Manhattan Bridge

The Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the East River in New York City. It connects Lower Manhattan at Canal Street with Downtown Brooklyn at the Flatbush Avenue Extension. Designed by Leon Moisseiff, this impressive bridge is one of four that links Manhattan Island with Long Island.

Originally called "Bridge No. 3," it was renamed the Manhattan Bridge in 1902. Work on the bridge began in 1904, and it finally opened to traffic on December 31, 1909. Over the years, it has carried streetcars, New York City Subway trains, and cars. The bridge had to be rebuilt between 1982 and 2004 because the weight of the subway trains made it tilt.

The Manhattan Bridge was the first suspension bridge to use a Warren truss in its design. It has a main span of 1,480 feet between two tall towers. The bridge has seven car lanes, four subway tracks, and is held up by four big cables that stretch from one side to the other. Beautiful ornamental plazas designed by Carrère and Hastings can be found at both ends of the bridge, including a special arch in Manhattan that is a New York City designated landmark.

Development

The Manhattan Bridge was the last of three suspension bridges built across the lower East River, following the Brooklyn and Williamsburg bridges. After the City of Greater New York was formed in 1898, plans for the bridge began under Mayor Robert Anderson Van Wyck and were finalized after Mayor George B. McClellan Jr. took office in 1901. The bridge was originally called "Bridge No. 3" but was named the Manhattan Bridge in 1902.

Early designs by R. S. Buck called for a suspension bridge with steel wire cables and a main span of 1,470 feet. Construction started in 1901 with the installation of the Brooklyn-side caisson. Over time, designs changed, and disputes over cable types delayed the project. Eventually, Leon Moisseiff was commissioned to design the bridge, and wire cables were chosen.

Construction progressed with the building of anchorages, towers, and approach viaducts. By 1907, the towers were nearly complete, and land for the approaches was being cleared. The cables were strung in 1908, and the deck was finished in early 1909. The bridge was planned to open by the end of 1909, though some details like subway tracks were still unfinished.

Operational history

Opening and early history

The Manhattan Bridge opened on December 31, 1909, after costing $26 million to build. At first, only empty commercial vehicles used the bridge, while trucks with loads went to the nearby Brooklyn Bridge because the Manhattan Bridge’s road surface was not as strong.

A small fire happened on the Brooklyn side soon after opening, requiring some repairs. Over time, the bridge added more features: footpaths opened in 1910 and 1911, streetcars started running in 1912, and subway tracks opened in 1915. By the mid-1910s, a food market even operated under the bridge!

1920s to 1940s

Traffic grew quickly, and the bridge was repainted in 1921 for $240,000. New roadways were added, and traffic rules changed to manage the growing number of cars. Horse-drawn vehicles were banned from the bridge to speed up traffic.

During this time, the bridge carried tens of thousands of vehicles each day. Repairs and improvements continued, including adding more lanes and fixing the roads. By the 1940s, nearly 90,000 vehicles used the bridge daily.

1950s to 1970s

Repairs continued through the 1950s and 1960s. New roads were built to connect the bridge to expressways, and lights were added to help control traffic. However, by the 1970s, the bridge showed signs of wear. Cracks appeared in the floor beams because of the heavy subway trains, and repairs were needed to keep it safe.

Late 20th- and early 21st-century renovation

Major renovations took place from the late 1970s through the early 2000s. The city spent hundreds of millions of dollars to fix cracks, replace roads, and improve safety. By 2004, the total cost reached $800 million.

The bridge’s famous arch and colonnade were also restored, cleaning off dirt and graffiti and fixing the stonework. In 2009, the bridge celebrated its 100th birthday with special events. More recent work included replacing suspension cables and fixing parts of the bridge after discovering damage under the Brooklyn approach.

Description

The Manhattan Bridge is a big suspension bridge that crosses the East River in New York City. It connects Lower Manhattan at Canal Street to Downtown Brooklyn at the Flatbush Avenue Extension. The bridge is 6,855 feet (2,089 m) long and reaches a maximum height of 134 feet (40.8 m) above the water.

The bridge has four vehicle lanes on the upper level, split between two roadways. The lower level has three vehicle lanes and four subway tracks, along with a walkway and a bike path. The bridge was designed by Leon Moisseiff and was the first suspension bridge to use a special theory for making the deck stronger. This allowed the bridge to use lighter support structures.

Public transportation

The Manhattan Bridge was built to carry subway and streetcar tracks. It has four subway tracks on the lower level and was planned to have trolley tracks on the upper level.

Before the bridge opened, companies wanted to run streetcars across it. The Manhattan Bridge Three Cent Line got permission in 1910 but didn’t start until 1912. Another line began in 1915, and buses started using the bridge in 1919. The trolley service ended in 1929 and was replaced by buses. Bus services came and went over the years.

The bridge has four subway tracks. Two tracks are used by certain trains all the time, and others use them except late at night. The other two tracks are used by different trains at various times. These tracks connect to different subway lines in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Tolls

Further information: Congestion pricing in New York City § Tolls

When the Manhattan Bridge first opened, drivers had to pay a ten-cent toll, the same amount charged on the Brooklyn Bridge. However, soon after the bridge opened, the city realized it couldn't charge tolls on the Manhattan and Queensboro bridges. As a result, tolls were removed in July 1911.

Many years later, in the early 1970s, there were plans to bring back tolls on several bridges, including the Manhattan Bridge. This was part of efforts to improve air quality and support the city's public transportation. But these plans were stopped, and tolls were not added.

In 2025, a new system called congestion pricing began. Drivers entering Manhattan south of 60th Street now pay a toll that changes depending on the time of day. Drivers heading toward Brooklyn must also pay a toll to reach the streets that lead to the bridge.

Impact

When the Manhattan Bridge was being built, newspapers thought it would change the area a lot. They believed it would bring new homes to Downtown Brooklyn and more warehouses to Lower Manhattan. After the bridge opened, many ferry services between these areas stopped being used.

Some people thought many families would move from Manhattan to Brooklyn because of the bridge. New factories and buildings also appeared near the bridge in Brooklyn. Over time, areas under the bridge became popular places to live. For example, a neighborhood called Dumbo, short for "Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass", grew into a nice area to live.

The bridge’s design helped engineers build even bigger bridges later on. Two famous bridges from the 1930s, the Golden Gate Bridge and the George Washington Bridge, used ideas from the Manhattan Bridge’s design. The bridge was also painted by the artist Edward Hopper in 1928 in his work called Manhattan Bridge Loop.