July 14, 2013 By Christian Murray
City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. wants Ed Koch’s name to be taken off the Queensboro Bridge.
Vallone told the New York Post that he is drafting legislation to restore the crossing’s historic moniker and to name Manhattan’s Municipal Building after Koch instead.
The bridge was renamed the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge in 2011 to coincide with his 86th birthday.
Vallone opposed the renaming at the time, claiming that the bridge was not the appropriate venue to honor him. He was an outspoken critic of the proposal from the get-go.
“Mayor Ed Koch is truly a great man and deserving of an honor like this, but renaming a landmark so closely linked to our borough’s culture and history is not appropriate,” Vallone said at the time. “The city would not rename the Brooklyn Bridge and the Queensboro Bridge should be treated equally.”
Vallone voted against the measure but the City Council, with the strong backing of Speaker Christine Quinn, voted 38-12 to rename it.
Vallone told the New York Post today: “Never in a million years would they think to rename the Brooklyn or Manhattan Bridges. But for some reason, it was OK to slap Queens around.”
Vallone’s move is likely to generate some support in Western Queens.
For instance, Community Board 2, which represents Sunnyside, Woodside and Long Island City, passed a unanimous resolution in April 2011 that asked Mayor Michael Bloomberg not to sign the bill that renamed the bridge into law. The nearly 40 member community board sent a letter directly to the Mayor expressing its outrage about the renaming.
Several members of the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce also called on the New York City Council to repeal the law shortly after it was signed.
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12 Comments
Live and let live. In four years I’ve never heard Koch bridge. Sounds like a disease anyway.
Maria your right, this Kennedy shoved a bottle of sleeping pills down a starlets throat and they called it suicide. They were all killers!
Can we do the same and change back the triborough bridge back to triborough bridge please!
@ Oil-That was another Kennedy. This one actually was our senator.
Yeah, but by the rationale you guys are using, the George Washington Bridge should be changed to the Jersey Bridge. Oh boy–Christie would love that!
Change it back once Mayor Midget is out of office.
I also agree with all the above. These bridges had names that were useful and described what they connected to. This “naming bridges after politicians and celebrities” is BS.
I agree with all of the above!
It will always be the 59th street btidge –feelin+ groovy!
I refuse to call it the Ed Koch Bridge and so should you. 🙂
Pat, preferably a bridge with a special off ramp for drunk drivers with female passengers when they want to go crashing into the water.
I agree whole-heartedly with Mr. Vallone and Pat. Don’t mess with the names of the bridges!
I think Mr Vallone is correct and while he is at it why not restore the Triboro name to the Triboro Bridge.
GIve Mr Kennedy a bridge up in Massachusetts where he came from .
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