NYC’s Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge will undergo a cabling rehab job to keep it in good condition for years to come.
During its monthly meeting on Wednesday, the MTA boardapproved a $249 million contract to protect the Verrazzano and keep it in a state of good repair for the 220,000 vehicles that cross it each day.
The centerpiece of the work is a new dehumidification system for the four main suspension cables of the double-decker span, which connects Staten Island to Brooklyn and is the country’s longest suspension bridge.
Wires inside the cables can suffer from corrosion, which is accelerated by humidity, MTA officials explained. Dehumidification will not only help prevent corrosion but also preserve the current strength of the 60-year-old bridge’s cables.
“Essentially all of those cables, the wires bound up inside those cables, suffer from corrosion over time, and it’s humidity that really accelerates the corrosion,” Jamie Torres-Springer, president of the MTA’s construction and development, said. “So, the goal is to get us back to under 40% humidity within that tightly bound cable, and keep it there.”
He added that the system extends the useful life of the cables.
“It’s a new system for us, but it’s become a widely accepted method of preventing steel cable corrosion around the world,” he said.
The MTA is already installing the system on the suspension portion of the RFK Bridge. The goal is to have all four MTA bridges outfitted with the system
“With the 2025-2029 plan, we will be able to install the system on our two other suspension bridges as well,” Torres-Torres Springer said.
In total, the MTA operates seven bridges in NYC. Combined with its two tunnels in the Big Apple, the connections handle more than 336 million vehicle crossings each year.
A ‘cost-effective’ solution
An article in the trade publication Roads & Bridges describes main-cable dehumidification as a “cost-effective” solution for preserving cables and the structures they support.
The MTA contracted with Skanska Koch, Inc., a construction company, to conduct the work, which will include installing an acoustic monitoring system on the bridge’s four main cables.
The system will track conditions within the cables, associated electrical and communication systems, internal inspection of selected cable panels, replacement of hand ropes and stanchions, and maintenance of the cable dehumidification and acoustic monitoring systems for five years after commissioning.
According to an article in the Staten Island Advance, the cable dehumidification project was discussed last year but put on hold when Gov. Kathy Hochul paused the start of congestion pricing in NYC on June 5, 2024.
Now that the project is revived, work is expected to take about four years to complete.
Great to meet with #NATO’s close partners, #Australia 🇦🇺, #Japan 🇯🇵, #NewZealand 🇳🇿 & #SouthKorea 🇰🇷 at the #NATOsummit. In a more dangerous world, it is clear that our security is global. Our growing partnership keeps us all safer.
Мерц призвал Трампа ужесточить санкции США против России и предостерег РФ от нападения на страны НАТО. Во время саммита альянса в Гааге канцлер ФРГ обратился к Дональду Трампу с “настоятельной просьбой – в свете ситуации на Украине – чтобы и американская сторона присоединилась к…
Face à une Russie agressive et révisionniste qui ne cesse de déstabiliser nos frontières, l’Europe doit se réarmer.
Ces deux jours au Sommet de l’OTAN, nous l’avons acté. Entre alliés européens, nous nous sommes engagés à augmenter nos efforts… pic.twitter.com/79fOkCHOX4
By Daniel Rosen During the successful strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, the usual chorus of critics like—Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders, Hakeem Jeffries, and others— raised alarms over the prospect of a “regional war.” But their framing was disingenuous. It was a cover-up in order to attempt to slow down Israel’s defeat of Iran and […]
Several Caribbean candidates were victorious Tuesday night in the New York City Democratic Primary Elections.
On Tuesday, voters braced the scorching heat to re-elect Grenadian-American New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams handsomely; Haitian-born New York City Council Member Mercedes Narcisse; and New York City Council Member Crystal Hudson, whose grandmother hailed from Jamaica.
Williams, 48, was challenged by Jenifer Rajkumar, 42, a New York State Assembly Member from Queens, a close ally of incumbent New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and Marty Dolan, 67, an erstwhile insurance executive.
According to preliminary results from the New York City Board of Elections, Williams received 630 095 votes or 71.33 percent; Rajkumar received 164 968 votes or 18.68 percent; and Dolan received 82 870 votes or 9.38 percent.
There were 5,375 write-in ballots, or 0.61 %.
Mayoral hopefuls Michael Blake and Zohran Mamdani pose together after announcing a cross-endorsement, highlighting shared goals including rent relief, free public transit, and mental health investment.Photo by Raven Robinson
While celebrating his triumph Tuesday night, Williams lauded Zohran Mamdani in his stunning victory over former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo for Mayor of New York City.
“What we’re most proud of is that Andrew Cuomo is down right now,” Williams said. “We are saying we want something different: a different messenger and message.”
