quadruple accident rates, according to a report.
The New York Works program, signed into law recently by Governor Andrew Cuomo as part of this year’s state budget, will invest billions of dollars to rebuild the state’s roads, bridges, parks and other infrastructure and create tens of thousands of jobs.
“This significant investment will rebuild the foundation of the region’s economy and create thousands of jobs for New Yorkers,” the governor said.
