New York, US' iconic Gothic-style Brooklyn Bridge - linking Manhattan with the eponymous borough - is to get a US$508m (£346.2m, €415m) makeover.

The four-year project, kicked off on 2 June by New York mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and vice president Joe Biden, is supported by US$30m (£20.4m, €24.5m) in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds and the latest in more than US$5bn-worth (£3.41bn, €4.1bn) of bridge investments in the city since 2002. The project will reconstruct the roadway surface over the bridge's masonry arch blocks, install a waterproofing seal and a new drainage system, and rehabilitate and seismically retrofit steel support structures.

Further work will see the vehicle entrance ramp from the southbound FDR Drive and the Brooklyn-side exit ramp to Cadman Plaza expanded from one to two lanes to improve traffic flow, while a repaint of the bridge's steelwork will prevent corrosion of bridge components. Most of the work will be done at night, involving lane closures for Manhattan-bound traffic, although full closure will be required for around 24 weekends. Brooklyn-bound traffic will not be affected and the bridge's pedestrian and bicycle promenade will remain open.

One of the oldest suspension bridges in the US, the Brooklyn Bridge was completed in 1883 and spans New York's East River. At 5,989ft long (1,825m) it was the world's longest suspension bridge until 1903. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964. Image copyright Jeffrey Bary