Did the fire that started under Throgs Neck Bridge cause any traffic problems?
The fire reportedly broke out in the construction platform under the bridge, on the Bronx bound side, just before 5:30 a.m. Eyewitness News is told firefighters closed the bridge in both directions, and local approaches quickly became clogged with traffic. The fire spread under the bridge, from the Bronx-bound to Queens-bound lanes. FDNY marine boats were responding to put out the flames. MTA Bridges and Tunnels spokeswoman Catherine Sweeney says traffic is being diverted to the Bronx Whitestone and RFK bridges. The bridge connects the Throgs Neck section of the Bronx with the Bayside section of Queens. It was opened in 1961 and was built to relieve traffic on the adjacent Whitestone Bridge.
A fire on the 48-year-old Throgs Neck Bridge has indefinitely closed the span in both directions just in time for the summer weekend rush. The blaze began on a contractor’s scaffolding under the bridge just after 5 a.m., officials said. “There is no current estimate of when the bridge might reopen,” read a statement released by MTA Bridges and Tunnels, which operates the bridge. Fire Department officials are on the scene and will release more details as they emerge. Traffic is snarled on the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, where all the usual Throgs Neck traffic is being diverted. Investigators are looking at the work two contractors were performing on the bridge as part of a $96.7 million deck replacement project for the Queens approach. Holmdel-based contractor EE Cruz is the lead contractor on the job, which is supposed to be done by 2011. Bronx-based subcontractor Conron is also working on the span. “As part of that effort, crews from subcontractor Corcon, Inc were working with welding eq
About 5:30 AM EST a three alarm fire started on a construction platform under the Throgs Neck Bridge that connects Queens to the Bronx. At first they just had a few lanes closed but by 6:30 AM they had the entire bridge shut down. Morning rush hour traffic came to a standstill, not only on the burning bridge but also on side streets and bridges as commuters sought alternate routes. The bridge is expected to be closed for about four hours but it could be longer if any structural damage is found. Sources: http://www.newsday.com/services/newspaper/printedition/saturday/longisland/ny-librid1112959199jul10,0,4423741.
