Major Bridges Bronx STATS 2020
BTR BRONX STATS - NOVEMBER 20, 2020 49
the bridge beginning in 2010.
UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS BRIDGE
Opened: January 8, 1908
Bridge Type: Swing Bridge
Purpose: Connects Manhattan
to the Bronx and crosses over
the Harlem River via 207th
Street.
Maintenance: The New York
City Department of Transportation
Size: The total length is 268
feet. Its longest span is 227
feet
Daily Traffic: 39,340 (last
measured in 2008)
Information: The bridge carries
two lanes of traffi c in each
direction, serving 46,381 vehicles
per day, along with a sidewalk
on the south side of the
bridge. The fi rst swing bridge
on this site had been a previous
incarnation of the Broadway
Bridge that was being replaced
by a new double-level bridge.
In June 1906, the old bridge
was fl oated down the river and
placed on a newly-constructed
center pier. After all the approaches
and other construction
were completed, the bridge
opened to traffi c on January 8,
1908. The designer was Alfred
Pancoast Boller. A new bridge
was constructed between 1989
and 1992 to replace the decaying
previous structure. On
the Bronx side, the bridge provides
access to the University
Heights Metro-North station on
the Hudson Line via its pedestrian
walkway.
WASHINGTON BRIDGE
Opened: December 1, 1888
Bridge Type: Arch Bridge
Size: The length of the bridge
is 2,375 feet
Purpose: Connects Manhattan
to the Bronx over the Harlem
River and carries 6 lanes of
roadway and pedestrians
Maintenance: The New York
City Department of Transportation
Daily Traffic: 189,598 (last
measured in 2008)
Information: When the population
of Manhattan started
to move northward after the
Civil War, a bridge to accommodate
the expected traffic
was deemed necessary. This
two-hinged arch bridge was
designed by William Rich Hutton
and Edward H. Kendall,
based on a design submitted
by C. C. Schneider that
was pared down to bring the
bridge’s cost to $3 million.
The bridge features steelarch
construction with two
510-foot-long main spans and
masonry approaches. The
Washington Bridge, which
would be added to the National
Register of Historic
Places in 1982, opened to pedestrian
traffic on December
1, 1888. The plan had been to
open the bridge to vehicular
traffic on February 22, 1889
— Washington’s Birthday and
the centennial anniversary of
the first Presidency — but the
full opening was delayed until
December 1889. As traffic
needs became greater, the
bridge was modified to accommodate
more vehicles.
During the 1940s and 1950s
the roadway deck was modified
to permit a 66-foot-wide
roadway with six traffic lanes
and two six-foot-wide pedestrian
lanes.
In 2009, a $400 million
full renovation was started on
the bridge with an expected
completion date to take place
sometime in 2013. As of July
15, 2012, one of the eastbound
lanes of the bridge has
been closed to accommodate
construction vehicles, causing
some inbound delays at
the Hudson River crossings.
ton Bridge was planned in the mid-
1950s to connect to Robert Moses’
proposed Trans-Manhattan and
Cross-Bronx Expressways and to
accommodate the additional traffi c
resulting from the addition of the
six-lane lower level to the George
Washington Bridge. With the Interstate
designation, 90% of the $21
million in construction costs were
covered by the federal government.
The Bridge design included a set of
spiraling ramps to connect to and
from the Major Deegan Expressway
(completed in 1964) and a viaduct
ramp connecting to the Harlem River
Drive, both of which are over 100
feet below the level of the Bridge,
and access to Amsterdam Avenue.
For 2005, the New York City Department
of Transportation reported average
annual daily traffi c volume in
both directions of 181,566.
HIGH BRIDGE
(also known as Aqueduct Bridge)
Opened: 1848
Bridge Type: Arch Bridge
Size: It has a length of well over
2,000 feet.
Purpose: Connects Manhattan to the
Bronx over the Harlem River
Maintenance: The New York City Department
of Parks and Recreation
Information: The bridge was built as
part of the Croton Aqueduct, which
carried water from the Croton River
to supply the city. As designed, the
High Bridge had the appearance of a
Roman aqueduct, but in the 1920s,
a steel arch of about 450 feet, was
added to replace the several masonry
arches that spanned the river.
However, over the years, the wear
and tear of the bridge became
too much. Offi cials were thinking
of closing the bridge in mid-
1960s due to disrepair. Thoughts
became reality in 1970, when a
pedestrian threw a rock from the
bridge to a tour boat resulting in
the bridge’s closure. Although
closed to all traffi c, the structure
is the oldest surviving bridge in
New York City, and therefore has
maintained a special place in the
hearts of local residents. In November
2006, it was announced
that the bridge will reopen after
a $20 million renovation project.
