In 2021, the New York City Department of Transportation initiated the design phase of work for the component rehabilitation of nine bridges across four boroughs, including Leggett Avenue over Amtrak in the Bronx; McDonald Avenue, Coney Island Avenue and Flatbush Avenue over Long Island Rail Road in Brooklyn; the Ramp to Madison Avenue over East 138th Street and Riverside Drive over West 145th Street in Manhattan; and Markwood Road over Jackie Robinson Parkway; 69th Street over CSX, and Myrtle Avenue over Long Island Railroad in Queens.

NYCDOT’s component rehabilitation program focuses on repairs to extend a bridge’s service life in between complete bridge replacements. Rehabilitation work impacting these local communities and highways includes joint, steel, and concrete repairs and replacement; electrical repairs; structural deck repairs; sidewalk and railing repairs; milling and paving; painting and striping; lighting improvements; and utility coordination.

The bridges selected as part of this contract are local in-community bridges that connect local neighborhoods and are directly adjacent to residences and businesses. As a result, the rehabilitation of these structures has a significant impact on local communities, and extensive outreach to stakeholders must be conducted during the design phase in order to minimize community impacts. Melissa Johnson Associates’ community outreach team coordinates with community boards, elected officials, city agencies and local stakeholders for each of these bridges, ensuring that all parties have input into the bridge design.