Creative thinking also enabled the team to incorporate a standpipe system without the need for additional hydrants or a new water main beneath the recently completed Harlem River Drive. Routing the standpipe behind the ramp’s west parapet barrier instead of between girders also reduces future inspection, maintenance and testing work. The project team also identified a cost- and time-saving strategy to monitor structural steel fabrication at the supplier’s Pennsylvania plant by hiring a local inspection agency that could provide the level of expertise demanded by project specifications.

Because the ramp was built above an existing roadway, proper worker protection was critical. Safety measures included extensive fall-protection training and protective netting that prevented materials, tools or sparks from falling to the roadway below. Toe boards, walkways and guardrails ensured the ramp deck’s working surfaces posed no unnecessary hazards.

These and other innovations allowed the project to be completed nearly two months ahead of schedule, bringing many benefits to the East Harlem community. Along with diverting traffic off neighborhood streets, the structure will reduce noise, improve air quality and provide smoother travel for traffic exiting the RFK Bridge.

Detailed Art Deco vertical flutes incorporated atop the ramp’s concrete hammerhead columns match those on nearby Randall’s Island. The vertical fluted detail was also incorporated into the back of the parapet lamppost blisters. A ramp bulkhead was fitted with stainless steel New York state seal medallions, aesthetic lighting and other architectural treatments to complement planned redevelopment of the area east of Harlem River Drive into a new park.