We’re pretty spoiled (no jokes, please) with fantastic architecture. It’s one of the numerous perks to living in NYC.

If you’ve ever commuted to or from Brooklyn, you’ve probably considered taking the Brooklyn Bridge. And if you’ve considered it as a commute route recently, you’ve probably laughed, seriously considered it, laughed some more, and just taken the L like a sensible New Yorker.

The fact that we’ve dubbed it “The Times Square of the Sky” certainly doesn’t make it any more appealing than “The Times Square of the Ground.” Both are saturated with selfie-snapping tourists and cyclists and obstacles.

Regardless of preference for walking or biking across the Brooklyn Bridge, the universal point of agreement is that the width game of this bridge is weaksauce.

Seriously, every time we cross the bridge it’s like we’re playing Super Mario 64. 

The width ranges from 17 to 10 feet, and with pedestrians and cyclists both crossing lines, it’s safe to say that the bridge could do with a little widening.

Considering how the bridge is more than 130 years old, Polly Trottenberg reminded The New York Times, this is a job easier said than done. “I have to tell you, every time we touch this 133-year-old bridge, it tends to be costly and complex.”

The cherry on this particular sundae is the number of people crossing the bridge. 

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Last year, peak hours averaged 1,917 people, a number which had more than tripled since 2008. Trottenberg said that a seven-month engineering study will begin later this month. 


AECOM, a prominent consulting firm, will determine the bridge's weight-carrying capabilities as well as options beyond expanding the bridge. Of course, as with any study, it's possible that this hefty tab of $370K might yield some disappointing or inconclusive results. Money well spent? 

[via The New York Times] [Feature Image Courtesy Instagram] 

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