New York Construction Report staff writer
NYC Parks (Parks) and the NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) recently joined city officials to break ground on a $41 million project that will renovate Tide Gate Bridge in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, also known as Porpoise Bridge. The project, which is being managed by DDC for Parks, is expected to be completed in summer 2027.
“This and many other infrastructure projects could benefit greatly if DDC and the City were allowed by the State to use the progressive design-build method of construction,” said NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Commissioner Thomas Foley. “Mayor Adams has advocated for construction reform for years, including progressive design-build for more than $8.5 billion of future climate resiliency projects.
“This year in this State budget is the time for simple common sense construction reform that will save years of work and millions of dollars.”
The project will replace the bridge’s existing deck with a new deck about 4.6 feet wider than the existing one. DDC will also replace the mechanical flood control structures beneath the deck with new, modern, automated stainless-steel tide and sluice gates and a new hydraulic control system. The control house for the new gate system will be relocated to a new elevated platform near the adjacent LIRR tracks.
The bridge was built in 1938, damming Flushing Creek to control tides that were encroaching on the park.
The existing bridge is 36 feet wide and 370 feet long and carries Meridian Road over Flushing Creek between the Billie Jean King Tennis Center and the World Ice Arena inside the park. Below the bridge deck is a hydraulic control system comprised of tide gates and sluice gates that regulate the flow of the creek between Flushing Bay to the north and Meadow Lake to the south, which handles runoff from the park as well as the adjacent Grand Central Parkway.
To improve pedestrian access, the bridge’s sidewalks will be extended to connect with the existing sidewalks on both sides with ADA-compliant ramps. The road on both sides of the bridge will be repaved and the existing utility lines that are built into the bridge will be replaced.
The project will also add wetlands at the northwest abutments of the bridge along the shoreline of the creek, which will be planted with smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora). Nearby areas will be restored and planted with a native seed mix along with upland species such as switch grass (Panicum virgatum), showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa), New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae angliae), groundsel bush (Baccharus halimifolia), marsh elder (Iva frutescens), white pine (Pinus strobus), post oak (Quercus stellate) and black oak (Quercus velutina).
