Troubled Bouncy Brooklyn Bridge Closed Again

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — The bouncy bridge is closed again, Brooklyn Bridge Park officials announced.

The buoyant Squibb Park Bridge that connects Columbia Heights to Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park was closed on Friday when inspectors found a piece of wood “in poor condition,” according to BBP president Eric Landau.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we have temporarily closed the bridge while our engineers conduct further analysis,” Landau said in statement. “This analysis will fully inform the appropriate repair and associated timeline.”

This is not the first time park officials closed the wood-and-galvanized steel bridge out of fear for pedestrian safety.

The 450-foot bridge was abruptly shut down in August 2014, just one year after opening, when its dramatic bouncing and noticeable swaying started raised concerns among park dwellers, according to a New York Times report.

The Squibb Park Bridge remained closed for 32 months as engineer Ted Zoli tried to find a solution for the “inherently flawed,” structure and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation brought a lawsuit against his engineering firm for breach of contract.

By the time Squibb Bridge Park reopened in Spring of 2017, it had lost a good deal of bounce and cost $2.5 million in repairs, the Times reported.

The bridge was shut down again on Friday about a year after reopening, according to the Brooklyn Height Blog.

Landau, who became BBP president in 2017, said engineers were examining the bridge and promised to keep the community updated on their findings.

“We are working closely with our engineers to reopen the bridge as soon as possible and will provide updates,” Landau said. “We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding.”

Read the full statement here:

Update from BBP President @Eric_Landau on the temporary closure of Squibb Bridge. pic.twitter.com/CdOVNUTlo1
— Brooklyn Bridge Park (@bbpnyc) July 16, 2018

Photo courtesy of GoogleMaps/Aug. 2017