Thursday, July 23, 2009

Additional Long Island Evacuation Routes: Now More Then Ever

'710'

The July 10, 2009 fire and reduction of the Throgs Neck Bridge a wake-up call?

to the public, probably yes, with a Newsday poll showing 85% support for a tunnel connection Long Island with I-287

What happened ...

A stubborn fire under the Throgs Neck Bridge Friday shut down traffic between Queens and the Bronx, leaving thousands of morning commuters in a bumper-to-bumper nightmare, officials said.

The 5 a.m. blaze began on construction materials and later spread to scaffolding, officials said.

Nearly 140 firefighters have been battling the three-alarm blaze.

Two firefighters suffered minor injuries and were taken to New York Hospital in Queens, fire officials said. There were no injuries to contractors, who were working at the site.

The blaze was still going at noon.

Engineers were at the scene to determine the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage to the bridge.

Traffic was diverted to the Whitestone and RFK Bridges, according to the MTA.

more to come ...