Baby falcons hatched on Throgs Neck Bridge

From CBS New York:

A dozen new peregrine falcon chicks have been born atop the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge and the Throgs Neck Bridge, the agency said.

The falcons remain on the New York State’s endangered birds list.

The MTA has participated in the state’s nesting program since 1983, providing a nesting box atop the bridges, the agency said.

Babies on the bridge

From CBS New York:

Six peregrine falcon chicks, hatched last month high atop two MTA bridges, were recently banded as part of the state nesting program, and now you can see them.

Three chicks were born at Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge and three at Throgs Neck Bridge.

This year marks the 30th year of participation by MTA Bridges and Tunnels in the State Department of Environmental Conservation’s nesting program, which began in New York City in 1983.

New York City Department of Environmental Protection’s Wildlife Studies Division Specialist Chris Nadareski coordinates the program in the city, climbing high atop various buildings and bridges each year to band and record the falcons.

The newest MTA peregrines include two males and a female at Marine Parkway Bridge and two females and a male at the Throgs Neck Bridge.

Baby banding on the bridges

Endangered birds banded on the bridge

Lead paint found in Throgs Neck Bridge Park

STATEMENT FROM SENATOR FRANK PADAVAN (QUEENS) ON THE FINDINGS OF THROGS NECK BRIDGE PARK ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS

Last evening I sponsored a well attended important community meeting at Holy Trinity in Whitestone to unveil the findings of a comprehensive environmental toxin analysis surrounding the Throgs Neck Bridge. The analysis conducted by environmental scientist Dr. James Cervino clearly and unequivocally uncovered significant lead paint contamination in the soil samples, which poses serious health risks, and large lead paint chips in piles of debris located under the bridge in ball fields, soccer fields and walking paths enjoyed by children and families of our community.

Additionally, lead paint was discovered north and south and near the ramps of the Throgs Neck Bridge. The data clearly demonstrates that quick action must be taken to resolve this situation. As a result of these findings, I have begun the process of demanding that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) remediate the area. I will also be reaching out to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) to work with the MTA and the community in removing any all toxins uncovered by the analysis conducted by Dr. James Cervino.

A similar situation existed a few years ago due to paint scrapping and construction projects at the Whitestone Bridge. The MTA worked to solve the problem and remediated the environment surrounding the bridge. I hope they show the same concern and commitment this time when it comes to cleaning the areas surrounding the Throgs Neck Bridge.

In the coming weeks, I will continue to work with Councilman Dan Halloran, Dr. James Cervino and community leaders to ensure that the MTA fixes this problem quickly so that children and families throughout Northeast Queens can safely enjoy the parklands surrounding the Throgs Neck Bridge.

Poisoning the waters

From the Daily News:

A bridge rehabilitation project that already has a list of snafus - including the death of a worker and a fire that resulted in weeks of snarled traffic - is being charged with yet another potential hazard: the dumping of high levels of lead and mercury in the water.

The blasting of lead-based paint on the Throgs Neck Bridge, the 2,300-foot span that connects Queens and the Bronx, may have contaminated the waters of Little Neck Bay, according to an environmental scientist.

"I'm not by any means trying to attack the MTA [Bridges and Tunnels]," said Dr. James Cervino, an environmental scientist who serves on the Task Force on Health Effects of Toll Plaza Air Quality in New York City, a state panel.

"I want to urge them to start collecting samples and work with the community," Cervino said.
According to the agency's monitoring of 103 dust-producing work days on the bridge, no dangerous levels of potentially harmful metals were emitted.

But those tests should have included more samples, Cervino said.

"They only tested air," he said, adding that his findings came from the water and the land along the shoreline of the bay.

Although his tests were preliminary, Cervino and community leaders plan to hire an independent laboratory to conduct a more thorough examination of the samples. The results of which should be known by mid-January, he said.

Throgs Neck construction fatality

From WCBS880:

A construction worker has died while on working on the Throgs Neck Bridge.

The worker was pinned under the boom of a crane.

Additional details of the accident weren't immediately available.

The northbound lanes of the bridge were closed after the incident. The bridge connects Queens to the Bronx.

The Throgs Neck is undergoing renovation this summer, and the work has been plagued by trouble.

In July, a fire started by a worker's blowtorch shut down the bridge and caused significant damage. Some sections didn't reopen to heavy trucks until recent weeks.

Throgs Neck fire exposes vulnerability of our infrastructure

From the NY Times:

When a worker’s blowtorch started a fire on scaffolding beneath the Queens approach to the Throgs Neck Bridge early on July 10, there were immediate consequences.

Nearly 140 firefighters were called in to battle the blaze, and the authorities had to close the bridge to traffic in both directions, cutting off a major artery between the Bronx and Queens that carries 112,000 vehicles on an average day.

But nearly two weeks later, the fire’s aftermath is still being felt: one major entry point, via the Cross Island Parkway, remains closed, and trucks are still not allowed to use the bridge from Queens.

Susan Kupferman, president of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s bridges and tunnels division, said at a news conference on Tuesday that interim repairs would reopen the Throgs Neck Bridge to most truck traffic by Saturday and that the Cross Island entrance would reopen by Aug. 10.

The continuing problems underscore the fragility of New York’s interconnected transportation infrastructure — and the vulnerability of the city’s aging bridges.

You can't get there from here...

From Eyewitness News:

Bloomberg discussed the Throgs Neck Bridge fire, but had nothing substantive to add. He used the opportunity to reiterate that people should take the subway.

There's now a subway from Bayside to the Bronx? Where the hell have I been?

Throgs Neck Bridge work to commence soon

From the Queens Gazette:

Bronx-bound motorists should be aware that the Cross Island Parkway (CIP) ramp leading vehicles onto the Throgs Neck Bridge from Queens and Long Island will close for approximately five weeks starting Thursday, July 16.

The closure is necessary to accommodate ongoing rehabilitation work on the 48-year-old bridge's Queens approach.

The Clearview Expressway, or the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, is the alternate route for traffic to and from the bridge.

There will be more than 40 signs regarding the CIP ramp closure on various roads in the region. In addition, notice of the closure will be posted on the Bridges and Tunnels Special Traffic Advisories link at mta.info.

To minimize impact to motorists, the work zones are arranged to allow for three lanes open in each direction during peak traffic periods.

The Throgs Neck Bridge Queens-side work has been coordinated with construction on the neighboring Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, which is currently undergoing work on its Bronx approach. The Throgs Neck Bridge work will not affect access to the Little Neck Park playing fields, and construction lighting will be positioned to avoid residential disruption.

Native New Yorkers born on bridges

From the NY Times:

Five peregrine falcon chicks have been hatched in recent weeks in nests atop the towers of the Verrazano-Narrows, Throgs Neck and Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridges, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced on Thursday.

The Verrazano-Narrows falcons were two females and a male, while the Throgs Neck and Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges each had a male. The Throgs Neck chick hatched four weeks ago, and the other four hatched three weeks ago.

This week, a state volunteer wildlife expert placed metal bands around the chicks’ feet, with numbers to identify and track the birds as they grow and reproduce. Peregrine falcons are still on the state endangered species list, although they are no longer on the federal list.