Fort Hamilton bridge work brings another overnight closure to the Gowanus

Drivers on Brooklyn’s eastbound Gowanus Expressway face another overnight work window on October 1 as rehabilitation continues at the Fort Hamilton Parkway bridge. The restriction is part of an existing $36.9 million project, not a newly announced bridge contract.

In a September 28 advisory, the New York State Department of Transportation scheduled intermittent eastbound closures lasting 15 to 30 minutes near the bridge, together with a full closure of the Exit 18 ramp to Fort Hamilton Parkway. The listed work windows are midnight to 7 a.m. on September 29 and October 1.

As of September 29, the October 1 window is the forthcoming restriction. The department says construction is weather-dependent and directs drivers to posted detours and current 511NY information.

A rehabilitation with changes above the highway

The state’s June 9, 2025 project announcement describes replacement of the deck and approach slabs, together with improvements to the steel superstructure, bearings, piers and abutments.

The work also includes a protected bicycle lane connecting with existing routes on Fort Hamilton Parkway and Seventh Avenue, accessible curb ramps and upgraded lighting. The state said the project would extend the 1964 bridge’s service life by at least 40 years and targeted completion in summer 2027.

Those are the scope and schedule expectations stated when construction was announced. This week’s traffic advisory confirms another planned work window; it does not provide a revised overall completion forecast.

Two levels of traffic to manage

The project illustrates the operating constraints of repairing a bridge over an active expressway. Work affects the road carried by the structure and can also require access or protection for the highway beneath it.

The original construction plan described shifting closures between sides of the bridge. The new advisory adds precise, short overnight restrictions on the expressway. These are different measures serving the same rehabilitation, and commuters should not assume a bridge-lane notice covers every restriction below.

For residents and freight operators, the most actionable information is the specific night, direction and ramp affected. For the longer-term capital program, the scope combines structural renewal with changes to how cyclists and pedestrians use the crossing.

The immediate next checkpoint is the October 1 work window, subject to weather and updated traffic notices. It should be tracked separately from the broader summer-2027 completion target.

Sources reviewed September 29, 2026. Historical corridor photograph, May 22, 2024, before the current rehabilitation. Photo: Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0. Original unaltered; resized or cropped display versions remain under the same license.