Nov
03

A man and his bridge

By Mike Axisa

It’s only a matter of time before Derek Jeter is somehow immortalized in New York. Surely he’ll get his plaque in Monument Park. Maybe he’ll get a street named after him, or a wing in a hospital or something like that. But what about a bridge?

Bronx leaders are trying to get the soon-to-be-built East 153rd St. bridge named after the Yankee captain, with borough president Ruben Diaz Jr. saying “There have been conversations at the community board, and I know the idea is being examined. The 512-ft long bridge will connect the Metro North tracks at East 153rd St. and Grand Concourse.

It’s not quite the Joe D. Highway, but pretty cool nonetheless.

Posted on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 11:30 am in Asides.

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30 Comments »

I hope they can call it the Derek “GIDP” Jeter Bridge.

/sorry

JMK aka The Overshare says:
 
UWS says:
 
Nady Nation says:

Or, the Derek “.322/.420/.542 2009 Postseason” Jeter Bridge.

/retort’d

 
 
Kiersten says:

I thought Hughes was the bridge?

vin says:

Maybe it should be the Damaso Marte Bridge.

 
 
sean says:

In honor of Jeter it should be adorned with bland quotes and images of hi-top fades.

JMK aka The Overshare says:

I lol’d. Only Fords can drive on it and it will be maintained (somehow) by Mach 3 razors.

And they’ll charge Florida tax rates.

JMK aka The Overshare says:

Shit, you trumped me, Matt. Well played, good sir.

 
 
 
Andy in Sunny Daytona says:

The bridge should take you to a herpes clinic.

 
 

Cool, idea, but if it’s a double decker brige which part is named after Minka?

 

Calling the elevated highway lanes that pass over the MTA cutout of the Grand Concourse at E. 153rd street a “bridge” is a pretty generous usage of the term.

Yes, technically it is a span that crosses a gulf. But the whole thing is like 100 yards tops. It’s barely the length of a football field, right next to Cardinal Hayes HS and the Franz Sigel Park (this is the neighborhood I work in.)

It seems a pretty blase project to attach Derek Jeter’s name to. I’ve seen the sketches… it’s a fairly basic, nondescript road overpass. Furthermore, it’s not really near the stadium. You can’t even see the stadium from this overpass.

Meh.

You wanna impress me? Rename the Macombs Dam Bridge Approach (the short roadway that juts off from Jerome Avenue by Gate 4 and proceeds over the sunken-in 161st Street and I-87 to the bridge connecting the BX and Manhattan) “Derek Jeter Way”. That would be more pimp, and people would actually see that roadsign.

JMK aka The Overshare says:

Why not just officially rename the south Bronx “Jeterville”? Who knows, maybe a simple repackaging of the name will lead to a wave of gentrification?

 
 
 
Sam says:

If it leads to the entrance to the stadium near the bullpen they can call it the “Bridge to Mo”

It doesn’t.

I encourage everyone to go to Google Maps and put in the address “Grand Concourse and E. 153rd St.” just so you can see A) how small and insignificant this bridge is and B) how far it is from the stadium.

It’s a nice gesture, to be sure, because even unimportant and blase roads don’t get named for just anyone, let alone a sports figure who’s historical contribution to NYC is, shall we charitably say, debatable, but still, I think there could have been better roadways in the South Bronx to honor Jeter with.

Furthermore, I can think of other Bronxites who are probably more deserving of having said bridge named for them, like, for example, Jim Lyons.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_J._Lyons

Sam says:

Good call on the Google Maps view. And honestly I’ve “lived” in NYC for 2 ish months after being in Jersey all my life so I’m sure you’d have a better view on who to name it after than me; I was just trying to make a joke

 
 
 
 

Info on the bridge:

https://www.nysdot.gov/recovery/sponsors/tiger/repository/153%20street%20bridge%20Application.pdf

What about renaming that giant crosswalk area from the old stadium (new heritage park) to the new stadium after Jeter? You could put a statue there..something like that.

plus that brige isn’t close enough to the stadium.

I’d rather them name something around the stadium for him….maybe one of the Gates?

Yeah, and I doubt the final project even looks like that. DOT always scales back during actual construction.

 
X says:

gate 2 for jeter, 4 for gherig, 6 for torre and 8 for berra/dickey

ruth got his plaza and find something for mantle and dimaggio

 
 
 
CapitalT says:

Blast from the past: Bam Bam now a hitting instructor

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....id=4617680

JMK aka The Overshare says:
 
 

I don’t think they’ll be showing highlights from last night’s ninth inning during the ceremony.

 
Rose says:

I really feel that the bridge should be named after Chad Gaudin instead…

 
MattG says:

Is it a two-way bridge, or does it only go to it’s right?

Kiersten says:

I feel bad for laughing at this.

 
 
Brian says:

I was listening to Colin Cowherd yesterday and he made a good (somewhat funny) point. Whenever they talk about interstates or bridges its always because of something bad like the bridge collapsed or a huge accident. Who wants their name attached to something that will only have bad news attached to it for eternity? With the exception of the rush hour traffic reports, how often do you hear “Smooth sailing on the George Washington Bridge today?”

jeter should decline the bridge naming

 
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