NYC DOT to Reopen Carroll Street Bridge Over Gowanus Canal, Announces Historic Landmarked Bridge Will Now Be Limited to Pedestrians, Cyclists, and Emergency Vehicles

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June 10, 2026
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NYC DOT to Reopen Carroll Street Bridge Over Gowanus Canal, Announces Historic Landmarked Bridge Will Now Be Limited to Pedestrians, Cyclists, and Emergency Vehicles

Opened in 1889, bridge is one of just four retractile bridges remaining in the United States

Rehabilitation will once again allow operation of unusual bridge that rolls open like a drawer for maritime traffic

The soon-to-reopen Carroll Street Bridge, in its retracted position. Credit: NYC DOT

NEW YORK - New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Mike Flynn today announced the historic Carroll Street Bridge in Gowanus, Brooklyn, will open Monday, June 15, after a five-year rehabilitation effort. The commissioner also announced that going forward, the 137-year-old one-lane bridge, a New York City landmark, would be limited to pedestrians, cyclists, and emergency vehicles. The bridge, a rare timber-retractile bridge in a trapezoid shape, is one of just four of its kind in the United States. Since 1889, it has moved diagonally to allow maritime traffic to pass through the Gowanus Canal. During the just-completed renovation, begun in 2021, the bridge had been closed to all vehicular traffic and locked in an open position.

"Our infrastructure tells the story of our city, and the Carroll Street Bridge captures both the maritime industry that built New York and the micromobility that will anchor our sustainable future," said Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani. "After five years of careful restoration, the historic bridge will once again connect Brooklyn, this time as a space that belongs to pedestrians, cyclists, and the community first. While Gowanus may have changed quite a bit, our neighbors' love for the landmarks of our city hasn't, and I am thrilled this rare bridge is up and running and ready to welcome visitors from all over."

"Gowanus has been dramatically transformed in recent years as more and more New Yorkers call the neighborhood home," said NYC DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn. "As the community becomes more residential, we are pleased that we could preserve this historic bridge while adapting our infrastructure to make it more welcoming to Brooklynites on two feet and two wheels. The newly renovated Carroll Street Bridge, with new restrictions barring truck and vehicular traffic, will help ensure that transition. This humble and restored old beauty of a bridge will endure among the new apartment towers and pedestrian esplanades - and proudly serve Brooklyn for a third century."

"We are thrilled that the Carroll Street Bridge has reopened following an extensive restoration by DOT," said Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair Lisa Kersavage. "As one of New York City's oldest bridges and one of only a few retractile bridges remaining nationwide, the Carroll Street Bridge is an iconic Gowanus landmark that pedestrians can once again experience up close."

"In developing the Gowanus Neighborhood Plan, DCP heard loud and clear that communities wanted improved pedestrian safety and access," said Department of City Planning Director Sideya Sherman. "With the rehabilitation of the historic Carroll Street Bridge, the City is helping turn that vision into reality - creating a safer way to walk and bike across this growing neighborhood and complementing its expanding network of waterfront esplanades. Today's announcement is another great example of how comprehensive planning delivers results for New Yorkers."

As part of the rehabilitation, repairs were made to the Carroll Street Bridge's abutment and approach, and a new timber wearing surface was added. Under the new traffic configuration, new signage and street markings will clearly indicate that the bridge is for pedestrian and cyclist use only, and no longer available for through vehicular traffic except emergency vehicles. Planters and other vertical elements will also discourage vehicular use. These final elements are expected to be put in place in coming days for the bridge's opening next week.

Four bridges cross the Gowanus Canal, but traffic analyses showed that the Carroll Street Bridge was perennially the least busy of those crossings. Traffic counts taken during the renovation showed the temporary closure had no measurable increase in vehicular traffic counts over the three alternate crossings - at Union Street, Third Street and Ninth Street. (The other two, more heavily traveled bridges over the canal, along Hamilton Avenue and the BQE itself, are not considered comparable.)

About the Carroll Street Bridge

Three above: The Carroll Street Bridge in 1903.Credit: NYC Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS)

The Carroll Street Bridge is one of just four retractile bridges left in the United States. (New York City has one other such bridge, along Borden Avenue in Queens, while Boston -- where the design is known as "a Boston drawbridge"-has two others, neither of which are apparently operable.) A simple 107-foot span composed of two riveted steel plate girders, the shorter of which is counterweighted, supporting a deck structure, the bridge has a wood plank deck with one traffic lane and two bracketed cantilevered sidewalks. A small polygonal brick operator's house with round arches sits at the west end of the bridge. The bridge opens and closes like a drawer, instead of opening vertically or swinging open at a 90-degree angle like many other retractable bridges.

The bridge opened in 1889 at a cost of $29,600 after construction by the New Jersey Steel and Iron Company, a prominent subsidiary of Cooper, Hewitt & Company. That company's leaders at the time, Edward Cooper and Abram Hewitt, were prominent New Yorkers and leaders in the city's political reform movement. Both challenged Boss Tweed and the Tammany machine and served respectively as New York's Mayor (Cooper in 1879-80 and Hewitt in 1887-8). The Cooper and Hewitt families are also linked by their later role in establishing the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum, now operated in Manhattan by the Smithsonian Institution.

Posted vintage signage atop the bridge notes a century-old statute that no "person driving over" the bridge can travel faster than a walking speed - with a $5 fine. The Carroll Street Bridge was designated as a New York City landmark in 1987.

"The Carroll Street Bridge is a vital link to the historic fabric of Brooklyn, and I am thrilled that this beloved landmark is reopening to serve a new generation of New Yorkers," said Congressman Dan Goldman. "By reimagining this bridge primarily for our pedestrians and cyclists, NYC DOT is protecting the longevity of this historic structure while creating a beautiful, safe public pathway and space for our community to enjoy along the Gowanus Canal."

"The Carroll Street Bridge is one of Brooklyn's hidden historical gems, and a connector for folks throughout the neighborhood. This rehabilitation was a long time coming," said State Senator Andrew Gounardes. "The Bridge's transformation into a place for people rather than simply a thruway for cars complements the other people-centric spaces opening along the Gowanus Canal, and it's the latest step toward making this a place that truly meets New Yorkers' needs. Thanks to NYCDOT for their hard work to get this done."

"I'm thrilled that the historic Carroll Street Bridge will reopen as a dedicated connection for pedestrians, cyclists, and emergency vehicles, and I strongly support this people-first vision for the bridge," said Council Member Shahana Hanif. "This outcome reflects years of advocacy from local residents and Brooklyn Community Board 6, who consistently told us they wanted the bridge prioritized for people, not through-traffic. In a neighborhood where so many residents walk and bike, this will strengthen connections across the canal and improve safety. I'm grateful to NYC DOT for listening to the community and embracing a vision that preserves this beloved landmark while meeting the needs of the Gowanus community."

"We (CB6) supported the pedestrianization of the Carroll Street Bridge under the previous administration and reiterated that position to the Mamdani administration," said Community Board 6 District Manager Mike Racioppo. "By advancing both pedestrianization and historic preservation, this proposal reflects exactly what we hoped to achieve, and we're pleased to see that recommendation become reality."