A construction worker was rescued while working beneath the roadway of the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge Wednesday, October 21, 2026, after a heavy steel repair plate fell on his leg, triggering a rescue operation that shut down all northbound lanes for roughly half an hour. The worker, a contractor with American Bridge, was working under the deck at the time, according to the MTA Police Department. He was pulled out with a knee injury and is listed in stable condition.
MTA Police Department’s Emergency Services Unit and FDNY crews responded to free the worker, who was then taken by paramedics to Harlem Hospital, as News 12 Bronx first reported. Footage captured on the Citizen app showed the emergency response and lane closure; the lanes had since reopened. Harlem Hospital, part of NYC Health + Hospitals, is a designated Level 1 Trauma Center equipped for complex traumatic injuries.
A $410 Million Rehab Contract for the East River Spans
MTA Construction and Development awarded a $409,912,888 design-build contract in December 2023 to the American Bridge/Commodore Joint Venture to rehabilitate the RFK Bridge's East River Suspended Spans and anchorages, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. That contract also covers construction of new shared-use pedestrian and bicycle paths across the bridge.
To get workers safely underneath the span, Eagle Scaffolding Services installed custom system scaffolding and stair towers for American Bridge Company at the Wards Island and Queens anchorages in September, giving crews access beneath the roadway where sub-deck repairs are performed. The arrangement reflects how maintenance teams typically navigate and position heavy equipment over the active roadway and waterway below.
A 90-Year-Old Crossing Still Carrying Heavy Traffic
The bridge, originally opened as the Triborough Bridge on July 11, 1936, spans 14 miles of roadways and carried 69.7 million vehicles in 2025 across its three interconnected spans, according to MTA Bridges and Tunnels, which marked the complex's 90th anniversary of operations this year.
The RFK Bridge complex carries an average of roughly 170,000 vehicles daily across Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx, which is why even a brief closure like Tuesday's can ripple across three boroughs, per the Queens Gazette.
Open Questions on Why the Plate Fell
MTA Police say they are investigating the incident, and it remains unclear why the steel plate fell or whether securing equipment failed to hold the load.
No further details on the cause of Wednesday's plate failure had been released as of this report.
