Part of FDR Drive was closed this past Saturday night for the installation of the Delancey Street Pedestrian Bridge.  

The Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible bridge is part of the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project – a coastal protection initiative. 

The bridge will allow pedestrians to connect with the public parks and fields being built on the Lower East Side. The New York City Department of Design and Construction says the bridge is 215 feet long and weighs 125 tons.  It cost $32 million and was assembled in Italy, shipped to New York City by boat and reassembled at the project site. 

“Not only are we protecting 100,000+ residents, but we’re also building this amazing state of the art park that’s going to be protecting the community, but also providing access.  Access into the park through these bridges,” NYC DDC Commissioner Thomas Foley told News 12 New York. 

The DDC says the bridge will open by Sept. 1, and the area that it connects to on the East River will be open then too.  A bridge that goes over Corlears Hook Park will also be built soon.