Kosciuszko Bridge, 1939.

The Kosciuszko Bridge (originally called Meeker Avenue Bridge) is a vehicular bridge that replaced the old Penny Bridge over the Newtown Creek. It opened in August of 1939. The new structure was substantially larger than the earlier bridges. The two three-lane roadways, each 32-ft wide, were constructed of steel and 88,000 cubic yards of concrete.

One year after its opening, Mayor La Guardia renamed the bridge after Tadeusz Kościuszko, a Polish military leader who volunteered on the American side during the Revolutionary War. The renaming ceremony was attended by thousands, largely Polish-Americans, many of whom lived in nearby Greenpoint.

After long term studies of bridge infrastructure in the 1990s, the city decided the structure would need to be replaced. In 2014 a contract was awarded for a new cable-stayed bridge with new east and westbound viaducts. In the summer of 2017, after the first new viaduct is complete, the DOT plans on demolishing the original structure by blowing it up.