At 60 years old, the Harlem River Lift Bridge, which eased the commutes of millions of suburbanites when it opened in 1954, is getting a $47.2 million face-lift.
The bridge is getting a top-to-bottom overhaul, including new cables to raise and lower the 340-foot-long track sections, an electrical control system, new wiring and new power-supply equipment for the third rail on the tracks, according to the New York Times.
The work, which is scheduled to wrap up mid-March 2015, will not stop trains. However, as the bridge continues to host 700 Metro-North trains a day, it will be locked in the “down” position 25 feet above the water.
Ships taller than 25 feet will have to sail to their destinations by an alternative route. [NYT] – Christopher Cameron