Since the American Revolutionary War, there have been plans to link City Island with the mainland via means of a bridge.

The bridge had five fixed spans and a central swing section, through which ships could pass.

[17]: 104–106 [18] Due to the project postponement, during 2010 repairs were made to the existing bridge deck, piers, and west abutment.

[17]: 140  Due to a lack of funding the project was delayed once more until the city announced it would accept bids in late 2012, with Tutor Perini selected as general contractor in February 2013.

[22] Some residents, however, opposed the design of the cable-stayed bridge and felt that its tower would be out of character with the low-rise homes on City Island.

[24] In December 2013 the court lifted the injunction, but ruled that the city must conduct public hearings.

[25] The city's prior consultations with the island community, which began during the early design stages, had been informal.

The court's ruling requires the city to follow its Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, which includes local Community Board hearings.

[31] The NYCDOT conducted the tests to ease residents' concerns about the integrity of the temporary structure.