Grand Street Bridge Project
The Grand Street Bridge is a swing bridge over Newtown Creek. It connects Maspeth, Queens with Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The bridge spans both the North Brooklyn and Maspeth Industrial Business Zones.
The bridge structure is a two-way vehicular roadway, with one lane and one sidewalk in each of the eastbound and westbound directions. Based on 2019 data, average daily traffic carries about 11,400 vehicles per day, with approximately two thirds of vehicles traveling westbound into Brooklyn, and one third of vehicles traveling eastbound into Queens.
Upcoming Events
NYC DOT invites you to participate in public information meetings for the Grand Street Bridge Project. The same presentation will be presented at both meetings. Sessions will be held in an open house format. You may attend at any time.
NYC DOT representatives will be available to provide project information and answer questions.
Queens Public Information Meeting
Monday, April 28, 2025
6pm to 8pm (presentation at 6:30pm)
Brooklyn Public Information Meeting
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
6pm to 8pm (presentation at 6:30pm)
On this Page
About the Project
After over 120 years, the Grand Street Bridge is reaching the end of its useful life.
The bridge has several deficiencies; it is too narrow to accommodate current traffic and does not meet current structural nor geometric design standard requirements. The mechanical and electrical systems on the swing span have been heavily damaged by various weather events, along with a large portion of electrical conduit, wiring, and the terminal boxes for the submarine cable.
The project will address the structural deficiencies, geometric deficiencies, resiliency needs, and operational reliability of the Grand Street Bridge over Newtown Creek for multi-modal transportation uses, including cars, buses, trucks, pedestrians, bicycles, and marine vessels.
There are several social, economic, environmental, and transportation considerations that the project will consider. These include, but are not limited to:
- Economic considerations, including property acquisition and potential effects to local and/or regional businesses
- Social considerations
- Surface waters, navigable waters, and wetlands
- Hazardous waste and contaminated materials
- Historic and cultural resources
- Coastal zone consistency
- Construction effects
- Visual resources
- Air quality
- Land use
- Traffic
- Noise
Project Updates
In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a Design Report/Environmental Assessment (DR/EA) is being developed for the Grand Street Bridge Project. Information from the DR/EA will be utilized to complete a City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) Environmental Assessment Statement to satisfy the CEQR and State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA).
The DR/EA process is anticipated to last 12 months. A few key milestones in the process for this project are highlighted below:
- NEPA Environmental Assessment Letter of Intent (LOI) is Issued
- Publication of Draft DR/EA & Notice of Availability
- Public Information Meeting & 30-day Public Review of the Draft DR/EA
- Approval & Posting of Final DR/EA
- Obtain NEPA & CEQR Environmental Determinations
Pending no additional environmental reviews are required based on the Environmental Determinations, the project will advance to the Design Phase. Construction will begin once the Design Phase and relevant processes are completed.
For more information about the environmental process visit the Resources section.
Project Team
Three agencies are involved in the project:
- The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), as federal lead agency
- The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) as joint lead agency
- The New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT), as project sponsor and joint lead agency
Community Engagement
Public engagement is an important part of this project, and there are many opportunities to get involved.
Get Involved
NYC DOT invites you to participate in public information meetings for the Grand Street Bridge Project. The same presentation will be presented at both meetings. Sessions will be held in an open house format. You may attend at any time.
NYC DOT representatives will be available to provide project information and answer questions.
Queens Public Information Meeting
Monday, April 28, 2025
6pm to 8pm (presentation at 6:30pm)
Brooklyn Public Information Meeting
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
6pm to 8pm (presentation at 6:30pm)
Contact Us
Have any questions or concerns about the Grand Street Bridge Project?
- Send a message directly to NYC DOT
- Email the Grand Street Bridge team at thenewgrandstreetbridge@gmail.com
- Give us a call at 929-505-1009
Resources
Materials include meeting and project documents, and information about federal, state, and local requirements.
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a federal law that provides for a decision-making process to consider the effects of federally funded or permitted projects on the natural and built environment. It provides for broad participation in decision-making by the public and agencies with funding or permitting authority.
Under NEPA, lead agencies consider public input about potential effects of a project on the social, economic, and environmental conditions.
For more information on NEPA, explore the links below:
New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA)
The New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) requires state, regional, and local government agencies to consider the environmental impacts of their actions.
Learn about SEQRA on the NYS Department of Conservation’s website.
New York City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR)
As mandated by the State Environmental Quality Review Act, CEQR is the process by which New York City agencies determine what effect, if any, their project may have upon the environment. CEQR is a disclosure process and not an approval process in and of itself.
For more information on CEQR, explore the links below:
Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP)
The Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) is a multi-stop process for zoning and other land use approvals within New York City. It requires coordination with the New York City Planning Department (NYC Planning), Community Boards, and other agencies.
The Grand Street Bridge Project is anticipated to undergo a formal ULURP process after the Environmental Reviews are completed.
Learn about the ULURP process on the NYC Planning website.
Bridge History
The first two bridges over Newtown Creek were built in 1875 and 1890. The current bridge—the third on this site—was opened in 1903. When it was first built, the bridge was mainly maritime crossing. It was opened more than 5,000 times for shipping purposes in 1918.