Bayside Pedestrian Bridge To Be Demolished This Weekend

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — The long-planned demolition of Bayside's 216th Street pedestrian bridge over the Long Island Rail Road will wrap up this weekend, according to the city's Department of Design and Construction.

Buses will replace LIRR trains between Woodside and Port Washington from midnight to 8 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 12, to clear the tracks for the demolition, the MTA said.

The bridge, one of few options for pedestrians trying to cross the LIRR tracks that run through Bayside, has been deteriorating for years, transportation department officials have said.

But locals rejected a plan to rebuild the bridge, which, by law, would have to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act, QNS.com reported in 2016; an accessible version of the footbridge would cost $2.5 million and require several switchbacks, the Department of Design and Construction determined.

"The design they came up with looked ridiculous," Community Board 11 transportation committee member Henry Euler told the Queens Chronicle in 2016. "It was like a circus ride — it was really very, very obtrusive."

The demolition cost $1.3 million, city records show.

This Saturday, October 12, buses replace trains between Woodside and Port Washington between 12:00 AM and 8 AM due to a NYC Department of Transportation pedestrian bridge replacement project at 216th street in Bayside. See: https://t.co/VszEvb9GEN pic.twitter.com/1sHai4aVlm
— LIRR (@LIRR) October 10, 2019

LIRR riders may visit new.mta.info to get more information about this weekend's service changes.