140-year-old Prospect Park bridge to be rebuilt

Prospect Park’s Terrace Bridge may be only a few yards long, but it’s one of the most structurally-deficient in the city, according to the city’s latest ranking of its bridges. That’s why the Department of Transportation is planning a restoration of the 140-year-old stone structure — once it’s finished bringing the Brooklyn Bridge, also on the city’s list of bridges in “poor” condition, up to snuff. A “poor” designation means that a bridge is not consistent with current engineering standards, but the DOT said it doesn’t necessarily mean it is unsafe. Because an average of 127,000 drivers per day cross the Brooklyn Bridge, compared to the Terrace Bridge’s zero (it’s closed to cars, and according to Eugene Patron of the Prospect Park Alliance, “doesn’t get much day-to-day use”), fixing the former is the city’s first priority. A reconstruction timetable for the Terrace Bridge has not yet been set. [Brooklyn Paper]