Queensboro Bridge

This article is about the bridge in New York City. For the bridge in New Westminster, British Columbia, see Queensborough Bridge.

The Queensboro Bridge, officially named the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, is a cantilever bridge over the East River in New York City. Completed in 1909, it connects the Long Island City neighborhood in the borough of Queens with the East Midtown and Upper East Side neighborhoods in Manhattan, passing over Roosevelt Island. The bridge is also known as the 59th Street Bridge because its Manhattan end is located between 59th and 60th streets. It consists of five steel spans measuring 3,725 ft (1,135 m) long; including approaches, its total length is 7,449 ft (2,270 m).

Queensboro Bridge
Eastward view from Manhattan in 2010
Coordinates	40°45′25″N 73°57′18″W / 40.757°N 73.955°W / 40.757; -73.955
Carries	9 lanes (4 upper, 5 lower) of NY 25 1 lane for pedestrians/bicycles
Crosses	East River
Locale	New York City (Manhattan–Queens)
Official name	Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge
Other name(s)	59th Street Bridge
Maintained by	New York City Department of Transportation
ID number	2240048
Characteristics
Design	Double-decked cantilever bridge
Total length	7,449 ft (2,270 m)
Width	100 ft (30 m)
Height	350 ft (110 m)
Longest span	1,182 ft (360 m) (west span)
No. of spans	5
Clearance above	12 ft (3.7 m) (upper level)
Clearance below	130 ft (40 m)
History
Architect	Henry Hornbostel
Designer	Gustav Lindenthal
Engineering design by	Leffert L. Buck
Opened	March 30, 1909; 114 years ago (1909-03-30)
Statistics
Daily traffic	160,111 (2019)^[1]
Toll	Free
Queensboro Bridge
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
New York State Register of Historic Places
New York City Landmark No. 0828
Architectural style	Beaux-Arts; through cantilever truss
NRHP reference No.	78001879^[2]
NYSRHP No.	06101.000495
NYCL No.	0828
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	December 20, 1978
Designated NYSRHP	June 23, 1980
Designated NYCL	April 16, 1974
Location

The Queensboro Bridge carries New York State Route 25 (NY 25), which terminates at the bridge's western end in Manhattan. The bridge has two levels: an upper level with a pair of two-lane roadways, and a lower level with five vehicular lanes and a walkway/bike lane. The western leg of the Queensboro Bridge is flanked on its northern side by the Roosevelt Island Tramway. The Queensboro Bridge is the northernmost of four toll-free vehicular bridges connecting Manhattan Island to Long Island, along with the Williamsburg, Manhattan, and Brooklyn bridges to the south. It lies along the courses of the New York City Marathon and the Five Boro Bike Tour.

Serious proposals for a bridge linking Manhattan to Long Island City were first made as early as 1838, but various 19th-century plans to erect such a bridge, including two proposals by Queens doctor Thomas Rainey, never came to fruition. After the creation of the City of Greater New York in 1898, plans for a city-operated bridge were finalized in 1901. The bridge opened for public use on March 30, 1909, and was initially used by pedestrians, motor vehicles, elevated trains, and trolleys. Elevated service was withdrawn in 1942, followed by trolley service in 1957. The upper-level roadway was built in two phases in the early 1930s and the late 1950s. Designated as a New York City landmark in 1973, the bridge was renovated extensively from the late 1970s to the 1990s. The bridge was officially renamed in 2011 in honor of former New York City mayor Ed Koch. and another renovation occurred in the early 2020s.

Name

The Queensboro Bridge was originally named in honor of the borough of Queens, which, at the time of the bridge's construction in 1909, was largely rural. It was the third bridge across the East River to be named after a New York City borough, after the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge.^[3] By the late 20th century, the Queensboro Bridge was also known as the 59th Street Bridge, after its terminus in Manhattan. This name caused controversy among some Queens residents who felt that the 59th Street Bridge name did not honor the borough of Queens.^[3][4]

On December 8, 2010, Mayor Bloomberg announced that the bridge would be renamed in honor of former mayor Ed Koch from the Queensboro Bridge to the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge. The announcement was made the same week the New York State Legislature voted to rename the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel in honor of former Governor Hugh Carey.^[5] The new name became official in March 2011.^[6][7] The renaming decision was unpopular among Queens residents and business leaders, and many local residents continue to refer to the bridge by its older name.^[8] New York City Council member Peter Vallone Jr. from Queens vowed to remove Koch's name from the bridge.^[6]

Description

The Queensboro Bridge is a two-level double cantilever bridge, with separate cantilevered spans over channels on each side of Roosevelt Island joined by a fixed central truss.^[9] In all, it has five steel truss spans, as well as approach viaducts on either side.^[10] The total length of the five spans, between the anchorages on the Manhattan and Queens sides, are approximately 3,725 ft (1,135 m),^[10][11][12] of which 2,166 feet (660 m) are above water.^[13] In addition, there is a 1,052-foot-long (321 m) approach viaduct in Manhattan and a 2,588-foot-long (789 m) approach viaduct in Queens, connecting the anchorages on either side to street level. This brings the bridge's total length to 7,449 ft (2,270 m).^[10][a]

Spans

The lengths of the steel spans are as follows, from the westernmost span to the easternmost:^[10][12][16]

• Manhattan anchorage to Manhattan pier: 469.5 ft (143.1 m)
• Manhattan pier to Roosevelt Island western pier (cantilever above the East River's west channel): 1,182 ft (360 m)
• Roosevelt Island western pier to Roosevelt Island eastern pier: 630 ft (190 m)
• Roosevelt Island eastern pier to Queens pier (cantilever above the East River's east channel): 984 ft (300 m)
• Queens pier to Queens anchorage: 459 ft (140 m)

The bridge was intended to carry a dead load of 32,200 pounds per foot (47,900 kg/m).^[12] Each span includes two parallel lines of trusses, one each on the north and south sides of the bridge; the centers of these trusses are spaced 60 feet (18 m) apart.^[15] The bottom chord of each set of trusses is composed of box girders, while the top chord is composed of eyebars measuring 8 to 12 inches (200 to 300 mm) deep.^[16] The trusses range in height from 45 to 118 feet (14 to 36 m) between the bottom and top chords; the steel towers atop each pier measure 185 feet (56 m) tall.^[12] Unlike other large bridges, the trusses are not suspended; instead, the spans are directly connected to each other.^[17] In addition, there are transverse floor beams, which protrude 13 feet (4.0 m) from the trusses on either side of the deck.^[18] Atop the bridge's topmost chords were originally galvanized steel ropes, which acted as handrails for bridge painters. Five hand-operated scaffolds were also placed on the bridge.^[19]

The spans are cantilevered from steel towers that rise above four central piers.^[15][17] Each cantilevered section measures 808 to 1,061 feet (246 to 323 m) long. The spans above the East River's two channels are composed of cantilever arms, which extend outward from the towers on either side and meet at a set of bents above the middle of each channel. The bents allowed the cantilever arms to move horizontally due to temperature changes, and it allowed structural loads to be distributed between the two arms.^[15] The bridge uses nickel-steel bars that were intended to be 40 to 50 percent stronger than regular structural-steel bars of the same weight. The beams could withstand loads of up to 56,000 pounds (25,000 kg) each, while the nickel-steel eyebars were intended to withstand loads of up to 85,000 pounds (39,000 kg).^[11][12] The decks themselves were designed to carry as much as 16,000 pounds per foot (24,000 kg/m) of bridge.^[20]

The steel spans between the anchorages weigh a total of 52,000 short tons (46,000 long tons; 47,000 t)^[21] and have a maximum grade of 3.41 percent.^[12][22] The spans were intended to be at least 118 feet (36 m) above mean high water;^[23] the bridge reaches a maximum height of 135 feet (41 m)^[20][24] or 140 feet (43 m) above high mean water.^[13] Until it was surpassed by the Quebec Bridge in 1917, the span between Manhattan and Roosevelt Island was the longest cantilever in North America;^[25] it was also the second-longest worldwide, after the Forth Bridge in Scotland.^[16][26]

Levels

When the bridge opened in 1909, its upper level was 67 feet (20 m) wide.^[12][22] The upper level originally contained two pedestrian walkways and two elevated railway tracks (which connected a spur of the IRT Second Avenue Elevated Line in Manhattan to the Queensboro Plaza station in Queens).^[10][27] The upper level also had provisions for two additional tracks between the trusses (taking up the space occupied by the walkways), as well as 13-foot-wide walkways cantilevered outside the trusses.^[12][15] As of 2023^[update], the upper level of the bridge has four lanes of automobile traffic, consisting of a pair of two-lane roadways. Although both roadways end at Thomson Avenue on the Queens side (with ramps to the Queens side), they diverge in opposite directions on the Manhattan side. The two lanes to the north, normally used by westbound traffic, lead to 62nd and 63rd Streets. The two lanes to the south, normally used by eastbound traffic, lead to 57th and 58th Streets.^[28] The southern roadway is used as a westbound high-occupancy vehicle lane during morning rush hours, when all eastbound traffic uses the lower level.^[29]

The lower deck as built was 86 feet (26 m) wide^[12][22] and is divided into three sections: a northern, central, and southern roadway.^[27] The center roadway is 56 feet (17 m) wide and was originally composed of a 36-foot-wide (11 m) general-purpose road in the middle, flanked by a pair of trolley tracks.^[12][18] The northern and southern lower-level roadways each had one additional trolley track, for a total of four trolley tracks.^[18][27] The lower roadway had a wood block pavement.^[10][30] As of 2023^[update], the lower level has five vehicular lanes: two in each direction within the center roadway and one eastbound lane on the southern roadway. The northern lower-level roadway was converted into a permanent pedestrian walk and bicycle path in September 2000.^[31]

Piers

The five spans are supported by six piers; the westernmost and easternmost piers act as anchorages.^[23][32] Each of the piers consists of two columns supported by an elliptical arch measuring 50 feet (15 m) wide.^[23] The piers each measure 130 by 40 feet (40 by 12 m) across at their bases (including the arched openings).^[33] They range from 100 to 125 feet (30 to 38 m) tall, with the piers on Roosevelt Island being the tallest.^[34] The foundations of the Roosevelt Island piers are shallow, since there is bedrock just below the surface of the island. By comparison, the piers in Manhattan and Queens extend over 50 feet (15 m) deep.^[11]

