Hamilton Avenue Bridge

Hamilton Avenue Bridge, December 16, 2009
Kyle Petersen on a 20", Rob Hickman on a 24", Keith Nelson on a 26"

The Hamilton Avenue Bridge was our 17th crossing. We got yelled at by the bridge operator for taking pictures. On the way home we went out of our way to ride the 14 block section of Bedford Avenue that recently had it's bike lane removed. The Hassidic community there doesn't like bicyclists. But they love seeing people ride unicycles. So do construction workers.


















From the New York City Department of Transportation:

The Hamilton Avenue Bridge is a bascule type bridge with two parallel leafs, one carrying the northbound roadway and the other carrying the southbound roadway. Most of the length of Hamilton Avenue runs below the elevated portion of the Gowanus Expressway, including the bridge. The bridge connects Smith Street and Second Avenue over the Gowanus Canal and is the first canal crossing north of the Gowanus Bay. The Department of Transportation has reconstructed the Hamilton Avenue Bridge, which was built in 1942. The new bridge features all-new mechanical and electrical operating systems, an improved fender system and navigation lighting for marine traffic, wider traffic lanes, and other improvements. The cost of the reconstruction was over $55 million.