The NYU Tandon School of Engineering, T.Y. Lin International, and Sam Schwartz Engineering have unveiled a proposal for a new bridge connecting Queens and Manhattan. 

The so-called "Queens Ribbon" proposal is part of a larger set of pedestrian and bicycle bridges proposed by the design team that aim to bring expanded connectivity to the New York City and eastern New Jersey region. The Queens Ribbon bridge, according to the group, would be the first new bridge crossing into Manhattan's business district since 1909. 

The design consortium that created the bridge proposals was formed, according to a press release, in the wake of COVID-19 to "develop transportation improvements that would not only be of value during 'normal' times, but would also provide a lifeline in future crises." 

The statement continues: "During the COVID-19 outbreak, New Yorkers have been turning to walking and biking in great numbers. After 9/11, Super Storm Sandy, the 2003 blackout, and transit strikes, walking and biking became the best, and in some cases, the only alternative for many travelers to and from Manhattan’s Central Business District."

The team proposes a series of 20-foot-wide bridges containing a wide sidewalk and two lanes of traffic for cyclists. Renderings for the proposal highlight slender suspension bridges similar to the Millennium Bridge in London and other recent pedestrian bridge projects around the world.

Citing a 132% increase in the number of people cycling over the East River bridges and the fact that New York City is rapidly expanding open streets and other pedestrian approaches, the consortium argues that demand for cycling and pedestrian infrastructure is only set to increase across the region. 

"The new bridge will provide safe and separate areas for its users to commute and stroll, and will be an iconic visual addition to the East Side of Manhattan, Long Island City, and to the surrounding areas in Queens," the statement reads. 

“The urban travel mode of the future won’t be flying cars, or robo-cars or even cars. It will be shoes and bikes,” said Sam Schwartz, Founder and CEO of Sam Schwartz Engineering, adding, “Cities can best thrive on these low impact, non-polluting, equitable, and healthy forms of transportation.”

A project timeline for the bridge has not been unveiled, but the proposal would need to undergo rigorous vetting at the local and state levels, most likely, particularly the proposed bridges that would cross into New Jersey.