The piers are faced with Maine granite and are attached to a backing made of concrete and Mohawk Valley limestone.^[33] In total, workers used 14,000 cubic yards (11,000 m³) of limestone, 17,000 cubic yards (13,000 m³) of concrete, and 22,800 cubic yards (17,400 m³) of granite to build the bridges.^[23] Above the piers rise the bridge's towers, which contain domed decorations and Art Nouveau-inspired spires.^[32] The towers extend 185 feet (56 m) above the bridge's lower chords.^[20] The tops of the towers are made of 225 granite blocks, which were part of the original design but not added until 1937.^[35] The spires were removed at some point in the 20th century after deteriorating.^[36]

The two anchorages, one each at the Manhattan and Queens ends, are about 500 feet (150 m) inland of the shore.^[37] Each anchorage was built with spiral staircases and elevators.^[34][37] The anchorage in Manhattan is between First Avenue and York Avenue, while the Queens anchorage is near Vernon Boulevard.^[33] The anchorages are topped by small rooms with arched openings.^[38]

Approaches

The approaches on both sides of the bridge are composed of stiffened steel frames, but the Manhattan approach is the only one that is ornately decorated.^[17] The Queens approach consists of a series of elevated concrete-and-steel ramps, which were never formally decorated.^[28]

Manhattan approach

The Manhattan approach to the bridge is supported on a series of Guastavino tile vaults.^[39] The vaults are composed of three layers of tiles, which support themselves and measure 4 inches (100 mm) thick in total. A layer of glazing and small lights were installed in 1918.^[40] The space under the Manhattan approach measures 120 by 270 feet (37 by 82 m) across.^[41][42] It is divided into a series of tiled vaults measuring 30 by 30 feet (9.1 by 9.1 m) across.^[17][42] As the bridge ascends to the east, the floor slopes down and the ceiling slopes up; as such, the ceiling measures 60 feet (18 m) high at its highest point.^[42] The Guastavino tiles cover the steel superstructure of the approach ramp.^[43]

Originally, the vaults were intended as storage space.^[19] From the bridge's 1909 opening, the space under the Manhattan approach was used as a food market.^[41] The food market was renovated in 1933,^[44] but at some point afterward the space was converted to a sign shop and garage.^[41] By the 1970s, the space under the Manhattan approach was used by the Department of Highways.^[42] New York City Center's Cinematheque leased space under the Queensboro Bridge in 1973,^[45] although the Cinematheque never opened due to a lack of money.^[46] A developer proposed the open-air Bridgemarket under the bridge in 1976, which local residents significantly opposed,^[47] and Bridgemarket was not approved until 1996.^[48] Bridgemarket, covering 98,000 square feet (9,100 m²),^[39][49] opened in 1999 at a cost of $24 million.^[39] The store operated until the end of 2015.^[50] In February 2020, it was announced that Trader Joe's was planning to open a supermarket in this space,^[51] which opened in December 2021.^[52][53]

There is a massive bronze lamppost at the end of the Manhattan approach, near the intersection of Second Avenue and 59th Street.^[54][55] Formerly, there was a second lamppost near 60th Street. Both lampposts consisted of thick piers, which were topped by four stanchions (each with a globe-shaped lamp) and a larger spherical lamp in the center.^[56] Each lamppost had five tiers of decorations, and the sides of each lamppost were inscribed with the names of four of the city's five boroughs.^[57] The lampposts were both removed in 1974 when the Roosevelt Island Tramway was developed, but the 59th Street lamppost was restored two years later.^[57][58] Parts of the other lamppost were found in a Queens warehouse in 2012^[54][55] and rededicated on Roosevelt Island in 2015.^[57][58]

•  
  Looking east from Manhattan toward Queens
•  
  Bridgemarket on Manhattan side

Use during races

The Queensboro Bridge has been part of the New York City Marathon course since 1976, when the marathon course traversed all five boroughs for the first time.^[59][60] During the marathon, which happens every November, runners cross the Queensboro Bridge westbound toward Manhattan, then pass under the bridge at First Avenue.^[61]: 121 The bridge is approximately 15 miles (24 km) from the beginning of the course on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. The deck of the bridge was initially covered with carpeting for the 1976 marathon; the carpeting was not used after 1977, when the bridge was repaved.^[60] The bridge is also part of the course of the Five Boro Bike Tour, which occurs every April; contestants traverse the bridge eastbound toward Queens.^[62] As of 2022^[update], the Five Boro Bike Tour uses the northern upper-level roadway.^[63]

Development

Planning

Prior to the construction of the Queensboro Bridge, two ferries connected modern-day Manhattan and Queens, neither of which were near the modern-day bridge. One such ferry connected Borden Avenue in Hunters Point, Queens, to 34th Street in Kips Bay, Manhattan, while the other ferry connected Astoria Boulevard in Astoria, Queens, with 92nd Street on Manhattan's Upper East Side.^[64] Benjamin Henry Latrobe first proposed a masonry bridge between Manhattan and Queens in 1804.^[65] The Family Magazine published an article in 1833, suggesting a bridge between Manhattan and Queens over Roosevelt Island (which then was known as Blackwell's Island).^[66] An architect named R. Graves proposed a three-span suspension bridge linking Manhattan to Long Island City. Queens, in the late 1830s.^{[61]: 13 [65]} John A. Roebling, who would later design the Brooklyn Bridge, proposed suspension bridges at the site in 1847 and 1856.^[65]

First Rainey attempt

An attempt to finance a fixed East River crossing was made in 1867 by wealthy Long Island City residents, who established the New-York and Long Island Bridge Company to erect the crossing.^{[61]: 13 [67]} This group was led by Thomas Rainey, a doctor from Astoria, Queens.^[68] They hired William P. Trowbridge to design a cantilever bridge; he published the design in 1868 and modified it in 1873.^[65] The crossing would have connected 77th Street in Manhattan and 34th Avenue in Queens, passing over the center of Blackwell's Island.^[61]: 13 The New-York and Long Island Bridge Company appointed commissioners for the proposed bridge in 1875^[69][70] and hosted an architectural design competition for the bridge in 1876.^[65][71] Eleven architects submitted designs.^[65] A cantilever design by Charles Macdonald and the Delaware Bridge Company was selected in early 1877.^[72][73] The Blackwell's Island Bridge, as it was known, would have carried railroad tracks and vehicular traffic on two levels;^[74][75] it would have been 135 feet (41 m) high and over 1 mile (1.6 km) long.^[76] Despite assurances that the bridge could be completed in two years,^[77][78] no action had been taken by 1878, a year after the plans were approved.^[74]

After half of the Blackwell's Island Bridge's $5 million cost had been raised, media sources reported in May 1881 that work was to commence shortly;^[79][80] a cofferdam for one of the bridge's piers was installed that month.^[81][82] By the next year, the cost had increased to $6.3 million.^[83] The United States Congress approved plans for the bridge in 1887.^[68] The same month, a second company had been incorporated to build a parallel span at the south end of Blackwell's Island.^[84][85] By 1887, Rainey's bridge had been relocated southward so its western terminus was near Lexington Avenue between 64th and 65th Streets.^[86][87] The city's dock commissioners voted in September 1888 to not let the New-York and Long Island Bridge Company construct an underwater pier for the bridge.^[88] The following year, Rainey sought to have the bridge relocated further north.^[89][90] A state justice prevented the company from appointing commissioners to condemn land for the bridge in 1889, and the justice found that the bridge's charter was invalid.^[91][92] Nonetheless, Rainey's efforts to build the bridge made his name "a household word in western Long Island".^[93]

Second Rainey attempt

 

Bridge seen from Manhattan, c. 1908

By the 1890s, Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) president Austin Corbin had merged the two rival plans for the Blackwell's Island Bridge into a single proposal.^[94] Rainey resubmitted plans for the bridge in early 1890.^[95][96] Although the proposal was supported by the New York State Legislature,^[97] the state's governor vetoed the plan.^[98][99] Rainey persisted, and the state legislature passed a bill in May 1892, allowing the bridge to be built provided that construction commence by 1893.^[100][101] The state legislature also gave Rainey a charter for the Blackwell's Island Bridge in mid-1892.^[102] Rainey requested the city's permission to purchase land on either side of Blackwell's Island in early 1893;^[103][104] at the time, he predicted that the span could be finished within three years.^[105] Rainey's group paid the city $15,000 for the right to use some land in Manhattan and on either side of Blackwell's Island for the construction of piers.^[94] An article in the New-York Tribune emphasized the need for the new bridge, as the Brooklyn Bridge, the only fixed crossing between Manhattan and Long Island (of which Queens was part), was heavily congested.^[106] Corbin received an option to buy out Rainey's charter.^[107]

A groundbreaking ceremony for the bridge was held at 64th Street in Manhattan on August 19, 1894.^[108][109] The span was planned as a cantilever bridge carrying four Long Island Rail Road tracks, as well as roadways and footpaths.^[108][110] Had the bridge been completed, it would have measured 135 feet (41 m) high and 2,855 feet (870 m) long from the Manhattan pier to the Queens pier.^[108] Real-estate developers predicted that the bridge would spur development on Long Island,^[110] and local media predicted that the bridge would increase real-estate values in Queens.^[111][112] By that November, two cofferdams were being sunk for the bridge's piers.^[113][114] Laborers began constructing foundations for another pier on the eastern shore of Blackwell Island in April 1895.^[115] Stone and steel contracts had been awarded by the following year, and construction on two of the piers had reached above water level.^[116]

The two piers were the only structures built before construction was halted,^[117][118] first due to lawsuits, then because of Corbin's death.^[107] In 1897, the U.S. House of Representatives extended the timeline for the first bridge's completion to 1900^[117][119] or 1902.^[120] Manhattan and Queens were merged into the City of Greater New York in 1898,^[121] spurring alternate plans for the bridge.^[122] New York Assembly members proposed separate bills in early 1898 to revoke Rainey's franchise for the bridge^[123] and to have the city purchase Rainey's franchise.^[124] Rainey vowed not to sell his franchise to the consolidated New York City government.^[107][125] The state legislature passed a bill in March 1900 allowing the city to take over Rainey's franchise.^[126][127] Although Rainey himself eventually consented to the city's takeover of his franchise,^[128] mayor Robert Anderson Van Wyck wanted to build a new bridge in a slightly different location.^[129]

