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A joint city-state task force yesterday selected five finalistsin the competition to design a replacement for the decrepitWilliamsburg Bridge, focusing on projects that could be built over, under or around the existing structure. The finalists, culled from 25 international entries, will be whittled down to one or two by July 1. The results will be sent to the state and city transportation commissioners, along with the task force's recommendation on whether it would best serve the public to renovate, rebuild or replace the 85-year-old bridge.
Three of the designs selected are for cable-stayed bridges, which experts say cost about 20 percent less to build than suspension bridges but tend to wear out faster. A fourth design is for a traditional suspension bridge, and a fifth combines cable-stayed and suspension methods reminiscent of the Brooklyn Bridge.
The finalists were chosen because their designs offered the easiest construction, the greatest durability, and the least disruption to traffic and surrounding communities, task force members said.
On a typical weekday, the Williamsburg carries an average of 104,000 vehicles and 415 subway cars. The bridge was shut down April 12 because of structural problems caused by corrosion. Two highway lanes were reopened last Thursday.
"All of them can be built on the existing site, which we have come to realize is crucial," said Samuel Schwartz, the city's first deputy transportation commissioner and co-chair of the 10-member task force.
Designs that were rejected included a number that would have significantly moved the span from its current location and those that called for the construction of a museum, restaurant or disco in the bridge's towers.
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