Traffic & Transit
SEE: Globes Return To Top Of Manhattan Bridge Towers
Replicas of the 110-year-old globes were installed over the weekend, nearly two years after the originals were found structurally unsound.
BROOKLYN, NY — The Manhattan Bridge got its globes back.
The Department of Transportation re-installed the last of the iconic globes on top of the Manhattan Bridge over the weekend, nearly two years after the originals were first taken down.
The new globes, replicas of the 110-year-old originals, were added to the south side of both of the bridge's towers. Globes on the north side of the towers were replaced in late 2019, shortly after the ornaments were taken down, according to the department.
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The original structures were removed after inspections revealed they were structurally compromised and likely contained led paint.
“They were in danger of falling onto the roadways or pedestrian walkways,” bridge expert Dave Frieder told Untapped Cities in 2019.
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Transportation officials have eyed decaying decorative elements of the bridge since 2017, according to the report.
The Manhattan Bridge, built in 1901, has been undergoing a massive $920-million reconstruction since the 1980s.
Check out up-close photos of the new globes, courtesy of DOT:
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