Post-unification approval

A New York state senator introduced legislation in early 1897 to permit the development of a second, toll-free bridge between Manhattan and Queens;^[130] the city government was to pay for the bridge.^[122] At a meeting in Long Island City in February 1898, a group of men from both boroughs were appointed to consider plans for the bridge.^[93] The plan received endorsements from Queens' borough president,^[131] civic groups in the borough,^[132] and the Democratic Senatorial Convention.^[133] Conversely, several businessmen from Brooklyn wanted another bridge between their borough and Manhattan to be built first,^[134] as did city comptroller Bird S. Coler, who said Brooklyn was densely populated while Queens was still largely rural.^[135] By late 1898, Queens residents were threatening to not vote for the Democratic Party (of which Van Wyck was part) if the construction of the bridge did not begin shortly.^[136][137] The city allocated $100,000 for preliminary surveys and borings for the Blackwell's Island Bridge, as well as the Williamsburg Bridge between Manhattan and Brooklyn, at the end of 1898.^[138][139]

In early 1899, R. S. Buck published plans for an asymmetrical cantilever bridge connecting Queens with Manhattan;^[67] the early plans called for a utilitarian design.^[32] The New York City Bridge Department's chief engineer finalized plans for the bridge in October 1899. The span would measure 150 feet (46 m) wide and 2,710 feet (830 m) long, with roadways, footpaths, trolley tracks, elevated railroad tracks, and bike paths.^[140] Coler drew up a competing plan for a tunnel between Queens and Manhattan via Blackwell's Island;^[141][142] he claimed that the tunnel would cost $1.9 million, while the bridge would cost $13 million.^[143] The Board of Aldermen initially refused to approve a $1 million appropriation for the bridge, as it would preclude the construction of a tunnel.^[144] The board approved the appropriation at the end of 1899, but the New York City Council did not give its approval.^[145][146] A state assemblyman proposed a bill in January 1900 to appoint commissioners for the construction of a bridge or tunnel between Manhattan and Queens.^[147]

The city's Municipal Assembly initially failed to authorize an ordinance for the bridge's construction due to opposition from Tammany Hall politicians.^[148][149] The ordinance was approved that November; the bridge was relocated southward so its Manhattan end was near 60th Street.^[150][151] The United States Department of War, which had to certify the plans for the bridge before any work could begin,^[152] approved the span's construction in February 1901.^[153][154] In conjunction with the bridge's construction, there were proposals to convert Blackwell's Island into a public park.^[152][155] At the time, the crossing was referred to as East River Bridge No. 4;^[156][157] the Board of Aldermen voted to officially rename it the Blackwell's Island Bridge in March 1902.^[158]

Construction

Pier construction and proposed modifications

R. S. Buck and his assistants were directed to prepare plans for the sites of the bridge's piers and anchorages, as well as plans for the foundations.^[156][157] The Department of Bridges received bids for the foundations in June 1901, with Ryan & Parker as the low bidder.^[159][160] Groundbreaking for the bridge took place that September.^[16] After Seth Low was elected as the city's mayor in late 1901, he promised that work on the bridge would continue, even though the city's new bridge commissioner, Gustav Lindenthal, indicated his intention to temporarily halt construction.^[161] Lindenthal narrowed the bridge from 120 to 80 feet (37 to 24 m).^[162][163] The modifications would allow the city to save $850,000^[164] while allowing the city to build toll booths, as well as stairs and elevators to Blackwell's Island, within these piers.^[165] To compensate for the reduced width, a 45-foot-wide (14 m) upper deck would be built.^[164] By January 1902, only $42,000 had been spent on the project.^[16]

In June 1902, a subcommittee of the New York City Board of Estimate requested another $5 million for construction.^[166] The same month, Lindenthal ordered Ryan & Parker to stop working on the bridge, but the firm refused to comply with his order,^[167][168] saying they would lose large amounts of money if work were halted.^[162] Lindenthal submitted the modified plans to the Municipal Art Society for approval but withdrew them that July,^[169] and he also allowed Ryan & Parker to continue constructing the piers.^[170] Lindenthal decided to significantly modify his plans.^[171] Queens residents strongly protested any design changes,^[172] and Lindenthal finally agreed not to change the bridge's width.^[173] By mid-1902, Lindenthal was requesting an additional $3.78 million for the bridge's completion.^[174] In October, a special committee recommended that Lindenthal's plans be rejected, saying that it would cost the city more if construction were halted and that two other East River bridges were also about 120 feet wide.^[175] City comptroller Edward M. Grout, meanwhile, wanted work on the Blackwell's Island Bridge to be slowed down so the Manhattan Bridge could be completed.^[176]

Low appointed a group of engineering experts that November to review Lindenthal's revised plans.^[177] The experts concluded that neither the original proposal nor Lindenthal's revision were sufficient and suggested that the bridge instead be 91 feet (28 m) wide.^[178][179] The approaches on either side retained their original 120-foot width,^[180] as did the piers themselves.^[181] Henry Hornbostel was directed in early 1903 to prepare drawings of the bridge's towers and roadway,^[182] though no architectural contract had been awarded yet.^[183] By mid-1903, the piers were two-thirds completed.^[184] The bedrock under the Queens side of the bridge was very close to the ground, so work on the piers in Queens was able to proceed more rapidly than work on the other piers.^[38] The Board of Estimate appropriated an additional $3.86 million for the bridge's construction in July 1903.^[185] Low rejected a plan for widening 59th Street to serve as the bridge's Manhattan approach,^[186] and Queens residents disagreed over plans for the Queens approach.^[187] The final plans called for the Queens approach to end at Crescent Street; a new boulevard, Queens Plaza, would connect the approach to Jackson Avenue and Queens Boulevard.^[188] All of the piers were finished by May 1904,^[33][34] and city officials inspected the bridge's piers that July.^[26][189]

Initial work on superstructure

The Pennsylvania Steel Company submitted a bid to construct the bridge's superstructure for $5.3 million in September 1903; Lindenthal rejected the bid, suspecting that the company was engaging in collusion.^[190] The city requested further bids for the superstructure the next month,^[191] but an injunction prevented Lindenthal from awarding a steel contract.^[192] The Pennsylvania Steel Company received the steel contract that November,^[193][194] and the Art Commission approved plans for the bridge's spires the same month.^[195] Just before Lindenthal left office, the city received bids for four elevator towers and two powerhouses for the bridge at the end of 1903;^[196] the powerhouses were to supply the elevators.^[197] These elevators were to be positioned within the ends of the piers, which would make it impossible to widen the piers at a later date.^[181] City corrections commissioner Francis J. Lantry opposed the elevators because they would allow prisoners on Blackwell's Island to escape.^[198] In early 1904, Lindenthal's successor George Best canceled plans for ornamentation on the bridge.^[199]

The Pennsylvania Steel Company was obligated to complete the superstructure by the beginning of 1907,^[181] and it submitted drawings for the construction of the superstructure in mid-1904.^[34] Later that year, Best postponed construction of the bridge's elevators and power houses,^[200] and the city authorized another $400,000 for the bridge's construction.^[201] Local merchants protested the postponement of the elevators, saying it would not save money.^[202] Before work on the superstructure began, workers erected seventeen temporary 135-foot-tall (41 m) bents between the two piers on Blackwell's Island.^[203] When the bents were almost complete, ironworkers organized a sympathetic strike in June 1905, in solidarity with striking workers at the Pennsylvania Steel Company's Harrisburg factory.^[204][205] The work stoppage lasted a month,^[206] during which workers were not allowed to complete steel castings for the bridge.^[207] By that August, over 6,000 short tons (5,400 long tons; 5,400 t) of steel castings had been completed, and another 20,000 short tons (18,000 long tons; 18,000 t) of castings were being fabricated.^[208] There was not enough material to begin constructing the superstructure.^[209] There were so few workers on site, a local group estimated that the bridge would not be completed for fifty years.^[210]

Work on the superstructure began later in 1905.^[211] By that November, workers had erected part of a steel tower atop the pier on the western side of Blackwell's Island; at the time, the media anticipated that 3,000 short tons (2,700 long tons; 2,700 t) of steel would be erected every month.^[212][213] The first steel span, that above Blackwell's Island, was completed at the beginning of 1906.^[214] After the Blackwell's Island span was finished, the falsework was moved to Manhattan and Queens, and the westernmost and easternmost spans were built atop the falsework.^[15][215] At that point, the city government had acquired much of the land for the approaches.^[216] The bridge's construction was delayed when the Housesmiths' Union went on strike that January.^[216][217] Unions representing other trades refused to join the strike,^[218] and the Pennsylvania Steel Company had replaced the striking housesmiths by that May.^[219][220] The strike delayed construction by four months.^[221] City officials condemned a 250-foot-wide (76 m) strip of land for the Queens approach viaduct in October 1906.^[222]

Progress on superstructure and approaches

The city's Bridge Commission received bids for the construction of a steel approach viaduct in Queens in December 1906, and the Buckley Realty Construction Company submitted a low bid of $798,000.^[223] Work on the Queens approach began in February 1907.^[224] By then, about 45,000 short tons (40,000 long tons; 41,000 t) of steel for the bridge, representing nine-tenths of the steel contract, had been manufactured.^[221] Workers erected 512 tons of steel each day.^[12] To erect the two spans across the East River's west and east channels, they first built steel towers above each pier, then constructed the cantilever arms from each tower toward the center of the river.^[15] As such, the bridge was essentially built in three sections in Manhattan, Blackwell's Island, and Queens.^[225] By early 1907, the cost of acquiring land for the approaches had increased to $6 million, double the original estimate, and the cost of the entire bridge had increased to as much as $18 million.^[226] Snare & Triest submitted a low bid of $1.577 million for the construction of the Manhattan approach that May,^[227] and work on that approach began that July.^[224]

