Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 5 Opens

Mayor Bloomberg unveiled the newly transformed Pier 5 at Brooklyn Bridge Park on Thursday, December 13. Pier 5 is a 26 million dollar five-acre shipping pier that was recently turned into three multi-purpose sports fields and an adjacent picnic area. The fields can accommodate a plethora of different sports including soccer, lacrosse, rugby, cricket, flag football, and ultimate Frisbee.

The opening of the new pier also signaled the impending completion of the Squibb Park Bridge, a 244-foot bridge that will connect the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood to the parks. The bridge is scheduled for opening within the next few weeks, according to a press release.

Bloomberg predicts that the transformation of Pier 5 will further incentivize tourists to visit Brooklyn Bridge Park. “Starting today, New Yorkers and tourists alike will have even more reasons to visit Brooklyn Bridge Park,” he stated.

For others, the pier’s opening was another milestone in the community’s steps toward improvement.

“From Pier 5 and its regulation-size field to the Squibb Park Bridge, the pop-up [and permanent] pools, tennis courts,… and other community priorities that we’ll continue to work towards, the uses and access the community have long advocated are becoming reality,” said State Senator Daniel Squadron, who, along with Assemblymember Joan Millman, negotiated an agreement last year that secured funding and recreation and allowed park construction to move forward.

“Brooklyn Bridge’s Pier 5 truly offers something for everyone,” declared Borough President Marty Markowitz. “[It] attracts visitors from all around the world, and now they can take in a spectacular view, have a barbeque, and enjoy the international sports that will be hosted on the new year-round playing fields.”

To learn more about Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 5 and the Squibb Park Bridge, visit www.brooklynbridgepark.org.

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