Manhattan Bridge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Manhattan Bridge | |
 View from the East River |
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| Carries | 7 lanes of roadway, 4 tracks of the B D N Q trains of the New York City Subway, pedestrians, and bicycles |
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| Crosses | East River |
| Locale | Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York City |
| Maintained by | New York City Department of Transportation |
| Design | Suspension bridge |
| Longest span | 448.06 meters (1,470 feet) |
| Total length | 2,089.40 meters (6,855 feet) |
| AADT | 80,000 |
| Opening date | December 31, 1909 |
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The Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the East River in New York City, connecting Lower Manhattan with Brooklyn. The bridge was opened on December 31, 1909 and was designed and built by Polish bridge engineer Ralph Modjeski with the deflection cables designed by Leon Moisseiff, who later designed the infamous Tacoma Narrows Bridge in 1940. It has 4 vehicle lanes on the upper level (split between two roadways), and 3 vehicle lanes, 4 subway tracks, a walkway and a bikeway on the lower level. The upper level has 2 lanes in each direction, and the lower level can be one-way in peak direction or have 2 lanes in one direction and the other in the opposite direction. It once carried New York State Route 27 and later was planned to carry Interstate 478. No tolls are charged for motor vehicles to use Manhattan Bridge.
A new pedestrian walkway opened on the south side of the bridge in June 2001. It was also used by bicycles until late summer 2004, when a dedicated bicycle path was opened on the north side of the bridge.
- Span 1,470 ft (448 m)
- anchorage-anchorage length 2,920 ft (890 m)
- total length 6,855 ft (2,089 m)
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[edit] The bridge and I-478
As part of the construction of the Lower Manhattan Expressway, there were plans to make the Manhattan Bridge Interstate 478 but since this interstate would have led to a crosstown expressway and the existing Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, the FHWA said that the first digit should be even so I-478 was chosen.[1] However, with the cancellation of I-78 through New York City, the spur was dubbed useless. After that, I-478 was again proposed to go onto a controlled access West Side Highway (which was to be renamed to the Westway). After that was cancelled, I-478 was again proposed to go up the Grand Central Parkway, which was to be upgraded to allow trucks. That proposal was killed. Finally, I-478 was proposed to go up the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. Although this plan did pass, no interstate markers have been assembled on this route.
[edit] The Manhattan Bridge in Film
The Bridge is featured prominently in director Sergio Leone's gangster epic Once Upon a Time in America. In The Cowboy Way, the two main cowboy characters chase a B train over the bridge to rescue a friend in grave danger. The alien spacecraft that destroys New York in Independence Day makes its entrance over the Manhattan Bridge. The Bridge is also featured prominently in director Peter Jackson's 2005 remake of King Kong. In the 1930s period a very steep, simple ramp is used by automobiles to access the Bridge in contrast to today's integrated gradual ramp system into the surrounding roadways. The bridge is featured in an action traffic scene in the 1973 James Bond film Live and Let Die along the East River Drive when James Bond's CIA driver is assassinated by the villain Whisper in a pimpmobile and Bond has to steer the car through dangerous New York traffic.
[edit] References
- ^ 3 digit interstates x78, accessed December 19, 2006
[edit] External links
- Bridges at New York City DOT
- NYCroads.com - Manhattan Bridge
- NYCsubway.org - Manhattan Bridge FAQ Sheet
- Transportation Alternatives Fiboro Bridges - Manhattan Bridge
- NYCfoto.com - Photos of Manhattan Bridge
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps or Yahoo! Maps
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Satellite image from Google Maps or Microsoft Virtual Earth
 Cross section of the bridge |
 Manhattan Bridge arch on the Manhattan side |
 The iconic Manhattan Bridge panorama scene in "Once Upon a Time in America |
 cross section illustrating the bridge's lane layout |
 as seen from FDR Drive |
| Crossings of the East River | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Upstream Rutgers Street Tunnel  |
Manhattan Bridge    |
Downstream Brooklyn Bridge |
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