NYC Department of Transportation opened the Williamsburg Bridge's new bicycle and pedestrian path on December 12, 2002. The path connects the Lower East Side of Manhattan with Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The path is fully ramped on both sides of the bridge.

The new path is a vast improvement over the old. Ramps have replaced the 83 stairs on the Manhattan side of the path that were major barriers to would-be cyclists who could not carry their bicycles. The path is wider, with wider turn areas and more lights. On the Manhattan side the path is 18 feet wide. When it reaches the bridge's main span, it splits into twin paths. The north path is 12 feet shared bicycle-pedestrian path, and the south path is an 8 feet pedestrian path. There is a mid-span crossing that links the two pathways, and there are two access points in Brooklyn (see maps below).

When the new path was first completed, 26 dangerous expansion joints on the Manhattan side of the bridge made for a dangerous and bumpy ride for the 3,000 path users who crossed the bridge every day. T.A.’s three year campaign to replace these “bumps” finally succeeded in the fall of 2005, when a law suit forced DOT to remove these bumps to improve accessibility for disabled people and safety for all path users.

***The South pedestrian path is currently closed while the towers undergo renovation. There is no indication as to when both paths will finally be open to users.***

Williamsburg Bridge by the Numbers:
Length: 7,308 feet
Design: Suspension Bridge built in 1903
Engineer: Leffert L. Buck
Manhattan Entrance: Median of Delancey Street at Clinton Street
Brooklyn Entrance: There are two entrances in Brooklyn:

1. Corner of South 5th Street & South 5th Place (South 5th Place is between Driggs Avenue and Roebling Street).
2. Bedford Avenue between South 5th and South 6th Streets.

For maps of the approaches, see New Bike/Ped Path Opens on the Williamsburg Bridge, December 16, 2002 and the Department of City Planning's Williamsburg Bridge page.

T.A. Studies/Reports on the Williamsburg Bridge:

• And The Bumps Go On, to Cyclists' Peril, Summer 2004
• The DOT Must Replace Hazardous Williamsburg Bridge Bumps, Spring 2004
• City Paying for Williamsburg Bridge's Dangerous Bumps, Winter 2004
• Williamsburg Bridge Users Tell DOT to Remove the Bumps, Fall 2003
• Bridge Bicycle Boom!, Fall 2003
• Bicycling Boom on East River Bridges, October 14, 2003
• Bridge Bumps Need to Go!, Summer 2003
• Disabled Group Says Williamsburg Bridge Bumps Violate Federal Law, Spring 2003
• Bumpy New Path Across the Williamsburg Bridge, Winter 2003  
• New Bike/Ped Path Opens on the Williamsburg Bridge, December 16, 2002
• Bridge Access Safety Crisis Continues as the DOT Fails to Fix 6 of 8 Entrances, Summer 2002
• Bridge Paths Caged, Spring 2002
• DOT Rejects T.A. Request to Remove Degrading Chain Link Fencing from Bridge Paths, April 22, 2002
• Don't Fence Me In, February 11, 2002
• T.A. Gives "A" Grade to 2001 Cycling Improvements, January 28, 2002
• Wheel Ramps for Williamsburg Bridge, Winter 2002
• Making the Grade in 2001: T.A.'s Fifth Annual Report On Bicycling in NYC: Bridges, Winter 2002
• Finally, Phones, Summer 2001
• Soon To Be Safer Williamsburg Bridge Path, Winter 2001
• Emergency Call Boxes for the Williamsburg Bridge, May/June 2000
• T.A. Praises ... DOT Removes, Summer 1999
• New Williamsburg Path Opens!, March/April 1999
• Williamsburg Bridge Opening Pushed Back Again, January/February 1999
• The East River Bridges: 17 Years of Reconstruction and Counting, November/December 1998
• Bridges in Brief, January/February 1998
• Making the Grade: NYC & Bicycling in 1997: Bridges, July/August 1997
• Williamsburg Bridge, November/December 1996
• Volunteers Adopt Williamsburg Bridge, September/October 1996
• Which Way to the Brooklyn Bridge?, May/June 1996
• Bicycling Basics: Five Fundamental Steps Toward Better Bicycling in NYC: Bridges, May/June 1996
• Can-Do Spirit, March/April 1996
• Williamsburg Bridge--Keep Your Eyes Peeled, January/February 1996

T.A. Quotes in the Media on the Williamsburg Bridge:

[an error occurred while processing this directive]
• Cycling surges in NYC, am New York, July 12, 2004
• Need a Ride? Bike Commuting in NYC Hits High Point, MetroSports New York, May 2004
• Urban Cycling: A Tale of Two Cities, Metropolis, December 2003
• City Cyclists Put Pedal to Mettle: Bike traffic over bridges hits 23-year high, Newsday, October 2, 2003
• Transportation Alternatives fights for biker's rights in North Brooklyn neighborhoods, Greenpoint Star & Weekly Brooklyn News of Northside & Williamsburg, July 3, 2003
• The Sum of the Parts, The Ride, October 1, 2002
• On Bridges, the View Includes Chain Links, New York Times, June 22, 2002
• Mettle to the Pedal, New York Post, May 4, 2002
• A Day for Sunday Drivers on Two Wheels, New York Times, May 3, 2002
• Bridge Getting New 30M Walkway, Daily News, April 4, 2002
• Cyclists Plead For More Bridge Security, Daily News, August 9, 2001
• Cycle to the Office, New York Times Letters, May 10, 1999
• Gridlock Sam, Daily News, February 18, 1999

See also the T.A. Williamsburg Bridge demo on January 28, 1999.