New York's Best Bridges

New York's Best Bridges

by Shawn Pratten

When navigating between NYC's five neighborhoods (known as boroughs), traveling under or over the water at some point is inevitable. That's why the city has a number of well known and historic bridges that connect the boroughs of New York City.

Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge is likely the most widely known of all the New York bridges and connects the borough of Brooklyn to Manhattan. When it opened in 1883, it was at the time, the longest suspension bridge in the world. It was 1,597 feet, and is listed today as a historic monument. The bridge was designed by German engineer John Roebling in the latter 1860s, though he unhappily did not live long enough to see it built. Roebling's son took over the building of the Brooklyn bridge to continue his father's legacy.

Queensboro Bridge

One of most busy bridges in NY is the Queensboro bridge, which connects Queens to Manhattan. This five-span cantilever bridge sees around 180,000 motorists cross annually, with thousands of pedestrians and cyclists. Built between 1901 and 1909, it's a collaboration between engineer Gustav Lindenthal and designer Henry Hornbostel. Comprising of seventy-five thousand tons of steel, the project cost $18 million and was at one previous point the longest cantilever bridge in the U.S.

Manhattan Bridge

Most Manhattan Bridges are suspension bridges and the Manhattan bridge isn't an exception. Opened in 1909, it connects Manhattan to Brooklyn and spans 1,470 feet across the East River. Costing $31 million, the bridge was at first designed for trains and streetcars, but auto lanes replaced the street vehicles around the 1940s. The entrance arches to the bridge were famously influenced by the Porte St. Dennis in Paris and designed by Carrere and Hastings, the firm behind the New York Public Library.

Williamsburg Bridge

Also spanning between Brooklyn and Manhattan, the Williamsburg Bridge is one of the most active bridges in NY. Over 140,000 motorists use the bridge yearly, together with hundreds of cyclists and foot traffic. When it opened in 1903 it announced the title of longest suspension bridge span in the world at 1,600 feet, just beating the Brooklyn Bridge. Like the Queensboro Bridge, Williamsburg was designed by Lindenthal.

George Washington Bridge

The George Washington Bridge connects Manhattan to New Jersey across the Hudson River. When the bridge opened in 1931 the bridge was twice as long as any other suspension bridge of the time at 4,760 feet. Today the George Washington bridge sees over 52 million vehicles cross its span each year. It was Othmar Ammann, a Swiss architect, who designed the bridge after a century-long search for an appropriate design.



Shawn Pratten has been interested in <a href="http://www.landmarksinnewyork.com/landmarks/bridges-in-new-york/">New York bridges</a> for a number of years. He has written op-eds and editorial pieces for many online publications. For more information, come visit his site at<a href="http://www.landmarksinnewyork.com/landmarks">http://www.landmarksinnewyork.com/landmarks/</a>.

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