“Suspension bridges — particularly the longest span in North America — are engineered to be flexible and any movements on the bridge were within its safety standards,” said MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan.
All eyes were on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge earlier this week as the link between Brooklyn and Staten Island was seen swaying as New York was hit with severe weather, including heavy rains and winds up to 60 mph Monday. Some even said the 56-year old bridge, which is the longest in the entire city, sounded as if it was groaning. And, many captured it on video.
NYCFireWire posted a video clip on Twitter , writing “This is why the #VerrazanoBridge was closed yesterday during the high winds."
And some of the comments have been downright humorous.
"A breathing bridge. Only in New York” one person wrote.
“This is what you get for trying to go to Staten Island,” said another.
Others did not appear as amused. "Don’t show me this man!" one person wrote.
MTA bridge officials closed the upper level of the Brooklyn-to-Staten Island span for much of Monday as the New York region saw wind speeds as high as 60 miles per hour. The lower level was also closed for about 45 minutes, the New York Post reported.
The entire incident seemed a bit offsetting for some, but nothing travelers should be alarmed about, according to the Metropolitan Transit Authority.
The motion, which at first glance appears to be drastic, depicts the proper movements of the 2.5-mile span during excessive winds, the MTA said to the Post.
“Suspension bridges — particularly the longest span in North America — are engineered to be flexible and any movements on the bridge were within its safety standards,” said MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan.
“The MTA’s weather event safety protocols were activated early and worked as designed with no structural damage, no major vehicular accidents, and no injuries resulting from Monday’s high winds.”
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