Ocean Avenue Footbridge Drawing Maintenance Crews, Again

The 136-year-old Ocean Avenue Footbridge is once again drawing maintenance crews.

Con Edison is working to replace the underground power lines that provide electricity to the bridge’s lamps after they stopped working last week. A spokesperson for the company said damage to the power lines is “extensive and repairs will take some time.”

Con Edison could not provide further information about what caused the damage or when the repairs will be complete. In the meantime, the Department of Transportation (DOT) connected a temporary cable to feed power to the bridge’s lamps.

The power failure occurred less than one year after DOT completed a two-and-a-half-month project to rid the aging bridge of a shipworm infestation that threatened the structure’s stability. The project temporarily closed the footbridge, but the city made good on its promise to have it reopen in time for last year’s Memorial Day Weekend.

City Councilman Chaim Deutsch praised DOT for quickly responding to his request to add temporary lighting on the bridge while Con Edison addresses the problem.

“It’s important to have light everywhere you go. It’s never safe to walk in the dark,” he said.