NYC Bridges
With the borough of Manhattan being an
island, the only way to connect the five
boroughs of New York City was by bridges and
tunnels. As a result, NYC has more than its
share of these connecting lifelines. Here we
offer an overview of the ten bridges and
three tunnels that get people to where they
are going.
Triborough Bridge
(Robert F. Kennedy Bridge)
The Triborough Bridge is a complex
of three separate bridges in New York City.
Spanning the Harlem River, the Bronx Kill,
and the Hell Gate (part of the East River),
the bridges connect the boroughs of
Manhattan, Queens, and The Bronx via
Randall's Island and Wards Island, which are
joined by landfill. See
Pictures of the Triborough Bridge.
Throgs Neck Bridge
The Throgs Neck Bridge is a
suspension bridge opened on January 11,
1961, which carries Interstate 295 over the
East River where it meets the Long Island
Sound. The bridge connects the Throgs Neck
section of the Bronx with the Bay Terrace
section of Queens. See Pictures of the
Throgs Neck Bridge. See
Pictures of the Throgs Neck Bridge.
Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
(History
Video)
The Verrazano Narrows Bridge was the worlds longest suspension span when it opened. The
double-decked bridge connects
Brooklyn and Staten Island. Its 693 foot high towers are 1 5/8 inches farther apart at their tops than at their bases because the 4,260 foot distance between them made it necessary to compensate for the earths curvature.
See
Pictures of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.
Bronx-Whitestone Bridge
The Bronx-Whitestone Bridge is a
suspension bridge in New York City that
crosses the East River and connects the
boroughs of Queens on Long Island and The
Bronx via Interstate 678. See
Pictures of the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge.
Henry Hudson Bridge
Named in honor of Henry Hudson
the bridge opened in 1936. The Henry Hudson
Bridge is a steel arch toll bridge in New
York City across the Spuyten Duyvil Creek.
It connects the Spuyten Duyvil section of
The Bronx with the northern end of Manhattan
to the south. On the Manhattan side, it
touches Inwood Hill Park. See
Pictures of the Henry Hudson Bridge.
Brooklyn Bridge
One of New York City’s most celebrated architectural wonders at the time of its completion in 1883, the
Brooklyn Bridge is the longest suspension bridge in the world. Anchored across the lower East River by two towers and steel-wire cables.
It connects the NYC boroughs of Brooklyn and Manhattan.
See
Pictures of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Williamsburg Bridge
The Williamsburg Bridge is the
largest of the three suspension bridges that
span the East River connecting the Lower
East Side of Manhattan at Delancey Street
with the Williamsburg neighborhood of
Brooklyn at Broadway near the
Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. See
Pictures of the Williamsburg Bridge.
Manhattan Bridge
Completed in 1903, it was the
last of the three suspension bridges built
across the lower East River, following the
Brooklyn and the Williamsburg Bridges. The
Manhattan Bridge connects Lower Manhattan at
Canal Street with Flatbush Avenue in
Brooklyn. See
Pictures of the Manhattan Bridge.
Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge
The two-decked Queensboro Bridge is one of the greatest cantilever bridges in the history of American bridge design. The silver-painted trusses span the East River between 59th Street in Manhattan and Long Island City in Queens and offer spectacular views of midtown Manhattan, highlighted by the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and the United Nations. Often referred to as the 59th Street Bridge.
See
Pictures of the Queensboro Bridge.
George Washington Bridge
The two-level George Washington Bridge (GWB) crosses the Hudson River from upper Manhattan (West 178th Street) and New Jersey. The George Washington Bridge is home to the worlds largest American flag. The flag is 90 feet
long and 60 feet wide with stripes 5 feet wide. The flag is flown on the following eight holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day
as well on dates honoring those lost in the
September 11, 2001 attacks. See
Pictures of the George Washington Bridge.
NYC Tunnels
Lincoln Tunnel
The Lincoln Tunnel is a 1.5-mile
long tunnel under the Hudson River,
connecting Weehawken, New Jersey and the
borough of Manhattan in New York City. It
became a National Historic Civil and Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1984. The Lincoln Tunnel is the worlds only three-tube underwater tunnel.
See
Pictures of the Lincoln Tunnel.
Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel
The Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel is a toll
road in New York City which crosses under
the East River at its mouth, connecting the
Borough of Brooklyn on Long Island with the
Borough of Manhattan. It consists of
twin tubes, carrying four traffic lanes, and
at 9,117 feet is the longest continuous
underwater vehicular tunnel in North
America. The Manhattan end of the tunnel leads to the Wall Street area, the South Street Seaport, City Hall/Civic Center, Battery Park City, the World Trade Center, and the World Financial Center.
See
Pictures of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel.
Queens Midtown Tunnel
The Queens Midtown Tunnel, also
known as the Midtown Tunnel, was opened in 1940.
It crosses under the East River and connects
the Borough of Queens on Long Island with
the Borough of Manhattan. The tunnel
consists of twin tubes carrying four traffic
lanes, and is 6,414 feet long. See
Pictures of the Queens Midtown Tunnel.
Our
links to additional bridge and tunnel
information provide access to the
Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. We
link to
Google images for the pictures they
provide access to.
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