THE CITY OF NEW YORK

COMMUNITY BOARD SIX

Eric Adams
Borough President

Sayar Lonial
Chairperson

Craig Hammerman
District Manager

June 27, 2016

Polly Trottenberg
Commissioner
Department of Transportation
55 Water Street
New York, New York 10041

Dear Commissioner Trottenberg:

We are writing over some disturbing and inaccurate media accounts regarding the future of the
Union Street Bridge over the Gowanus Canal in our district. It is our hope to not only set the
record straight as to where the Community Board stands but to also understand fully what the
departments intentions are in the matter.
We had confirmed a presentation to be made by your Division of Bridges to our Transportation
Committee on the departments plans to replace the Union Street Bridge at their March 17, 2016
committee meeting and after having publicly advertised it, the meeting was cancelled at the last
minute by the department. At the rescheduled presentation on April 21, 2016 our committee
heard for the first time that the department was considering not only bridge replacement, which
we had heard prior to the meeting, but that you were considering replacing the movable bridge
with a fixed one. This news was unexpected and we were not prepared, nor did the committee
attempt, to fully consider the magnitude of such a complete design change.
We understand that your representatives took an informal straw poll at the April 21st meeting as a
way of testing the waters to see how those present felt about such a total design change. Of
course, the media was quick to represent this as a vote of our committee. It is easy to
understand why people unfamiliar with our procedures could mistake it as such. It is troubling
nonetheless to think that anyone, either within your department or the public at-large, could have
drawn any conclusions whatsoever from such a casual and unofficial act.
Please be advised that Brooklyn Community Board 6 has taken no official position at this time
on whether the Union Street Bridge at the Gowanus Canal should be replaced with either a
movable or a fixed bridge. While our initial assumption prior to the April 21st meeting was that
the department was considering an in-kind replacement, we now understand that both the fixed
bridge and movable bridge options are on the table. At the April 21st meeting we were given

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assurances that the department would make no final decision on which option would be pursued
without further consulting the community. Consequently, the Transportation Committee did not
engage in a full discussion of the bridge options presented (for which limited information was
provided), and deferred the matter for future action.
Section 222 of the City Charter mandates that each agency must present a scope of work for each
Capital project to the affected Community Board for consultation and review. As we do with all
other Capital projects, we stand ready to work cooperatively with your department to fulfill our
Charter mandate in this regard. Furthermore, we will work cooperatively with your department
to fulfill our role to review the project design when it is ready as is our mandate under Section
223 of the City Charter.
We understand that portions of the Gowanus Canal are a Federally-regulated navigable
waterway. As such, that in order to consider replacing the Union Street movable bridge with a
fixed bridge would require sign-offs from various other government agencies. A more recent
media account reported that the department has presented plans to the Coast Guard for a fixed
bridge option at Union Street which suggests that the department may have already decided to
pursue the fixed bridge option contrary to assurances given to our committee at their April 21st
meeting.
Naturally, we have questions as to how this would potentially constrict maritime traffic destined
to the north of the Union Street Bridge and the inherent limitations this would place upon the
viability of future maritime-based economic development in the canal corridor. We have read,
once again in the press, that construction would be delayed so as to avoid constricting the
Gowanus Canal Superfund remedial action plan methodologies for the northern reach of the
canal that is currently being developed between the U.S. Environmental Protect Agency and the
Citys Department of Environmental Protection. However, we have had no firsthand reports from
your agency and we understand that the planning activities are underway and proceeding along a
parallel course in advance of meaningful consultation.
We felt it important for you to know that we have taken no position at this time on the complex
question before us and that we are prepared to continue to give the matter the additional
consideration it is due. At this time we would appreciate it if you could deepen our
understanding of where the department currently stands with regard to all of the above
considerations and how you see the development of this Capital project moving forward.
Thank you for your attention in this matter. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Sayar Lonial
Chairperson

Craig Hammerman
District Manager

250 Baltic Street Brooklyn, New York 11201-6401 www.BrooklynCB6.org

t: (718) 643-3027 f: (718) 624-8410 e: info@BrooklynCB6.org

cc: Hon. Bill de Blasio

Hon. Eric Adams
Hon. Nydia Velzquez
Hon. Velmanette Montgomery
Hon. Jo Anne Simon
Hon. Brad Lander
Commissioner Emily Lloyd, DEP
Corporation Counsel Zachary W. Carter
Borough Commissioner Keith Bray, DOT/Brooklyn
Walter Mugden, U.S. EPA-Region 2

250 Baltic Street Brooklyn, New York 11201-6401 www.BrooklynCB6.org

t: (718) 643-3027 f: (718) 624-8410 e: info@BrooklynCB6.org