Brooklyn, Staten Island officials push for better planning around Verrazzano Bridge closures

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Politicians from both sides of the span want to see better planning for when the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge closes down due to weather or for other reasons.

Councilman Justin Brannan (D-Brooklyn) and Sen. Andrew Gounardes (D-Brooklyn) issued a press release following a storm earlier this month that shuttered the bridge, initially to trucks and later to all vehicles, and their Staten Island counterparts — Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D-Staten Island/South Brooklyn), Councilwoman Kamillah Hanks (D-North Shore) and Councilman David Carr (R-Mid-Island) — are on board.

“Like every local resident, I find few things more frustrating than sitting in bumper to bumper traffic. We are in touch with the MTA to discuss their plan for when there is a storm or some weather event where a level of the Verrazano Bridge shuts down,” Scarcella-Spanton said. “We need to do everything we can to account for traffic on both sides of the bridge for safety purposes.”

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