Rector bridge to reopen soon

The Rector St. bridge could reopen as soon as the end of the week.

The pedestrian bridge closed last month because facade work at the nearby office building at 40 Rector St. made the bridge’s eastern staircase unsafe. But the owner of 40 Rector is building a shed to protect the stairs on Thursday and the Dept. of Buildings will inspect it on Friday, representatives of the state Dept. of Transportation said at a Community Board 1 meeting Tuesday night.

The bridge will stay open until mid- or late-June, when the 40 Rector work finishes, and then it will close for about eight weeks so state D.O.T. can move the eastern staircase for the Route 9A project. At the same time, the Battery Park City Authority will make improvements to the bridge.