After the collapse of the Quebec Bridge in mid-1907, engineers said they had no concerns about the Blackwell's Island Bridge, even though the two bridges had a similar design.^[228] The steel towers above both of the Blackwell's Island piers had been completed and were being painted.^[229] That September, some beams at the eastern end of the Blackwell's Island Bridge were blown into the river during a heavy windstorm.^[230] The same month, Maryland Steel Company submitted a low bid of $758,000 for a steel-and-masonry approach in Queens.^[231] Several buildings in Long Island City, including rowhouses and an old homestead, were demolished for the Queens approach.^[232] The easternmost steel span was well underway by the end of 1907,^[233] and work on the steel towers on the Manhattan and Queens waterfronts began that December.^[234] At the time, the bridge was more than 70 percent complete.^[224] Although Manhattan residents supported widening 59th Street to serve as the bridge's Manhattan approach, the city's controller was opposed.^[235] The project continued to experience labor disputes, such as in early 1908, when disgruntled workers tried to dynamite the Blackwell's Island span.^[236]

Completion

 

Constructing the upper level in 1907

The Manhattan and Blackwell's Island sections of the bridge were riveted together on March 13, 1908,^[225] and the Blackwell's Island and Queens sections were linked on March 18.^[14][237] The Board of Aldermen appropriated another $1.2 million for the bridge's completion shortly afterward; the project had cost $6.2 million up to that point.^[238] The New York City Department of Finance's chief engineer began investigating the bridge in May 1908 in response to concerns over its structural integrity,^[239] as the bridge was similar to the collapsed Quebec Bridge, and the plans had been modified after the contract for the superstructure had been awarded.^[240] That June, the Board of Estimate authorized $30,000 for two investigations into the bridge's safety.^[241] The Pennsylvania Steel Company formally completed the superstructure on June 16, 1908, eighteen months behind schedule.^[242] The Department of Bridges began receiving bids that July for paving and electrical equipment,^[243] and the approach viaducts were completed on August 17.^[244] The city refused to pay Pennsylvania Steel until 1912, when a judge forced the city to do so.^[245]

Businessmen proposed renaming the crossing as the Queensboro Bridge in September 1908, saying the Blackwell Island name was too closely associated with the island's hospitals and asylums.^[246] Despite several Irish-American groups' objections that the Queensboro name resembled a British name,^[247] it stuck.^[32] The structural engineers tasked with studying the bridge concluded that it was structurally sound,^{[193][248][249]} although the bridge was altered to carry two elevated tracks rather than four.^[249][250] There was still skepticism over the bridge's structural integrity,^[251] and the Bridge Department planned to remove some heavy stringers from the upper deck to reduce the bridge's dead load.^[252] Paving of the bridge's decks was completed in January 1909.^[253] In total, the crossing had cost about $20 million, including $12.6 million for spans and over $5 million for land acquisition.^[254] One newspaper had estimated that 55 workers had been killed during construction.^[255]

Operation

Opening and 1910s

Before the bridge opened, 235 people had applied to the Queensboro Bridge Celebration Committee, wishing to be the first to jump from the bridge.^[256] In February 1909, the Celebration Committee set June 12 as the bridge's official opening date,^[257] and two grand parades were planned for the bridge's official opening.^[258] The lights on the bridge were first turned on March 28,^[259] and the bridge opened to the public two days later on March 30, 1909.^[20][27][22] The upper deck's tracks were not in service because engineers had deemed them unsafe for use.^[22] The Queensboro Bridge formally opened as scheduled on June 12, 1909;^[260] at the time, it was the fourth-longest bridge in the world.^[27] The grand opening included a fireworks display, a parade lasting several hours,^[260] a "Queen of the Queensboro Bridge" beauty pageant in a local newspaper,^[67] and a week of carnivals.^[261]

During late 1909, the Williams Engineering and Contracting Company sued the city for damages relating to the unbuilt elevators on Blackwell's Island,^[262] and there was another lawsuit over its safety.^[263] There was a ten-cent toll to drive over the bridge,^[264] although pedestrians walked across for free.^[265] Shortly after the Queensboro Bridge opened, the city government conducted a study and found that it had no authority to charge tolls on the Queensboro and Manhattan bridges.^[266] Tolls on the Queensboro Bridge, as well as the Williamsburg, Manhattan, and Brooklyn bridges to the south, were abolished in July 1911 as part of a populist policy initiative headed by New York City mayor William Jay Gaynor.^[267] A bridge approach between Second and Third avenues in Manhattan was proposed in 1913,^[268] and plans for elevated rapid transit on the upper level were approved at the same time.^[269] By that year, the bridge carried 29 million people a year (compared to 3.6 million during 1909).^[270] Horse-drawn vehicles made up almost 30 percent of the bridge's total vehicular traffic in the early 1910s, although this proportion dropped to less than 2 percent within a decade.^[271]

In mid-1914, engineers devised plans to add two subway tracks to the lower level and replace the existing roadway with two 26-foot-wide (7.9 m) roadways, one each on the upper and lower levels.^[272] Had this proposal been carried out, the upper roadway would have connected to Van Alst Avenue (21st Street) in Queens;^[273] one company proposed constructing the deck in 18 months.^[274] The subway plans were ultimately dropped in favor of the 60th Street Tunnel.^[275] In early 1916, the New York City government allocated $144,000 for repairs to the roadway,^[276] as it had never been repaved and was full of holes and ruts.^[277] A new foundation was installed to slow down the decay of the wooden pavement.^[278] Simultaneously, the city's Public Service Commission had approved the construction of connections between the bridge's upper-level tracks and the elevated lines at either end.^[279] Elevated service across the bridge commenced in July 1917,^[280] and the entire repaving project was nearly done later that year.^[281]

1920s to 1940s

The Manhattan approach viaduct was repaired in 1920.^[282] By the early 1920s, one hundred thousand people a day used the span,^[283] and the Queensboro Bridge and the other East River bridges were rapidly reaching their vehicular capacity.^[284] One count in 1920 found that an estimated 18,000 motor vehicles used the bridge daily,^[285] while another count in 1925 found that 45,000 vehicles used the span in 24 hours.^[286]

1920s modifications and new roadway

In May 1924, Manhattan's borough president Julius Miller proposed a plaza and a new approach road to 57th Street at the Manhattan end.^[287] Miller submitted plans to acquire property for the plaza and road later the same year;^[288] this was superseded in 1925 by plans for a tunnel under Second Avenue and a new street east of the avenue between 57th and 63rd streets.^[289] Other proposals to relieve traffic on the bridge included a ferry from Manhattan to Queens;^[290][291] larger signs pointing to existing ferries;^[292] a parallel bridge;^[291] and a parallel tunnel (later the Queens Midtown Tunnel).^[293] To alleviate congestion, one of the bridge's lanes was used as a reversible lane during peak hours.^[294] City officials began adding a concrete pavement to the bridge in mid-1924,^[295] but engineers determined at the time that a hard-surfaced roadway would be too heavy for the bridge.^[296] Queens borough president Maurice E. Connolly said the weight of trucks had caused the steel buckle plates under the pavement to break,^[297] though the commissioner of the city's Plant and Structure Department said the bridge was still safe and that stronger plates were being installed.^[298]

In late 1926, Plant and Structure commissioner Albert Goldman proposed adding three vehicular lanes and removing the bridge's footpaths;^[299][300] the proposal also called for new approaches at either end and relocation of the elevated tracks.^[300] The Merchants Association^[301] and the Fifth Avenue Association endorsed this plan.^[302] The New York City Board of Estimate allocated $150,000 for improvements to the bridge in April 1927,^[303] and the board approved the $3 million plan that June.^[304] The project was delayed due to difficulties in acquiring property,^[305] and the city controller's office contemplated abandoning plans for the new approaches.^[306] In late 1928, the Board of Estimate allowed construction to commence on both the new lanes and the approach viaducts at either end.^[307] To reduce congestion, the Manhattan ends of the upper and lower roadways were 700 feet (210 m) apart, while the Queens ends of these roadways were about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) apart.^[308] Real-estate developers supported the project because it would encourage real-estate and business activity in Queens.^[309] Fire extinguishers and chemical carts, for fighting small fires, were also installed on the bridge in 1928.^[310]

Goldman publicized his plans for what is now the southern upper roadway's construction in April 1929,^[311] and the T. H. Reynolds Company had been hired to move the elevated tracks by the next month.^[312] The Bersin Construction Company received a contract for the new roadway in August 1929^[313] and started construction the same month.^[314] A contract for the Queens approach viaduct was awarded to Bersin-Ronn Engineering Corporation in April 1930.^[315] The upper roadway was substantially completed by early 1931;^[316] it opened that June and carried only eastbound cars.^[317] By then, the bridge was carrying almost 100,000 vehicles a day.^[318] A new footpath was also constructed on the south side of the upper level^[318] but was not opened with the upper roadway.^[319] Initially, the upper deck had a wood, granite, and asphalt pavement.^[320] It contained grooves for motorists' tires, preventing them from changing lanes; after drivers complained about damaged tires, the grooves were first widened,^[321] then infilled by September.^[322]

1930s and 1940s modifications

To reduce congestion, one civic group suggested a plaza at the bridge's Manhattan end in the early 1930s,^[323] while Manhattan's borough president Samuel Levy proposed building an underpass to carry traffic on Second Avenue beneath the Manhattan end of the bridge.^[324] By then, precipitation had begun to corrode the bridge's steel supports, as the masonry work had never been completed;^[325] this prompted a grand jury investigation into the bridge's safety in 1934.^[326] There were proposals to charge tolls on the bridge in the 1930s, though local groups widely opposed these plans.^[327] In 1934, westbound motorists began using the upper southern roadway during weekday mornings, as well as Sunday and holiday evenings; the upper roadway continued to carry eastbound traffic at all other times.^[328] To reduce congestion, ramp meter lights (controlled by traffic agents) were installed at each end of the bridge in July 1935,^[329] and lane control lights for the lower level's reversible lanes were installed later the same year.^[330]

