Residents will hear about plans for the Roosevelt Island Bridge in a presentation Tuesday, May 15, at 7:00 p.m. in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd.  Representatives of the City's Department of Transportation (DOT) will present DOT's proposal for rehabilitation of the structure, the Island's only vehicular link to the rest of the City.  The meeting, open to all Island residents, will be held under the auspices of the Planning and Development Committee of the Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA).

Under one plan being considered, the bridge would look as it does now, though the lifting towers would not be functional.

Another plan would remove the towers but leave their support structures at each end of the bridge.

The plan apparently favored by NYC DOT would finish off the ends of the bridge after removing the towers.

At the April 18 meeting of Community Board 8 (CB8), held on the Island, DOT indicated that the bridge is in a deteriorated condition and requires either replacement or repair.  Having received permission from the Coast Guard to turn the bridge into a fixed structure incapable of being raised, the agency considered alternatives involving rehabilitation or construction of a new span.  A new bridge has been rejected because of its high cost and the necessity to provide ferry service during the construction process.  As reported in the April 21 issue of The WIRE, DOT presented rehabilitation alternatives to the CB8 that would maintain traffic flow on and off the Island with certain restrictions to one lane, alternating directions.  The alternatives would either keep or demolish the existing bridge's lift towers which would no longer be required for a fixed bridge. DOT's time to present and respond to questions at the CB8 meeting was limited as the item was one of many on the agenda.  In addition, few Island residents were aware that this issue was going to be discussed.  The meeting on May 15 will allow ample time for DOT to make its presentation and to respond to questions.