Project Description
R.J. Watson was selected by Granite Construction in 2017 to supply 62 disc bearings for Phase 2 of a $873M New York Dept. of Transportation project to replace the existing 77-year old Kosciuszko Bridge, which carries the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (I-278) over Newtown Creek between Brooklyn and Queens in New York City.
The new Westbound Cable-Stayed bridge is identical to the eastbound structure built in Phase 1 of the project, and it is 1.1 miles long.
The disktron bearings, manufactured by R. J. Watson for the Westbound bridge have a vertical service load ranging from 329 kips to 2,097 kips. The horizontal service load for all of the disc bearings was 10% of the vertical service load. The 329 kip unidirectional uplift bearings were designed to restrict 110 kips of uplift force. The 2,097 kip capacity unidirectional uplift bearings were designed to restrict 221 kips of uplift force. The longitudinal displacement for the expansion bearings ranged from 4” to 16” inches, and the service rotational capacity ranged from +/- 0.15 to +/- 0.022 radians.
The consulting engineer for Phase 2 was WSP. The Westbound bridge was opened in September, 2019.