Gowanus Canal Bridge Closing Nights For Maintenance

GOWANUS, BROOKLYN — Find an alternative route if you plan to cross the Gowanus Canal after a late night Whole Foods run.

Department of Transportation workers will close the Third Street Bridge weeknights between Friday and Feb. 28 for maintenance, according to a Twitter post.

The closures may take place in the heart of rapidly-developing Gowanus, but it's likely they won't make a big impact. They're scheduled to run from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. and the work is only anticipated to take two days, according to the post.

The Third Street Bridge straddles the Gowanus Canal between Bond Street and Third Avenue. It was opened nearly 115 years ago.

Another 115-year-old bridge across the canal is in more need of repair. Patch reported in 2016 that the Union Street Bridge is "on its last legs."

DOT officials have crafted plans to replace it, but those appeared stalled as an EPA-ordered Gowanus Canal cleanup gets underway, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported. The Daily Eagle outlined current safety concerns for children on the bridge and more than a century of drownings and falls into the toxic waterway.