The New York City Department of Transportation has announced temporary single-lane closures for the Metropolitan Avenue Bridge over English Kills starting on Monday, Aug. 5.
The DOT Division of Bridges is expected to conduct routine maintenance of the Brooklyn-Queens bridge from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays or Sundays as needed. Work is scheduled to end on Saturday, Aug. 31.
One lane of traffic in each direction will be maintained with the assistance of flaggers, according to the DOT. The bike lane will not be affected and traffic will return to normal after work hours are completed.
Another summer heat wave in New York City back in 2019 had impacted the Metropolitan Avenue Bridge, causing it to overheat and stop working, as first reported by the Gothamist.
A spokesperson for the DOT at the time confirmed the bridge remained stuck, unable to close all the way and meet in the middle, so traffic was redirected for a short time, the Gothamist reported.
Dating back further in 2014, the bridge underwent permanent repairs following the events of Hurricane Sandy. Parts of the Metropolitan Avenue Bridge submerged in water and its mechanical/electrical systems were exposed to corrosion.
The DOT had installed a temporary electrical system to keep the bridge operational. They eventually installed a permanent electrical system that same year.
The bridge itself, on the section of Newtown Creek, opened in 1931 and has undergone numerous repairs and modernizations ever since.
