hyuntek yoon rethinks the brooklyn bridge with elevated pedestrian and bike paths

as part of van alen institute’s ‘reimagining brooklyn bridge’ competition, hyuntek yoon shares his proposal that focuses on promoting the functionality of the bridge for every type of user. the ‘brooklyn bridge strips’ project vertically and horizontally separates the pedestrian, bike and vehicular paths, so everyone can enjoy the bridge at their own speed.

brooklyn bridge strips

all images courtesy of hyuntek yoon (nooyoon design)

hyuntek yoon‘s design seeks to deal with issues of crowding and congestion by providing dedicated and wider entrances and paths for pedestrians and cyclists. the project also considers tourists and includes four observation decks at the edge of the bridge and the tower, allowing people to stop and take pictures of the manhattan and brooklyn skylines at their leisure. 

bike path

at the manhattan entrance, a grand staircase invites people to the elevated pedestrian path, and an elevator is also provided for disabled users. the city hall park serves as the entrance plaza to the brooklyn bridge. the existing shared-use path will be converted to a dedicated bike path. the elevated pedestrian path will be 23 feet wide. the elevated pedestrian path will be divided at the edge of the bridge. each divided path will be 15 feet wide. the bike path will continue to climb until reaching the same elevation of the pedestrian path at the tower.

observation deck

the tower is the only place where the pedestrians and cyclists interact. cyclists can park their bikes and enjoy views at the observation deck. the observation deck is cantilevered from the bridge structure to provide spacious space and unobstructed views of manhattan and brooklyn. the pedestrian paths are located along both sides of the bridge while the bike path will be located at the center. the pedestrian and bike paths will have elevation differences ranging from 1 feet (at the tower) to 16 feet (at the manhattan entrance). pedestrians and cyclists are connected visually, but completely separated physically.

dumbo entrance

the entrance at dumbo is an extension of the existing stairs. the existing stairs from the ground level will be extended to the level of the elevated pedestrian path. pedestrians will not obstruct cyclists on the bike path. in addition, the elevator is located on anchorage plaza, which is a potential public market. brooklyn bridge blvd. is an important connection for all users approaching the brooklyn bridge from brooklyn neighborhoods. the ramp is located on the current pedestrian path, and it links people to the elevated pedestrian path. the existing bike path is maintained and connected to the bike path on the brooklyn bridge.

manhattan entrance

concept diagram

manhattan entrance

edge of the bridge

observation deck at the tower

middle of the bridge

dumbo entrance

brooklyn bridge blvd. entrance

project info:

name: brooklyn bridge strips

competition: reimagining brooklyn bridge

design: hyuntek yoon (nooyoon design)

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom