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Sign Up for a Chance to Watch the Kosciuszko Bridge's Demolition on Sunday

By Gwynne Hogan | September 8, 2017 12:09pm | Updated on September 29, 2017 5:09pm
 The central section of the Kosciuszko Bridge was lowered earlier this summer.
The central section of the Kosciuszko Bridge was lowered earlier this summer.
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DNAinfo/Gwynne Hogan

GREENPOINT — You can win a chance to see the Kosciuszko Bridge come tumbling down on Sunday morning.

The state is opening a lottery for accesses to a special viewing area to watch the demolition, slated to take place at 8 a.m.

The lottery closes at noon on Saturday, and lucky winners will receive an email announcing if they've been selected and where to go. 

The bridge will be blown to the ground using a type of controlled demolition called "energetic felling," according to the state.

Once the bridge is blasted, around 22 million pounds of steel will be cut up and hauled off to be recycled.

Streets near the bridge will be cordoned off several hours after, according to a state official, who was not authorized to publicly speak about the matter.

The Coast Guard will be blocking off part of Newtown Creek near the bridge from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., spokesman Steven Strohmaier noted.

"It's going to affect traffic in a very negative way for a long period of time after," 94th Precinct Capt. Peter Rose said at a meeting earlier in September.

The planned July 26 lowering of the bridge's central span was rescheduled several times, and Sunday's demolition is still subject to change because of weather and other factors, officials said.

The event comes at the end of the first stage of the $825 million construction of the new Kosciusko Bridge.

The first span of the new bridge was unveiled in April, allowing east- and westbound traffic to cross it. Once the full bridge is completed, it will only carry Queens-bound traffic.

A second span of bridge, slated for completion in 2020, will eventually carry westbound traffic and feature a broad pedestrian and cyclist pathway.

Here's a list of the temporary street closures for Sunday morning:

In Brooklyn: Lombardy Street at Varick Avenue, Cherry Street at Vandervoort Avenue, Meeker Avenue at Varick Avenue, Bridgewater Street at Meeker Avenue. 

In Queens: 56th Road at 48th Street, 54th Road at 46th Street, 54th Avenue at 46th Street, 53rd Avenue at 46th Street.