The bridge's wooden pavement also posed a hazard during rainy weather^[331] and made the bridge one of the city's most dangerous roadways by the mid-1930s.^[30] This prompted local groups to call for the installation of a non-skid pavement.^[332] Workers repaved the upper level in early 1935^[333] and began installing an experimental concrete-and-steel pavement on the lower level that April.^[334] City officials also contemplated adding an asphalt-plank pavement to the bridge.^[335] Works Progress Administration (WPA) laborers began repaving the lower level began in March 1936;^[336][337] in conjunction with the repaving, the city government planned to add lane marking on the lower roadway and make the upper roadway a permanent one-way road.^[338] At the time, the bridge handled an average of 110,000 vehicles daily.^[339] After delays caused by material and labor shortages,^[336][340] the repaving of the lower level was completed in June 1937.^[341] WPA laborers also completed the tops of the spans' towers, which had been abandoned in 1910 after three-fourths of the work had been completed.^[35] WPA workers began rebuilding the upper level pavement in July 1938,^[342] and the upper roadway closed that October,^[343] reopening two months later.^[344]

1950s and 1960s

 

During the Five Boro Bike Tour in 2008

From 1955 to 1958, two additional lanes were built on the upper level. The upper-level ramps on the Queens end of the bridge were built during the same time.^[345] The Queensboro Bridge trolley line operated until April 7, 1957,^[346] and was the last trolley route in New York state.^[347] The trolley lanes and mid-bridge station, as well as the stairs, were removed following the trolley's discontinuation.^[348]

Acting Manhattan borough president Louis A. Cioffi proposed a $2.06 million ramp on the Manhattan side of the bridge in 1960.^[349] The same year, Consolidated Edison spent $4 million installing power cables under the former trolley tracks, converting the tracks into vehicular lanes, and installing emergency slip roads between the new lanes and the existing lower-level roadway.^[350][351] The new lanes opened on September 15, 1960.^[352] The city's Department of Public Works requested $200,000 in 1961 to determine the feasibility of adding more roadways to the Queensboro Bridge,^[353] and the city's traffic commissioner Henry Barnes announced the next year that he was considering using computers to monitor traffic on the bridge.^[354]

In 1964, mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. approved the demolition of several buildings at the bridge's Manhattan terminus to make way for a $2.6 million underpass connecting the bridge's westbound lanes with southbound Second Avenue.^[355] Had the underpass been built, a bus terminal and landscaped plaza would also have been erected at the Manhattan end of the bridge.^[356] These plans were scrapped due to a lack of funding.^[47] City planner Robert Moses proposed developing a 1,000-space parking garage with offices and a department store at the bridge's Manhattan end in 1965, though Barnes objected to the plan.^[357][358] Instead, Barnes proposed a 1,100-spot garage on the Queens side,^[359] which was approved in June 1966.^[360] The bridge was repainted for seven months starting in November 1966 at a cost of $240,000.^[361] Between 1968 and 1970, officials commissioned five studies of Queensboro Bridge traffic, but no changes were made as a result.^[362]

1970s to 1990s

Landmark status, toll plan, and deterioration

In 1970, the federal government enacted the Clean Air Act, a series of federal air pollution regulations.^[363] As part of a plan by mayor John Lindsay and the federal Environmental Protection Agency,^[364] the city government considered implementing tolls on the four free East River bridges, including the Queensboro, in the early 1970s.^[365][366] The plan would have raised money for New York City's transit system^[367] and allowed the city to meet the Clean Air Act.^[364] Had the tolls been implemented, a tollbooth would have been installed on the bridge's Manhattan approach.^[368] Around that time, a small terminal for express buses was proposed for the Manhattan end of the bridge.^[369]

On November 23, 1973, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated the Queensboro Bridge as a city landmark, preventing any modifications without the LPC's approval.^[370][371] It was the second East River bridge to be so designated, after the Brooklyn Bridge.^[371] While there were concerns that the landmark status could prevent tollbooths from being installed,^[372] planners said the tollbooths could just be installed on the bridge's approaches.^[371][373] The Board of Estimate delayed ratification of the landmark designation because some space under the bridge's approaches was used for commercial purposes.^[374] The tolling proposal was opposed by figures such as Queens borough president Donald Manes, who encouraged the state government to take over the bridge so tolls could not be charged.^[375] According to Manes, the tolls would merely increase pollution around Queens Plaza.^[376] Abraham Beame, who became mayor in 1974, refused to implement the tolls,^[377] and the United States Congress subsequently moved to forbid tolls on the free East River bridges.^[364]

By the mid-1970s, as the city government considered an open-air market under the bridge,^[378][379] a city engineer described the bridge as severely deteriorated.^[379][380] Among the issues cited were extensive rusting, faulty expansion joints, clogged drains, potholes, and dirt.^[380] New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) engineering director George Zaimes described the bridge's frame as being rusty, with some holes that were as large as a person's head. According to Zaimes, the upper roadway was only attached to the bridge "by its own weight and memory".^[381]

1970s and 1980s renovations

 

The bridge as seen from the 56th floor of the Citigroup Center

The state government started inspecting the Queensboro Bridge and five others in 1978,^[382] allocating $1.1 million for a study.^[383] That year, the city government also repainted the bridge^[384] in a brown and tan color scheme.^[385] To reduce congestion, a contraflow lane for express buses was installed at the Manhattan end of the bridge in 1979.^[386] That year, the lower deck's outer lanes were closed to vehicles;^[387][388] parts of the outer roadways had weakened to the point that they could barely carry the weight of a passenger car.^[389] Repairs to the outer lanes were expected to last for three years^[389] and cost $50 million.^[390] The southern outer roadway was converted into a pedestrian and bicycle path,^[388][389] which opened in July 1979.^[391] The city received $18.6 million in federal funds for the Queensboro Bridge's restoration in 1980.^[392] By then, an estimated 175,000 vehicles daily used the bridge.^[64]

An extensive renovation commenced on February 25, 1981, with between three and six of the bridge's 11 lanes closed at any given time.^[393] That December, the United States Department of Transportation gave $28.8 million for the bridge's renovation.^[394] The pedestrian and bike path closed in May 1983.^[30] The NYSDOT announced that July that the southern upper roadway, which carried eastbound traffic, would be closed for repairs, which were expected to take 18 months.^[395][396] The northern upper roadway, normally used by westbound traffic. was converted to eastbound-only operation, except during weekday mornings when it carried westbound traffic.^[395] The ramp leading from 57th and 58th Street to the southern upper roadway was temporarily closed for reconstruction in early 1984.^[397] By the beginning of 1985, the southern upper roadway had reopened to traffic,^[393] having cost $31 million to rehabilitate.^[398] The outer lanes of the lower level had also reopened, but state officials estimated that the project would not be complete until 1992.^[393]

The Queensboro Bridge's pedestrian path reopened in July 1985;^[399] the same year, the city received another $60 million in federal funds for the renovations of the Queensboro, Manhattan, and Brooklyn bridges.^[400] In February 1987, the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) announced that parts of the northern upper roadway would be closed for two years.^[401] As part of the $42 million project, a new concrete deck would be installed, and the steel structure would be restored.^[401] The ramps to 62nd and 63rd Street closed in October 1987^[402] and reopened twelve months later.^[398] This closure coincided with the renovations of other East River bridges.^[403][404] To alleviate congestion, the lower-level bike path was opened to vehicular traffic at peak times,^[403] and flatbed trucks carried bicycles across the bridge.^[405] The lower deck's southern outer roadway was closed for emergency repairs in 1988 after workers discovered severe corrosion.^[403] The reconstruction of the upper deck was completed in 1989 at a cost of $100 million.^[406] The bridge was still in poor condition: during a tour of the bridge in 1988, transportation engineer Sam Schwartz was able to peel off part of one of the bridge's beams with one hand.^[407]

1990s renovations

 

Queensboro Bridge at dusk, as seen from East River Greenway in Manhattan, 2020

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) proposed a rail link to LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports in 1990;^[408] the line, which would have used the Queensboro Bridge, was canceled in 1995.^[409] A renovation of the Queensboro Bridge's lower level began in June 1990, when two Manhattan-bound lanes were closed.^[410][411] This phase of construction was supposed to cost $120 million.^[13] The lower deck's partial closure caused severe congestion in Queens, since part of the nearby Long Island Expressway was also closed for renovation.^[412] By 1993, the renovation was slated to be completed the next year.^[413] At that time, officials announced plans for a Manhattan-bound high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane on the bridge during morning rush hours. A Queens-bound HOV lane during the afternoon was deemed infeasible due to heavy congestion in Manhattan.^[414] The Manhattan-bound HOV lane opened in April 1994,^[415][416] and all lower-level lanes had reopened by that October.^[417]

The NYCDOT announced in 1995 that it would spend another $161 million to renovate the outer lower-level roadways starting the following year.^[418] Two lanes were again closed for maintenance from April to September 1996, causing severe congestion.^[419] Following complaints from residents near 57th Street,^[420] starting in October 1996, traffic on the upper level traveled on the left during rush hours to reduce noise pollution and traffic congestion. Vehicles headed for Queens had to enter at 62nd and 63rd Streets, which caused widespread confusion.^[421][422] After protests from Upper East Side residents, the original right-hand traffic pattern was reinstated on the upper level, and the southern lower roadway (used by pedestrians) was converted to an eastbound vehicular lane during the afternoon rush hour.^[423][424] Some pedestrians and bikers opposed the conversion of the southern lower roadway, as they would have to wait for a van to take them across the bridge during weekday afternoons,^[425] but the new traffic pattern was implemented anyway.^[423][424]

In the late 1990s, the NYCDOT hired architect Walter Melvin to renovate the vaults under the Manhattan approach.^[43] During the renovation of the main span, a scaffold collapsed in 1997, killing a worker.^[426] The renovation of the northern lower roadway was completed in mid-1998.^[427] That August, the NYCDOT implemented a new traffic pattern during evening rush hours, where the northern upper roadway carried eastbound traffic, giving the bridge six eastbound and three westbound lanes during that time. The northern lower roadway, which carried pedestrians and cyclists during mornings and off-peak hours, was converted into a westbound lane during the evening rush hour.^[428][429] The NYCDOT's commissioner called the changes an "interim fix for nine to 14 months".^[430] By then, about 184,000 vehicles used the bridge daily, with slightly more eastbound than westbound vehicles using the bridge.^[431]

2000s to present

 

Southern lower roadway and Long Island City from the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge

