Floating Bridge Connecting Brooklyn And Queens Gains Key Support

GREENPOINT, BROOKLYN — A proposed floating bridge that would let pedestrians walk from Queens to Brooklyn over the Newtown Creek has gained the support of key elected officials, but likely has a long way to go before it becomes a reality.

The project, which would connect Greenpoint to Long Island City, was first proposed last year by Williamsburg-based design firm CREME but has seen little movement since then after a crowdfunding effort to get the plans started only raised $30,000 of the $50,000 goal.

Recent support from elected officials and a new fundraising nonprofit created last month might turn things around. Assemblymember Joe Lentol and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, who sent a letter supporting the idea to the city Department of Transportation, both recently backed the idea.

The group has also created Friends of Timber Bridge in January, a fundraising arm that might help it raise the estimated $32 million needed for the project, the Brooklyn Eagle first reported.

"A floating timber bridge between Greenpoint and Long Island City would provide #BikeNYC and pedestrian connections between the two neighborhoods, while activating public space on our waterfront," Adams tweeted this week. "I support the proposed LongPoint Bridge."

A representative with Adams' office passed along the message of support to Community Board 1 this week and said that the borough president is "very excited" about the project.

The bridge would be part of a LongPoint Corridor, which would cross over the creek to connect Manhattan Avenue and Vernon Boulevard. It would be put in the same spot as the former Vernon Avenue Bridge, which was demolished in 1954 to make way for the Pulaski Bridge that connects drivers between the boroughs, according to plans on the firm's Kickstarter.

The designers, including Jun Aizaki who came up with the idea, say the corridor will help provide a new transportation option to the growing population on either side the creek.

"With populations growing exponentially in Long Island City and Greenpoint, now is the critical time to seize a long missed opportunity to provide transportation options and jump-start community engagement before the need becomes too overwhelming," the firm said.

The bridge would include a pedestrian lane, a separate bike lane and two landings on either side. The landings would provide new "green spaces" for the communities, CREME said.

The current walking route, across the Pulaski Bridge, would be cut down from 12 minutes to two minutes on the new floating bridge, according to the plans.

It would include a pivoting mechanism so that it could open up for larger vessels if need be. Smaller boats, like kayaks and sail boats, could go under the bridge.

But the project still likely has a long way to go, both in fundraising and the approval process with the city. The designers told the Eagle that they hope to attract private investors to raise the $32 million estimated for the project.

In a statement to Patch on Thursday, Aizaki said they recognize it will be a long ways away, but are committed to making it a reality. The next steps for the designers in addition to getting funding will be environmental, engineering and feasibility studies, he added.

"We understand that Timber Bridge would be a lengthy process and that we cannot change the world overnight, but as architects we put ideas like this forward into the social consciousness so people will realize that there is a better way and that we have to forge new paths,” Aizaki said. “We stand by our design, which has received overwhelming public support."

Photos and video provided by CREME Design.