Quote:

Well I guess most of won't be at the ribbon cutting since we'll be ummm, dead!

The cones and barricades will go up next week (limiting the entire skyway to 1 lane) and the project will be completed by 2095.

It would best to remediate the existing structure for integrity and keep it as a low volume entry point into Jersey City. If the bridge is expanded it means more freight and more vehicle traffic, while destroying an arguably beautiful piece of industrialist era architecture.

Maybe they can do something with it like they did in the Florida Keys with all of the old bridges. Most are still intact and are used as pedestrian and bike paths as well as fishing launches.

Granted, you don't want to be fishing in the Hackensack River, but it would be a cool space.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Mile_Bridge


(Useless trivia: The scene in True Lies where they blow up the bridge is real - they're blowing up a chunk of the "old" Seven Mile Bridge between Vaca Key and Marathon)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulaski_Skyway

TONS of amazing information, it's a really significant structure. MUST be some way to maintain it without tearing it down.

The Pulaski is a beautiful piece of urban architecture and I would hate to see it torn down. Pulaski is something I actually believe has some historical significance and is worth preserving. At the time it was built, I believe it was the longest elevated roadway in the world. Not to mention it has some notoriety thanks to the Soprano's opening sequence. Also, if the DOT removes the Pulaski, that's only going to mean more traffic flooding the downtown. Anyway, I think the Pulaski should be refurbished, but not replaced.

Quote:

They should do like they do with everything, sell it to a developer. The old London Bridge had residents and shops, why not a new life for the Skyway as a linear neighborhood? It's kinda like Port Liberte with killer views and restricted access, but a close commute. They could hardly do a worse job of maintaining it.

Quote:

Isn't that where the DWI cop cousin of the Mayor killed and permanently maimed a mother and child?

If it is the same stretch of road, then need I say more!

What's the chances of this being brought up at the 'cops' trail as a contributing factor to the accident and not the fact he was drunk?

Is there any precedent for saving engineering feats like the Skyway? The only thing I can think of is London Bridge being rebuilt in the desert. It really is a wonderful structure and I am told it was cutting edge engineering when it was built. It's kind of like a horizontal Eiffel Tower for NJ. I know it can't be upgraded, but can't it just be left w/o cars having access - maybe even a linear park...

they just realizing that the Pulaski is dangerous?? C'mon now-

Anyone know whether they will be including a way for bikes to use the new skyway?

From visual standpoint, that's a huge bummer. I love how ominous it looks, the black paint, the huge steel girders.. To me it was a reminder of the industrial backbone this city used to have. Have they considered turning it into condos? How cool would that be?

Pulaski Skyway replacement being designed

Wednesday, February 14, 2007
BY MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JERSEY JOURNAL

Plans are in the works to replace the 75-year-old Pulaski Sky way, the span that connects Newark and Jersey City and is considered one of the most hazardous roadways in the country, the state's top transportation official said yesterday.

Department of Transportation Commissioner Kris Kolluri said drivers "will get a new structure capable of handling the volume of traffic in a safe and efficient manner," and that new design features "will reflect the needs of the 21st century."

"It is a structure that is structurally and functionally obsolete," Kolluri said of the skyway. "The reality is, it has to get done."

Funding for the Pulaski Skyway "rehab and replacement" plan al lots $10 million each year through 2010 for regular maintenance and repair of the roadway that opened in 1932. In 2011, about $135 million will be allotted as a foundation for the cost of the replacement project, Kolluri said.

"At one point, construction alone was predicted to be close to $1 billion," Kolluri said, adding that he could not say when construction might start.

Kolluri said that over the next several years, the DOT will work up design options for replacing the 3.5-mile structure that cost about $20 million to build and includes two 550-feet spans over the Hack ensack and Passaic rivers.

He also said the replacement would be paid from the state Transportation Trust Fund but he hoped a large part would be paid by the federal government. Colluri confirmed that design flaws which now make the skyway so dangerous will be addressed in the design process.

Flaws include entrance ramps that channel cars into the fast lane, poor visibility at entrance ramps, no shoulders, issues of glare and others.