Following the completion of additional renovations, in September 2000, the northern upper roadway was converted back to westbound-only at all times. The northern lower roadway was converted into a permanent bike and pedestrian path, while the southern lower roadway became an eastbound lane.^[432] After the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, a temporary HOV restriction was implemented during morning rush hours, when drivers without passengers were banned from using the bridge.^[433][434] An approach to the bridge in Queens, carrying Queens Boulevard over Sunnyside Yard, was rebuilt from 2001 to 2003.^[435] The city announced plans in 2002 to restore six masonry piers supporting the bridge.^[32] The same year, mayor Michael Bloomberg again proposed tolling the four free East River bridges, including the Queensboro Bridge; many local residents opposed his plan,^[436] and Bloomberg postponed the tolling plan in 2003.^[437]

As part of a $168 million project that began in 2004,^[438]: 56 workers repainted the bridge.^[439][440] They also added fences and lighting, restored a trolley kiosk on the Manhattan end of the bridge, and restored the Manhattan approach^[439] in a separate project between 2003 and 2006.^{[438]: 53–55} The renovation was temporarily halted in October 2005 after a small fire.^[441] In March 2009, the New York City Bridge Centennial Commission sponsored events marking the centennial of the bridge's opening.^[442] A group of Roosevelt Island residents requested in 2007 that the city government install an elevator or stairway from the bridge to their island, citing the lack of travel options to the island. City officials expressed multiple concerns with the proposal, including security vulnerabilities, the need to close a lane of traffic, and the bridge's landmark designation.^[443] The bridge was also designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers during 2009, the year of its centennial.^[25]

The bridge was renamed after Ed Koch in 2011.^[6][7] After a series of fatal crashes in 2013, officials decided to close the southern lower roadway during the nighttime.^[444] Mayor Bill de Blasio announced plans in April 2016 to allocate $244 million for repairs to the Queensboro Bridge's upper deck.^[445][446] Concurrently, elected officials proposed adding tolls to the bridge yet again.^[445]

In January 2021, the city decided to install a two-way protected bike path on the northern lower roadway, to be completed by 2022. The southern lower roadway, which at the time was used by vehicular traffic, would be used exclusively by pedestrians.^[447][448] The conversion of the southern lower roadway was subsequently delayed because of a planned renovation of the upper deck.^[449] The renovation commenced in February 2022 and was expected to last until December 2023.^[450][451] A plan for congestion pricing in New York City was approved in mid-2023,^[452] allowing the MTA to toll drivers who use the Queensboro Bridge and then travel south of 60th Street.^[453]

Public transportation

 

The former trolley stop which served the Queensboro Bridge from 1909 to 1957

Rail service

Rapid transit

The bridge was built with two elevated railway tracks on its upper level^[280] and had provisions for two more.^[18] The tracks were not in use when the bridge opened. A connection from the Interborough Rapid Transit Company's Second Avenue Elevated to the bridge was first proposed in 1910;^[454] early plans called for a line extending to Malba.^[455] The elevated tracks were approved in 1913,^[269] and the connection opened in 1917, allowing Second Avenue trains to access the Astoria and Flushing lines.^[280] It carried Second Avenue Elevated trains until service was discontinued in 1942.^[456]

There were also plans to run a New York City Subway line across the bridge in September 1909;^[457] in a report submitted to the New York City Board of Estimate in June 1911, the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company was to extend its Broadway Line onto the bridge.^[458][459] By December 1914, the Board of Estimate had abandoned the proposal, which would have required $2.6 million in modifications to the bridge^[275] and would have caused serious congestion.^[460] Instead, the board proposed the double-tracked 60th Street Tunnel under the East River, which would allow the city to save $500,000.^[275][461] The New York Public Service Commission approved the tunnel in July 1915.^[462][463]

Streetcars

In addition to the two elevated railway tracks, the bridge had four streetcar tracks. On the Manhattan side, there were two ramps from each of the outer lower-level roadways to a set of platforms under Second Avenue. On the Queens side, the tracks split into multiple branches.^[464] Six streetcar companies had applied for franchises to use the bridge by late 1908, before its official opening.^[465] The first trolleys traveled on the bridge in September 1909,^[466] and passenger service began the next month.^[467] In the bridge's first decade, the tracks were used by the New York and Queens County Railway,^[468] Manhattan and Queens Traction Company, Steinway Lines,^[469] and Third Avenue Bridge Company.^[470] When the Third Avenue Railway started using the bridge in 1913, it built power infrastructure under the roadway, as its streetcars received power from underground.^[471] The South Shore Traction Company also applied for permission to use the bridge but was denied.^[472]

A streetcar stop was constructed at the middle of the bridge in 1919 to serve the elevator to Roosevelt Island.^[473][474] The tracks connecting the Third Avenue Railway with the Queensboro Bridge were removed in 1922, after the company stopped using the bridge.^[475] Streetcar service ran across the bridge until 1957.^[347]

Streetcar lines on the bridge

Line name	Borough primarily served	Start year	End year
Queensboro Bridge Local	Queens	1909^[467]	1957^[347]
Astoria Line	Queens	1910^[471]^[476]	1939^[477]
Steinway Line	Queens	1910^[471]^[476]	1939^[471]
College Point Line	Queens	1910^[471]^[476]	1925^[477]
Corona Line	Queens	1910^[471]^[476]	1922^[477]
Queens Boulevard Line	Queens	1913^[478]	1937^[479]
42nd Street Crosstown Line	Manhattan	1912^[471]	1919^[471]

On the Manhattan end of the Queensboro Bridge were originally five trolley kiosks, which contained stairs leading to a trolley terminal underground. Lindenthal and Hornbostel designed the structures, which had terracotta-paneled facades, cast-iron columns, and a copper roof with cast-iron fascias. There were arched, glazed-tile ceilings inside each of the kiosks.^[464] The kiosks also had Greek key motifs; shields with garlands; and ornamental brackets.^[480] The locations of three kiosks are unknown.^[480] Another kiosk was sent to the Brooklyn Children's Museum in 1974,^[56] then was relocated to Roosevelt Island and renovated into a visitor center.^[481] The Roosevelt Island kiosk, which reopened in July 2007,^[482] measures 210 square feet (20 m²) across and weighs 86,000 pounds (43 ST; 38 LT; 39 t).^[54] Yet another kiosk remains in place in Manhattan but is used as storage space.^[464] The remaining kiosk in Manhattan was planned to be removed in 2002^[480] but was instead restored.^[439]

Buses

 

Queensboro Bridge at night

The bridge carries the Q32 local bus route operated by MTA New York City Transit and the Q60 and Q101 local bus routes operated by the MTA Bus Company. The bridge also carries 20 express bus routes in the eastbound direction only: the MTA Bus Company's QM1, QM2, QM3, QM4, QM5, QM6, QM10, QM15, QM16, QM17, QM18, QM20, QM21, QM24, QM31, QM32, QM34, QM35, QM36, QM40, QM42 and QM44, and New York City Transit's X63, X64, and X68. (These bus routes use the Queens-Midtown Tunnel for westbound travel.)^[483]

Elevator to Roosevelt Island

An elevator from the bridge to Roosevelt Island (then known as Blackwell's Island) was proposed in October 1912.^[484] Although various groups opposed an elevator in the middle of the bridge's deck because it would block traffic,^[485] an elevator next to the deck was tested the next month.^[486] The New York City Board of Estimate provided $366,000 in 1916 for a 10-story elevator structure from the bridge to Roosevelt Island.^[487] The building, on the bridge's north side, was finished in 1918^[488] or 1919.^[348][489] It had two passenger and three freight elevators.^[473][490] The tenth floor was connected to the bridge itself by a roadway measuring 56 feet (17 m) wide; there was a stair at the middle of the roadway and a guard's booth to the north of the stair. The other nine floors contained various food storage rooms.^[490]

After the trolley lines across the bridge were largely replaced by buses in the 1930s, Steinway Transit retained one of the bridge's trolley tracks and established the Queensboro Bridge Railway, a shuttle streetcar route connecting with the elevator to Roosevelt Island.^[469] The elevator closed after the Welfare Island Bridge from Queens opened in 1955, allowing automobile and truck access to Roosevelt Island without having to use the Queensboro Bridge.^[489] It was demolished in 1970.^[491] A separate passenger elevator ran during weekdays^[492] to Welfare Island, via a storehouse described as "clean but gloomy", until around August 1973.^[493]

Impact

Reception

When plans for the bridge were being finalized in 1901, there was commentary on its cantilevered design; all of the other bridges across the East River at the time were suspension bridges. The city's bridge commissioner at the time, John L. Shea, said that the Queensboro Bridge would not be as "picturesque" compared to a suspension bridge but that it could look as attractive as either the Williamsburg or Brooklyn bridges. Buck said that the U.S. had some "homely" cantilever bridges but hoped the Queensboro Bridge was not ugly.^[494] The chief engineer of the city's Bridge Department said in 1904 that he believed the cantilever design was "a mistake" and that a suspension bridge on the same site, supported by three towers, would have been a novelty.^[495]

When the bridge was finished in 1908, The Christian Science Monitor wrote that the Queensboro was "one of the greatest bridges in the world, and one of the most beautiful of its type", despite having received relatively little media attention during construction.^[24] The New York Daily News wrote in 1981 that the Queensboro Bridge "reminds people of the bridges they built with erector sets as children".^[64] Nonetheless, the bridge was not as widely appreciated as the Brooklyn Bridge further south, especially in the late 20th century.^[496]

Impact on development

The New-York Tribune wrote in 1904 that the Queensboro Bridge's construction would cause Blackwell's Island to "lose at least a share of its sinister reputation".^[497] Even before the bridge was completed, real-estate values in Queens had been increasing several times over,^[188][498] and its construction also spurred the sale of property along 59th Street in Manhattan.^[499] Its development allowed various parts of Queens to be served by direct train and streetcar lines to Manhattan.^[500][501] The Brooklyn Daily Eagle predicted in 1908 that the bridge's completion would draw investors toward Long Island and away from New Jersey to the west.^[502] The same newspaper predicted that the bridge, along with the Steinway Tunnel and East River Tunnels, would change Long Island from a sparsely populated rural outpost to a densely packed suburb of New York City.^[501] A New York Times article from 1923 wrote that the bridge's opening "marked the first step in eliminating the East River as a barrier to the spread of population eastward".^[503]

