Location

New York, NY

Services

  • Bike + Pedestrian Planning

  • Traffic Engineering

Queens Ribbon Bike + Pedestrian Bridge


 
Queens Ribbon bike and pedestrian bridge rendering

The “Queens Ribbon” is a concept design for the first new bridge to Manhattan’s central business district in over a century, developed by a consortium of NYU Tandon School of Engineering, T.Y. Lin International, and Sam Schwartz. The pedestrian-bicycle bridge would connect Queens to Manhattan.  

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, cycling over the East River bridges exploded by 132% over the last decade, yet bikers and pedestrians have been squeezed into tight spaces which inhibited growth and compromised safety for both groups. As New York City proceeds with plans to add hundreds of miles of protected bike lanes on its streets, and commuters look for options that allow for greater physical distancing, the demand for pedestrian and cycling capacity will only increase. The new bridge will provide safe and separate areas for its users to commute and stroll, and will be an iconic visual addition to the East Side of Manhattan, Long Island City, and surrounding areas of Queens.  

The 20-foot-wide bridge will have an observation belvedere providing spectacular, panoramic views, drawing New Yorkers and tourists alike. It will offer elevator access to Roosevelt Island and the Cornell Technion campus.

The team is also in the early planning stages for two additional bicycle-pedestrian bridges into Lower Manhattan. One, from the Hoboken/Jersey City area, would be the first carbon-free transportation route from New Jersey into Manhattan’s Central Business District, and the second crossing, from Brooklyn, would relieve the current unsafe space constraints on the Brooklyn Bridge’s bikeway/walkway.