In the 46th Council District in Brooklyn, Narcisse, a trained registered nurse, soundly trounced Guyanese Dimple Willabus.
Narcisse received 12 768 votes or 82.94 %, and Willabus received 2,576 votes or 16.73 %.
There were 50 write-in ballots or 0.32 %.
“I’m deeply grateful to the voters of District 46 for this overwhelming show of support,” Narcisse told Caribbean Life shortly after the results were announced Tuesday night. “Winning over 80 % of the vote is a clear message that our community values hard work, truth, and real results.
“It’s good to see that people still choose service over showmanship and hard work over politics as usual,” she added. “I’ve spent my life serving this district as a nurse, a mother, and now as your Council Member, and I will never stop fighting for you.
“From investing in our schools and parks to supporting our libraries and seniors, this win affirms that we’re on the right path,” Narcisse continued. “Thank you for standing with me, and let’s keep moving District 46 forward together.”
She said she was “honored to have earned the Democratic nomination and look forward to winning in November (general elections) and continuing to serve the people of District 46 in the City Council.”
Hudson won handsomely in the 35th Council District and also in Brooklyn, defeating three challengers.
Hudson received 32,560 votes or 84.67 %; Dion M. Ashman received 3,066 votes or 7.97 %; Hector Robertson received 1,758 votes or 4.57 %; and Kenny Lever received 857 votes or 2.23 %.
There were 213 write-in ballots or 0.55 %.
Council Members Rita Joseph, left, front row, and Crystal Hudson, second from left, front row, among attendees at town hall meeting by Caribbean-American Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke in Brooklyn on Monday, June 16, 2025.Photo by Nelson A. King
Hudson told Caribbean Life that her victory affirmed her “deep-rooted commitment to delivering for working families, tenants, and older adults in one of the city’s most diverse and dynamic districts.”
Backed by a broad coalition of labor unions, tenant organizers, and community organizations, Hudson said she campaigned on “a clear progressive platform: advancing affordable housing for working families; protecting reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights; strengthening public education; and ensuring that city resources serve the people who need them most.
“I’m deeply grateful to every voter, volunteer, advocate, and neighbor who saw our work over the last several years, believed in our vision, and showed up to make their voices heard,” she said. “Together, we’ve delivered a clear message: the 35th District stands for dignity, care, and a government that works for all of us—not just the wealthy and well-connected.”
First elected in 2021, Hudson made history as one of the first LGBTQ+ Black women to serve on the New York City Council.
During her first term, she said she championed legislation to support older adults and their caregivers, strengthen protections for reproductive rights, and expand access to affordable housing and mental health services.
Hudson said her re-election signaled “a continued mandate to fight for a more just and equitable New York.”
In the 41st Council District in Brooklyn, Jamaican educator Lawman Lynch was defeated in a race involving seven other competitors.
The African American incumbent, Darlene Mealy, was re-elected with 6, 603 votes, or 43.24 %.
Lynch received 2,384 votes or 15.61 %; Jammel Thompson received 2,057, or 13.47 %; Bianca Cunningham received 1, 929 votes, or 12.63 %; Jamell Henderson received 919 votes or 6.02 %; Dante Arnwine received 599 votes or 3.92 %; Eli Brown received 553 votes, or 3.62 %; and Clifton A. Hinton received 163, or 1.07 %.
There were 64 write-in ballots or 0.42 %.
Tuesday’s Democratic Party Primary Election results were a major disappointment for Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair and Haitian-American New York State Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn.
Bichotte Hermelyn, the daughter of Haitian immigrants, strongly backed Cuomo for New York City Mayor. The incumbent Mayor Eric Adams did not contest the elections but will run as an independent in the General Elections in November.
In a stunning upset, Mamdani, a 33-year-old State Assembly Member in Queens, knocked Cuomo out of the race.
Mamdani received 432,305 votes, or 43.5 %, to Cuomo’s 361,840, or 36.4 %.
There were 11 candidates in the Mayoral Primary race.
Bichotte Hermelyn, who represents the 42nd Assembly District in Brooklyn, sought to put a brave face on the results, telling Caribbean Life late Tuesday that “Mamdani campaigned on making our city more affordable.
“The people have spoken and, as the clear winner of the Democratic primary, I support Mamdani in the general election,” she said. “To everyone who had reservations, I ask you to put them aside in this moment and come together for the future of our city and our party.
“Mamdani has shown he is committed to representing all Democrats from every neighborhood and borough, as evidenced by his overwhelming victory in Brooklyn and across the city,” Bichotte Hermelyn added.
“Brooklyn stands firmly behind Zohran Mamdani as we head into November,” she continued. “Let’s unite as Democrats for a brighter future for our city.”