The opening of the bridge encouraged development of vacant land in Queens, where tracts were resold for residential and commercial use.^[67] Many industrial firms began operating in western Queens,^[67] including vehicle-manufacturing plants in Long Island City.^[64] By the early 1910s, numerous industrial structures and loft buildings had been built around the bridge's Queens end, particularly on Queens Plaza.^[504] Further east, neighborhoods such as Jackson Heights were built on former farmland.^[505] The Queensboro Chamber of Commerce's spokesperson said in 1924 that real estate values in Queens had tripled within 15 years of the bridge's opening, while the population grew from 284,000 to 736,000.^[271] Newsday wrote in the 1990s: "More than any other development, the Queensboro Bridge created the modern urban borough of Queens."^[67] The completion of the Queensboro Bridge also inspired plans for a wide boulevard, akin to the Grand Concourse in the Bronx; this became Queens Boulevard, which was not finished until 1936.^[506]

Media

Because of its design and location, the Queensboro Bridge has appeared in numerous media works, including films and TV shows, set in New York City.^[64] For example, two characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel The Great Gatsby traverse the bridge,^[265] and the title of the Simon & Garfunkel 1966 song "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" refers to the Queensboro Bridge.^[4][265] The bridge has been used as the filming location for several movies, such as Spider-Man (2002)^[507] and The Dark Knight Rises (2012).^[508]

See also

• List of bridges and tunnels in New York City
• List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in New York
• List of bridges and tunnels on the National Register of Historic Places in New York
• List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 59th to 110th Streets
• List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Queens
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan from 59th to 110th Streets
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Queens, New York

References

Notes

1. Various sources from 1907 and 1908, before the bridge's completion, cited the Queens approach as 3,455 feet (1,053 m) and the whole bridge as 8,231 feet (2,509 m) long. They described the Manhattan approach as being 1,051 feet.^[11][12][14] A Scientific American article from 1908 gives a figure of 7,408 feet (2,258 m) for the whole bridge.^[15]

