On Monday, September 8, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz joined New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, Kate Kerrigan, Executive Director of the Dumbo Improvement District, and Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez in reopening to the public a passageway beneath the Manhattan Bridge that connects two parts of DUMBO separated for nearly two decades.

The 45-foot wide, 152-foot long archway beneath the Manhattan Bridge, along Water Street between Adams Street and Anchorage Place, was previously occupied by DOT’s Division of Bridges for the cutting and storage of metal needed for bridge projects. DOT recently removed the materials and will work with the Dumbo Improvement District to further beautify the passageway with lighting and benches, and to remove the asphalt to reveal the passageway’s historic cobblestone.

The Manhattan Bridge celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2009.