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Lincoln Center's Proposed 'Bridge to Nowhere' Sparks Opposition From Upper West Side Community Board

By Serena Solomon | February 19, 2010 9:44am | Updated on February 19, 2010 9:50am
A past rendering of the Lincoln Center development surrounding West 65th Street.
A past rendering of the Lincoln Center development surrounding West 65th Street.
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Image courtesy Diller Scofidio + Renfro

By Serena Solomon

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

UPPER WEST SIDE — Some call a proposed span over W. 65th Street Lincoln Center's "bridge to nowhere."

As part of the cultural hub's ongoing renovations, the footbridge was designed to replace the Milstein bridge, which was taken down in 2006. Residents and local officials are now objecting to its construction, saying it's a needless project that will be built at taxpayer expense.

"This is a mighty beautiful bridge, if you need one," said Hope Cohen, of Community Board 7's Land Use Committee, said at a meeting Wednesday night when the bridge's design was presented by Lincoln Center officials. "This is a bridge to nowhere, and who wants it."

Looking along West 65th Street. The proposed footbridge will link the south and north campuses of the Lincoln Center. Feb. 8th 2010.
Looking along West 65th Street. The proposed footbridge will link the south and north campuses of the Lincoln Center. Feb. 8th 2010.
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DNAinfo/Serena Solomon

Betsy Vorce, vice president of public relations for Lincoln Center, told DNAinfo it was too early to gauge the cost of the project, but at the meeting, some committee members worried it would cost millions in taxpayer dollars.

City Councilwoman Gale Brewer, who was also present at the meeting, did not see the rationale for building the bridge, even though it had been approved by the City Planning Commission years ago.

"If your looking at it from a fiscal point of view, it's a waste of money," Brewer told the committee and the representatives from Lincoln Center who were at the meeting.

Cohen and other committee members also said the bridge would be almost exclusively used by the prestigious Juilliard School and the School of American Ballet. Vorce, however, said the bridge would benefit thousands of visitors, workers and students who frequent Lincoln Center everyday and cross between the north and south campuses.

"W. 65th Street is home to some 5,000 people who work and study at Lincoln Center virtually every day," Vorce said in an e-mail.