Citations

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144. "Bridge Schemes Blocked; Two Bond Issues Not Approved by the Board of Aldermen". The New York Times. December 16, 1899. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
145. "Aldermen's Last Meeting; New Bridge from Pike Street to Brooklyn Provided For". The New York Times. December 31, 1899. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
146. "Brooklyn Now Assured of Another E. R. Bridge". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. December 30, 1899. p. 1. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
147. "New Routes to Brooklyn: Bill in Legislature Providing for Tunnels and Bridges". The New York Times. January 19, 1900. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
148. "Bond Issues Authorized; The Municipal Assembly Spurred On by Mandamus Proceedings". The New York Times. September 26, 1900. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
149. "City Council in Deadlock". The Standard Union. September 26, 1900. p. 3. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
150. "Blackwell's Island Bridge". The Brooklyn Citizen. November 19, 1900. p. 9. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
151. "Blackwell's Island Bridge Approved". New-York Tribune. November 20, 1900. p. 14. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
152. "Blackwell's Island Bridge: the Federal Government Responsible for the Delay in Building It, Mr. York Says". New-York Tribune. January 29, 1901. p. 5. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 570905934.
153. "Bridge Plans Approved; Secretary of War Sanctions the Blackwell's Island Structure". The New York Times. February 24, 1901. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
154. "Bridges". The Construction News. Vol. 12, no. 9. March 2, 1901. p. 136. ProQuest 128395528.
155. "Special Message Sent to Board of Aldermen". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. February 5, 1901. p. 2. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
156. "Shea Is Pushing Work on New Bridge No. 4". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. February 26, 1901. p. 6. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
157. "East River Bridge, No. 4, New York". Railroad Gazette. Vol. 33, no. 13. March 29, 1901. p. 223. ProQuest 910589327.
158. "Aldermen's Lively War; New East River Bridges Named by the Board. Commissioner Woodbury Attacked and His Resolution for a Brooklyn Deputy Lost – The Chairman Denounced". The New York Times. March 19, 1902. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
159. "Bids for Piers of Bridge No. 4". The Standard Union. June 20, 1901. p. 5. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
160. "Dady Was a Bidder". The Brooklyn Citizen. June 20, 1901. p. 1. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
161. "Work on Bridge No. 4 Must Not Be Stopped". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. December 27, 1901. p. 9. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
162. "Builders Defy Lindenthal: Refuse to Suspend Work on Blackwell's Island Bridge Pending Adoption of New Plans". New-York Tribune. July 1, 1902. p. 4. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 571246864.
163. "Width of Blackwell's Island Bridge Altered; Mr. Ladenthal Announces Reduction from 120 to 80 Feet. Refises to Discuss Changes in Plans for New Structure – Pier Contractors Decline to Suspend Work". The New York Times. July 1, 1902. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
164. "Blackwell's Island Bridge Changes; Details Explained to Delegation from Queens County". The New York Times. August 23, 1902. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
165. "Lindenthal Satisfied". Times Union. August 12, 1902. p. 2. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
166. "To Oust Horgan & Slattery: Controller Advises This Course-- Money for Interior Baths". New-York Tribune. June 14, 1902. p. 6. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 571204384.
167. "Defies Lindenthal's Order to Stop Work". Times Union. June 28, 1902. p. 1. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
168. "Contractors Disobey Lindenthal: the Commissioner Wants to Changed Plans of Blackwell's Island Bridge, It is Said". New-York Tribune. June 29, 1902. p. 9. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 571102043.
169. "Lindenthal Withdraws Plans: Those of Blackwell's Island Bridge Taken Away From Municipal Art Commission, Which Wants a New Set". New-York Tribune. July 3, 1902. p. 4. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 571137129.
170. "Compromise on Pier Work: Lindenthal Permits the Contractors to Go Ahead Under Contract". New-York Tribune. July 4, 1902. p. 4. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 571152204.
171. "No Change on Bridge No. 4". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 22, 1902. p. 6. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
172. • ""No Delay on Bridge 4" Cry Queens Co. People". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 19, 1902. p. 2. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
     • "Mayor Rebukes a Committee of Five". The Standard Union. July 21, 1902. p. 1. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
173. • "Mayor Low Stops Lindenthal's Plan". The Standard Union. July 22, 1902. p. 1. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
     • "Withdrawn by Lindenthal". Times Union. July 22, 1902. p. 2. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
174. "Lindenthal Requests $6,700,000 for Bridges". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 18, 1902. p. 3. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
175. "The Blackwell's Island Bridge Plans". Railroad Gazette. Vol. 34, no. 40. October 3, 1902. p. 755. ProQuest 910600723.
176. "Is After Lindenthal". Times Union. October 23, 1902. p. 4. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
177. "Experts for Blackwell's Island Bridge". The New York Times. November 4, 1902. p. 11. ISSN 0362-4331. ProQuest 1013638329.
178. "Bridge Experts' Plan; Changes Proposed for Blackwell's Island Structure. Original Plan and Commissioner Lindenthal's Plan Not Considered Satisfactory – Mayor Low's Approval". The New York Times. December 14, 1902. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
179. "Blackwell's Island Bridge Plan: Mayor Recommends That of Commission of Experts Appointed by Him". New-York Tribune. December 14, 1902. p. 3. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 571262824.
180. "Engineers Talk With Committee of Forty". Times Union. August 11, 1904. p. 7. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
181. "Something Doing Now on Blackwell's Island Bridge". Times Union. April 15, 1905. p. 11. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
182. "Bridge Experts Named; Mayor Low Appoints Commission for Manhattan Structure. Lieut. Col. Raymond, George S. Morison, C.C. Schneider, H.W. Hodge, and Prof. Merriman to Pass on the Plans – The BlackWell's Island Bridge". The New York Times. February 12, 1903. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
183. "Grout Will Hold Up Hornbostel's Bills". Times Union. February 9, 1903. p. 1. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
184. "Salary List Increases in Bridge Department". The Brooklyn Citizen. May 14, 1903. p. 6. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
185. "Board of Estimate Votes $8,000,000; City Appropriations for Many Purposes Passed. Blackweil's Island Bridge Gets $3,860,000 and Williamsburg Bridge $1,550,000 – Croton Dam Track Change Approved". The New York Times. July 2, 1903. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
186. • "Too Costly, Says Mayor: Would Veto Present Fifty-ninth-st. Widening Plan". New-York Tribune. July 23, 1903. p. 14. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 571301684.
     • "Blocks Street Widening; Mayor Low Defeats Plan to Improve Fifty-ninth Street. Threatens Before Board of Estimate to Use Veto Power – Says Plan Would Be Too Costly". The New York Times. July 23, 1903. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
187. "Blackwell's Island Bridge". Times Union. September 22, 1903. p. 4. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
188. "What Blackwell's Island Bridge Will Do for Queens". Times Union. March 12, 1906. p. 23. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
189. "Lindenthal Objects to Wire Gable Plan; Should Not Be Used on Manhattan Bridge". The New York Times. July 14, 1904. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
190. • "Hornbostel Rejects Steel Company's Bid". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. September 24, 1903. p. 22. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
     • "Collusion in the Bidding Charged by Lindenthal". The Standard Union. September 24, 1903. p. 1. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
191. "Blackwell's Island Bridge". Times Union. October 22, 1903. p. 3. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
192. • "Lindenthal Tied Up". Times Union. November 7, 1903. p. 5. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
     • "Tiger Holdup Suspected in the Bridge Injunction". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. November 7, 1903. p. 20. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
193. "The Blackwell's Island Bridge". Railroad Age Gazette. Vol. 47, no. 11. September 10, 1909. p. 441. ProQuest 886559212.
194. • "Big Contract Awarded". The Brooklyn Citizen. November 10, 1903. p. 1. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
     • "Bridge Contract". The Wall Street Journal. November 11, 1903. p. 2. ISSN 0099-9660. ProQuest 128840770.
195. "Art Commission Turns Down Hornbostel's Plan". Times Union. November 11, 1903. p. 3. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
196. • "Lindenthal Opens Bridge Bids". New-York Tribune. December 22, 1903. p. 5. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 571369907.
     • "Bids for Blackwell's Island Work". The New York Times. December 22, 1903. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
197. "Bridge Towers: Different Styles for East River Viaducts". New-York Tribune. October 18, 1903. p. A1. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 571327490.
198. "Out Goes Hornbostel, a Lindenthal Legacy". Times Union. March 28, 1904. p. 1. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
199. "Best Throws Out All the Old Bridge Plans". The Standard Union. February 15, 1904. p. 12. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
200. "Change in Bridge Contract Will Accelerate Work". The Standard Union. September 29, 1904. p. 4. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
201. "To Improve Court House". The Brooklyn Citizen. September 12, 1904. p. 10. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
202. "Merchants Get After Mr. Best". The Standard Union. November 16, 1904. p. 12. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
203. "Rearing Skeleton Work for $10,000,000 Bridge". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. March 19, 1905. p. 56. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
204. "Strike on New Bridge: Work on Blackwell's Island Structure Tied Up by Order". New-York Tribune. June 24, 1905. p. 5. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 571579706.
205. "Blackwell's Island Bridge Men on Strike". The Standard Union. June 24, 1905. p. 9. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
206. "Housesmith' Strike Ends; Work on Blackwell's Island Bridge Will Now Be Rushed". The New York Times. July 29, 1905. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
207. "Violate Strike Agreement; Blackwell's Island Bridge Builders Say Union is to Blame". The New York Times. July 23, 1905. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
208. "Two Big Castings on Pier". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. August 18, 1905. p. 14. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
209. "Further Delay on Bridge". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. August 27, 1905. p. 48. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
210. "Bridge Work Slow; Committee Fears Blackwell's Island Structure Is 50 Years Off Completion". The New York Times. August 26, 1905. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
211. "Report of the Commissioner of Bridges of New York City: Bridges Over the East River". Railroad Gazette. Vol. 39, no. 10. September 8, 1905. p. 232. ProQuest 873938980.
212. "Rapid Work on Blackwell's Bridge". New-York Tribune. November 11, 1905. p. 12. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 571634648.
213. "Building New York's Third Bridge". The Buffalo News. November 8, 1905. p. 12. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
214. • "Blackwell's Island Bridge Work: Steel Work of One Span Nearly Done—the Committee of Forty's Hopes". New-York Tribune. January 1, 1906. p. 3. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 571785964. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
     • "Bridge Work Advancing; Eastern Section of Blackwell's Island Structure Nearing Completion". The New York Times. January 1, 1906. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
215. "Blackwell's Island Bridge". Times Union. January 19, 1906. p. 8. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
216. "Bridge Work Held Up By a Hundred Strikers". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. January 24, 1906. p. 10. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
217. "Strike Holds Up Bridge". The Sun. April 6, 1906. p. 6. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
218. "Building Trades Refuse to Join in the Strike; Housesmiths Will Not Have Aid of Other Workmen". The New York Times. May 14, 1906. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
219. "Engineers On Strike". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 20, 1906. p. 1. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
220. "Brooklyn Carpenters Establish a Wage of $4.50". The Standard Union. May 20, 1906. p. 9. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
221. "Mayor's Message Has "L" Loop Quite Dead". Times Union. January 7, 1907. p. 2. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
222. "Blackwell's Island Bridge". Times Union. October 18, 1906. p. 8. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
223. • "Bridge Approach Bids; Viaduct from Queens to Blackwell's Island Structure Lowest, $797,804". The New York Times. December 14, 1906. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
     • "Blackwell's Island Bridge". The Wall Street Journal. December 15, 1906. p. 3. ISSN 0099-9660. ProQuest 129129899. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
224. "Say Blackwell's Island Bridge Will Be Completed Within a Year". The Standard Union. September 29, 1907. p. 15. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
225. • "Join Island Bridge Spans; Workmen Rivet Together the $20,000,000 Structure". The New York Times. March 13, 1908. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
     • "Bridge Cantilevers Joined". The Sun. March 13, 1908. p. 2. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
226. • "Bridge Cost Grows: Approach Values Jump Blackwell's Island Structure Estimate Increased $8,000,000". New-York Tribune. April 28, 1907. p. 2. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 571989972.
     • "A Few Millions More Added to Bridge Cost". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. April 28, 1907. p. 5. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
227. • "Bids for Bridge Approach; Snare & Triest Company Lowest for Blackwell's Island Work". The New York Times. May 14, 1907. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
     • "Blackwell's Island Bridge.: Snare & Triest Get the Contract on a Basis of $1,576,770—Steel Tonnage 6,000". The Wall Street Journal. May 20, 1907. p. 8. ISSN 0099-9660. ProQuest 129171281.
     • "Blackwell's Island Approach Bids: Snare & Triest Company, With Offer of $1,576,760, Quotes Lowest Price". New-York Tribune. May 14, 1907. p. 10. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 571807951.
228. • "No New Methods Tried: Engineers Here Refuse to Express Opinions on Bridge's Collapse". New-York Tribune. August 31, 1907. p. 3. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 571854668. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
     • "Manhattan Bridge All Right". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. August 30, 1907. p. 1. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
229. "Blackwell's Island Bridge Construction Advancing Rapidly". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. September 2, 1907. p. 13. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
230. • "Storm Wrecks Part of the New Bridge; Lightning Bolt Hits Section of Blackwell's Island Span and Wind Brings It Down". The New York Times. September 22, 1907. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
     • "Equinox Strikes Hard". New-York Tribune. September 22, 1907. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
231. • "Bridge Bids Opened". The New York Times. September 7, 1907. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
     • "Blackwell's Island Bridge Bids". New-York Tribune. September 7, 1907. p. 9. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 571987827.
232. "Hunter Homestead to Go; One of Many Landmarks Removed for New Bridge Approach". The New York Times. October 20, 1907. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
233. "Erecting Towers of the Manhattan and Blackwell's Island Bridge". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. December 13, 1907. p. 21. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
234. "Hurrying New Bridge". The Brooklyn Citizen. December 9, 1907. p. 4. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
235. "To Demand Bridge Approach; Property Owners Fight Metz's Plan to Cheapen Blackwell's Island Plans". The New York Times. January 9, 1908. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
236. "Dynamite Under New Bridge; Foreman Scents a Plot to Blow Up Blackwell's Island Structure". The New York Times. March 9, 1908. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
237. "Island Bridge Now Joins Us to Queens; Last Link in Blackwell's Structure Is Placed to a Shrill Salvo of Whistles". The New York Times. March 19, 1908. Retrieved November 16, 2023; "River Spanned Again: New Bridge Connected "Little Tim" Smashes Bottle of Wine on Blackwell Island Cantilever". New-York Tribune. March 19, 1908. p. 4. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 572024919; "Connecting Girder Put in: New York Now Joined to Long Island. Blackwell's Island Bridge Crossed for First Time. Begun in 1901, and Cost Nearly $25,000,000". Boston Daily Globe. March 19, 1908. p. 11. ProQuest 501000486.
238. "Blackwell's Island Bridge Overloaded: Need of Inquiry Into New Weights Imposed". New-York Tribune. May 12, 1908. pp. 1, 4. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 572022996. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
239. "Bridge Probe Started: Ordered by Mr. Metz Chandler Withington Begins Inquiry—creuzbaur Favors Test". New-York Tribune. May 16, 1908. p. 1. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 572056316.
240. "Island Bridge Scare Scouted by Experts; While Plan Is Similar to Wrecked Quebec Structure, More and Stronger Steel Used Here". The New York Times. May 26, 1908. Retrieved November 16, 2023; "Still Mum Over Bridge". New-York Tribune. May 19, 1908. p. 3. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
241. "Bridge Tests Ordered: Estimate Board Acts Authorizes $30,000 for Blackwell's Structure Examination". New-York Tribune. June 6, 1908. p. 1. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 572034032; "No Action is Taken To-day on Appropriation for Subway". The Standard Union. June 5, 1908. p. 1. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
242. "Finishing a Big Bridge". The New York Times. June 17, 1908. p. 16. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 16, 2023; "Finish Superstructure". New-York Tribune. June 17, 1908. p. 5. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
243. "Final Work on New Bridge; Letting Contracts In Improvement Work on Long Island City Approach. Long Branch Property at Auction. Buying In and Near Jamaica". The New York Times. July 12, 1908. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
244. "Last Span in New Bridge; One Can Walk Now from Manhattan to Long Island City". The New York Times. August 18, 1908. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 29, 2023; "Queens Now Connected: Blackwell's Island Bridge Continuous Structure From Manhattan". New-York Tribune. August 18, 1908. p. 6. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 572128907.
245. "Pennsylvania Steel Wins Suit.: Decree Signed Awarding $227,893 Against the City of New York for Queensboro Bridge Work". The Wall Street Journal. October 19, 1912. p. 8. ISSN 0099-9660. ProQuest 129361597; "Queensboro Bridge Suit Lost by City; Pennsylvania Steel Co. Gets a Judgment for $227,893 in U.S. District Court". The New York Times. October 19, 1912. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
246. "Want Bridge Name Changed.; Petition to Adopt "Queensboro" Instead of "Blackwell's Island."". The New York Times. September 6, 1908. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 29, 2023; "Petition to Aldermen for Queensboro Bridge". The Brooklyn Citizen. September 6, 1908. p. 8. Retrieved November 29, 2023; "New Bridge Name Causes Trouble: May Be Known as Blackwell's Island, Queens or Queensboro". New-York Tribune. September 24, 1908. p. 8. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 572182996. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
247. "Bridge to Retain Name; Irish Societies Object to "Queensboro" Instead of Blackwell's Island". The New York Times. September 26, 1908. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 29, 2023; "Change of Bridge Name Opposed by Irishmen". The Brooklyn Citizen. September 27, 1908. p. 8. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
248. "Everything Right for Bridge Opening". Times Union. October 29, 1908. p. 8. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
249. "Queensboro Bridge Safe, Says Burr; Expert Engineer Finds That the Structure Conforms to the Specifications". The New York Times. November 6, 1908. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
250. "Blackwell's Island Bridge Overloaded: Experts' Sustain the Tribune's Charge Removal of All Elevated Tracks Suggested to Reduce Overstrain --Report Made Yesterday". New-York Tribune. October 29, 1908. p. 1. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 572163377.

January 15, 2024