Falling Debris Forces Part Of Brooklyn Bridge Park To Close

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, NY — The Brooklyn Bridge Park temporarily closed a small section underneath the Manhattan Bridge to install protection from falling debris, officials said.

Officials shuttered the part of the park near Main Street that includes a dog run, rock climbing walls and Sandy Beach to install a scaffolding after staff found several pieces of debris inside that might have fallen off the bridge, said Eric Landau, president of Brooklyn Bridge Park.

"The most prudent thing to do, out of an abundance of caution, was to temporarily close this small section of parkland while we erect a scaffolding that will fully protect someone using the space," said Landau.

The section of the park, which is about four-fifths of an acre, closed on Thursday and Landau expects it to reopen in April with a 25- to 30-foot tall scaffolding, similar to ones found on city streets.

Landau said they're working with city agencies to come up with a more permanent solution to protect visitors from falling debris that fits the "desired aesthetic" of the park, but it could be a year or more away so they decided to temporarily add the scaffolding.

"We are working with our partners to figure out what is the best solution," said Landau. "We don’t want that section of park to be closed for a long time while we figure that out."

No one has been injured by the falling rubbish, and park workers aren't even sure if some fell while it was open.

"We're acting totally out of an abundance of caution and we don’t want the chance of putting anyone at risk," he said.

In May, two pieces of debris from the subway infrastructure of the Manhattan Bridge fell into the DUMBO Boulders climbing gym, causing the spot to close for several days, DNAinfo reported.

Since then, staff has found other pieces of debris that appears to also have fallen from the bridge and some they can't be sure of, like nuts and bolts, Landau said.

Image: Kathleen Culliton/Patch