Roosevelt Island Bridge
The Roosevelt Island Bridge is a bridge in New York. It is a lift bridge. It connects Roosevelt Island in Manhattan to Astoria in Queens. It crosses the East Channel of the East River. The bridge is the only route to the island for vehicles and foot traffic, except for public transportation.
| Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Design | Lift bridge |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 8,313 (2016)[1] |
| Location | |
| Script error: The function "auto" does not exist. | |
| Script error: The function "autocaption" does not exist. | |
History
Construction of the bridge began on March 17, 1952. The cost was $6.5 million. It opened on May 18, 1955, as the Welfare Island Bridge.[3] The name was changed to the Roosevelt Island Bridge in 1973.[4]
Before the bridge was built, the only way vehicles could access Roosevelt Island was by using an elevator on the Queensboro Bridge.[5] The elevator was torn down in 1970.
In 2001, the New York City Department of Transportation considered converting the Roosevelt Island Bridge into a fixed bridge. This was to reduce the cost of its maintenance. The bridge is rarely opened (raised for ships to go underneath), because most ships passing by Roosevelt Island use the West Channel of the East River.[4] Most of the bridge openings occur in September during the General Assembly at the United Nations. During this time the West Channel is closed for security reasons.[6]
When the bridge is raised for ships to go underneath, the distance between the water and the bridge is 100 feet (30 m). The bridge is 40 feet (12 m) wide. Its total length, including approaches, is 2,877 feet (877 m). The main span (distance across) is 418 feet (127 m) long.
The Roosevelt Island Bridge provides direct access to the 'Motorgate Parking Garage', which was designed to minimize vehicle traffic on the island. The garage was completed in 1974 and later expanded in 1990.
References
- ↑ "New York City Bridge Traffic Volumes" (PDF). New York City Department of Transportation. 2016. p. 10. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Roosevelt Island Bridge Facts". New York City Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on May 4, 2010. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
- ↑ Welfare Island Gets Own Bridge; $6,500,000 Link With Long Island City Is Opened by Jack and Lundy. May 19, 1955. p. 33. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10617F6385E107B93CBA8178ED85F418585F9. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lippincott, E.E. (January 14, 2001). Neighborhood Report: Roosevelt Island; ... and a Recommendation to Make Its Only Bridge an Immovable Object. https://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/14/nyregion/neighborhood-report-roosevelt-island-recommendation-make-its-only-bridge.html. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
- ↑ Guide to Civil Engineering Projects In and Around New York City (2nd ed.). Metropolitan Section, American Society of Civil Engineers. 2009. p. 45.
- ↑ "Roosevelt Island Bridge". New York City Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on 2008-06-09. Retrieved 2010-02-27.