Kosciuszko Bridge

Information and Findings From Final Environmental Impact Statement

Discussion of Bridge

The Kosciuszko Bridge over Newtown Creek. The Penny Bridge was considered inadequate by the mid-1920s, and discussions of another replacement bridge began to circulate. The commercial and industrial enterprises in the area continued to grow, and the daily use of the Penny Bridge increased significantly. The bridge's need to allow for waterway traffic to pass by would cause back-ups with the vehicular traffic as it waited for the bridge to turn back landwards. In addition, the design of the Penny Bridge caused "bottlenecks" on the creek. The process of ships passing through the creek by the Penny Bridge was difficult because of the width of the creek at that point, a mere 144 feet wide. "The bridge ahead, like a turnstile, pivots on an island one-third as wide as the waterway...the creek ...cannot be deepened there [because] the bridge foundations would collapse" (Brooklyn Eagle, August 4, 1939a:13). Local businessmen and the Borough Chamber hoped a new bridge would allow the creek to be widened considerably at this location and allow for a substantial increase in business for industries in both Queens and Brooklyn.

The Brooklyn Borough President Henry Hesterberg introduced the first official proposal for a new span in 1930. The new bridge was to be built as part of an expansive interborough express highway that was to "extend from Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, to the Astoria Boulevard approach of the Triborough Bridge, in Queens" (New York Times, July 13, 1930:25). The new bridge was designed as a moveable structure at the behest of the War Department to allow "the passage of high-masted ships. The cost of building it high enough as a fixed bridge to gain the sanction of the War department was prohibitive" (New York Times, July 13, 1930:25). However, this proposal was not funded, and the Penny Bridge continued in its capacity. A second proposal, submitted by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia to the Public Works Administration (PWA) in 1935, requested $1 billion worth of work in New York City to cover construction of new schools, parks, housing projects, road construction, and a new bridge over Newtown Creek (New York Times, February 11, 1935:1). The cost of the bridge was estimated to be $2.6 million. The PWA did not immediately provide funding for the bridge, but city officials fully anticipated that the construction of the new bridge at Meeker Avenue would be executed at some point and planned other projects based on that assumption.

The planning for the 1939 World's Fair at Flushing Meadow, Queens began in 1936, and the city aggressively initiated road improvement projects to handle the anticipated crowds for the exhibition. In 1937, the approval for construction of the crosstown Brooklyn highway (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway) described the route as extending from "Flushing Avenue and Emerson Place to the proposed new Newtown Creek Bridge at Meeker Avenue" (New York Times, March 6, 1937:19). Funding for the new bridge finally became available in 1938, and construction started that year (New York Times, August 18, 1938:21). The bridge was completed within the year and was officially dedicated by LaGuardia and the borough presidents in August 1939. Critics of the city's spending on the World's Fair identified the Meeker Avenue Bridge as one of the core improvements constructed specifically for the Fair. However, LaGuardia was quick to point out that "this bridge has been under consideration for 15 years. It has nothing to do with the city's participation in the Fair" (Brooklyn Eagle, August 24, 1939b:26). The following year, the Meeker Avenue Bridge was renamed the Koscisuzko Bridge in honor of General Thaddeus Kosciuszko.

Thaddeus Kosciuszko (1746-1817) was a native of Poland and attended the Cadet Academy in Warsaw before continuing his studies in engineering in Paris. Kosciuszko arrived in Philadelphia in 1776 and was commissioned as Colonel of Engineers in the Continental Army in October (Polish American Cultural Center 2005). Kosciuszko's responsibilities included fortification of the Philadelphia waterfront and the Hudson River, and the defense of Saratoga, New York. In addition, Kosciuszko was responsible for the design and construction of the fortification at West Point, New York (National Park Service 2005). Appointed Brigadier General in 1783, Kosciuszko was presented with the Cincinnati Order Medal by General Washington in recognition of his contributions to the Revolution. Upon returning to Poland in 1784, Kosciuszko was involved with the 1794 insurrection against the foreign occupying forces in Poland. He was captured by the Russians, and upon his release returned to the United States in 1797 (National Park Service 2005). Kosciuszko was close friends with Thomas Jefferson and spent a number of years in Philadelphia before returning to Europe in 1816. At the age of 72, Kosciuszko died in Switzerland (Polish American Cultural Center 2005).

The design of the Kosciuszko Bridge was executed through the City of New York's Department of Plant and Structure/Department of Public Works. Due to the extensive number of cargo ships, freighters, and other vessels that utilized Newtown Creek, the bridge was required to be high enough to allow for ships to pass underneath. The steel bridge soared 125 feet above the creek at its highest point, and its length from tower to tower was long enough to allow the creek to be widened to 250 feet or more (Brooklyn Eagle, August 4, 1939a:13). The Brooklyn Eagle boasted in its August 4, 1939 edition that the bridge was "384 feet longer than the Brooklyn Bridge" and due to ground instability at the Brooklyn side, "bigger, wider foundations" were required. On the Queens side, the foundations were "oversized" and coated with a "special acid-proof compound" as a result of the discovery of copper slag, sulphur compounds, and acids in the ground. It was also reported that the construction of the bridge required an "ingenious new method of laying and forming the 12,800 feet of concrete roadway" (Brooklyn Eagle, August 4, 1939a:13).

In a 1951 interview with Emil Praeger, the Brooklyn Eagle identifies Praeger as the chief engineer for the bridge. He stated that the Kosciuszko Bridge was the "first example in this city where a prefabricated steel surface had been used. He explained it would not damage automobile tires more than the average pavement. He added that horses could walk on it safely," (Brooklyn Daily Eagle 1951: Bridge File 0184-0197, Photograph BRID 0192). With the exception of this 1951 article, no additional documentation confirms Praeger's association with the design and execution of the Kosciuszko Bridge. According to the dedication plaque located on the bridge, J. Frank Johnson of the Department of Public Works is listed as the chief engineer.