The Kosciuszko Bridge in Maspeth is set to be demolished in July, and a Facebook group is trying to rally the troops to fight the “battle against the invasive Bridge-bringers.”
“Defend the Kosciuszko Bridge from Demo with Wolves & Swords” was created on Facebook earlier this month with the aim of defending the “true Kosciuszko Bridge” from the “imposter false bridge.”
“All you faithful supporters of the TRUE KOSCIUSZKO BRIDGE know that the TIME OF FIRE is upon us, and we must bring pain to our enemies and their allies,” the Facebook group read. “Join us as we form a circle of sword wielding human warriors and their wolf warrior brethren and sistren. Together between the strength of WOLF AND IRON we shall bring defeat to our enemies, and the true KOSCIUSZKO BRIDGE shall stand for another day, and the imposter FALSE BRIDGE shall fall into the seas of Newtown for all eternity.”
The event is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. on July 11, and 725 people have RSVP’d so far. There is no set date for the demolition and according to the Newtown Creek Alliance, it will likely occur between July 7 through July 15.
There will also be no fire involved in the process. The main span will be removed and put on a barge to a metal recycling facility in New Jersey. About six weeks later, the bridge approaches will be imploded. The controlled demolition does not blow up the bridge but cuts key connections that cause the spans to fall.
The Brooklyn and Queens spans will drop straight down onto berms made of soil to control vibration; no debris or dust is expected to fall as the spans will drop intact instead of in pieces.
According to Governor Andrew Cuomo, the process will save approximately seven to nine months in order to get the Brooklyn span constructed. A ceremony for the first phase took place in April, where three lanes of traffic were opened in both directions until the second phase is complete in 2020.
The Queens Chamber of Commerce has also started its own Facebook event titled “Kosciuszko Bridge Demolition Celebration.” The implosion is rumored to take place in the early morning hours to avoid people flooding the area to catch a glimpse of the action.
