ABSTRACT
The Kosciuszko Bridge is a vital transportation link carrying the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (I-278) over Newtown Creek. With a construction cost of $554,700,000, the Kosciuszko Bridge Phase 1 bridge replacement project is NYSDOT’s largest Design-Build Project to date. Choosing the Design-Build delivery method allowed NYSDOT to reduce the number of bid packages and the duration of construction by several years. With Notice to Proceed on May 23, 2014 for design and construction, the new bridge is scheduled to open in the spring of 2017.
The existing bridge is being replaced with two new parallel bridges, and the work will be performed in two phases. Phase 1 represents the design and construction of the eastbound structure and westbound Brooklyn connector, with the remainder of the westbound structure in Phase 2.
The Brooklyn and Queens Connectors and Approaches carry traffic to the new Cable-Stayed Main Span, spanning over Newtown Creek. This paper highlights the design challenges and solutions for the Approaches and Connector structures built in Phase 1 of the project.
