Water is everywhere, as are neon orange barricades marking the latest road and bridge closings.

Allenwood and its neighbor in Ocean County, Brick Township, have at least six churches that have been affected by the bridge closing.

'Convenience' Eliminated "The bridge closing has certainly eliminated the convenience factor in getting here," said Cherie Carl, the music director at Trinity Baptist Church.

Her commute, normally about an hour, was stretched to two and a half hours by the bridge closing.

Reduced demand has been demonstrated in a number of studies associated with bridge closings (to be repaired) or major roads rehabilitation projects.

"During the first year of the bridge closing we lost some excellent salespeople because of the drop-off in sales," Mr. Sherman said.

"We're not going anywhere," he told the murmuring crowd, adding that as long as there were attacks against Iraqi or American troops the house searches and roadblocks and bridge closings would continue.

Suburban residents have blocked access routes to Kahnawake in retaliation for the Mohawks' bridge closing.

The engineers said the two bridges in Brooklyn and the Bronx could be just the beginning of more bridge closings throughout the city because of budget cuts.

This reality stands in stark contrast to the widespread perception that the city is falling apart - a perception fostered by bridge closings, decaying subway stations and frequent water-main breaks.