With the $20 million renovation,
the arch will be stronger, staircases
will improve, cameras will
be placed on both ends of the
bridge, boat beacon lights will
be added, and more. The bridge
is expected to reopen to pedestrians
in 2013.
MACOMBS DAM BRIDGE
Opened: May 1, 1895
Bridge Type: Swing Bridge
Purpose: Connects Manhattan to
the Bronx over the Harlem River
Maintenance: The New York City
Department of Transportation
Size: The total length is 2,540
feet. Its longest span is 408
feet.
Daily Traffi c: 38,897 (last measured
in 2008)
Information: This bridge carries
two lanes of traffi c in each direction
and is a major route from
Manhattan to Yankee Stadium.
The major features crossed are
Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard
(Seventh Avenue,) the
Harlem River Drive, the Harlem
River, the Oak Point Link, and
the Major Deegan Expressway.
This landmark is the oldest extant
swing-type bridge in its
original form in New York City.
Furthermore, it is the City’s
third-oldest major bridge. The
mainline structure is a throughtruss
swing span. It was designated
an offi cial New York City
landmark in January 1992.
The idea of constructing a
bridge in its present location
was initiated by Robert Macomb
in 1810. The Legislature
awarded Macomb the right to
erect a dam; one-half of the toll
for crossing the bridge was to be
donated to the poor, and boats
were to pass freely through a
lock. The bridge was constructed
in 1814. The new dam, however,
proceeded to fl ood meadows
upstream and obstruct boat
navigation. In 1839 a group of
citizens breached the dam with
a coal-carrying vessel; this act
was deemed legal by the courts,
who maintained that “it was a
public nuisance to obstruct the
navigation.” A new swing bridge
was commissioned and opened
in 1861 as the Central Bridge.
This structure required many
repairs and modifi cations due
to rotting of the wooden components.
In 1892 the Passaic Rolling
Mill Company was awarded
the contract for a new bridge,
designed by Alfred P. Boller.
This bridge offi cially opened in
1895, at a cost of $2,537,312.
It was renamed the Macombs
Dam Bridge in 1902. New ramp
connections were constructed
on the Bronx side in 1920, when
Yankee Stadium was being
built.
In 1999, efforts began to complete
a $145 million renovation
of the bridge.
145TH STREET BRIDGE
Opened: August 24, 1905
Bridge Type: Swing Bridge
Size: It has a length of 1,603 feet.
Purpose: Connects Manhattan to the
Bronx over the Harlem River
Maintenance: The New York City Department
of Transportation
Daily Traffi c: 23,148 (last measured
in 2008)
Information: The bridge connects W.
145th Street and Lenox Avenue in
Manhattan with E. 149th Street and
River Avenue in the Bronx. Towards
the end of the 19th century, rapid
growth in the vicinity created the
need for an additional Harlem River
crossing. The initial design of the
bridge, by Alfred P. Boller working
for the architectural fi rm of Messrs
Clinton and Russell, was based on
the recently built Macombs Dam
Bridge, but was modifi ed to accommodate
an expected growth in
travel across the river. The bridge
was delayed due to the construction
of an IRT subway tunnel under
one pier, and fi nally opened in 1905.
However, wear and tear led to the
need for reconstruction. Over 100
years later, on November 1, 2006,
the bridge was entirely closed to
traffi c and the center swing span
was removed. Following the removal
of the existing swing span and
reconstruction of the center pier,
the new swing span was fl oated
into place, connecting the Bronx
spans with the Manhattan spans,
on February 9, 2007. DOT reopened
one lane in each direction and the
north sidewalk on March 22, 2007.
All four lanes of traffi c were open
to motorists shortly afterwards.
The reconstructed bridge includes
a new swing span, new machinery
and an electrical system, a new approach
roadway and spans, railing,
fencing, lighting, and signals.
MADISON AVENUE BRIDGE
Opened: July 18, 1910
Bridge Type: Swing Bridge
Size: It has a length of 1,892 feet.
Purpose: Connects Manhattan to the
Bronx over the Harlem River
Maintenance: The New York City Department
of Transportation
Daily Traffi c: 41,740 (last measured
in 2008)
Information: In 1874, residents in the
vicinity asked for the construction of
a bridge from 138th Street (then in
Westchester) to Madison Avenue in
New York, and funds were appropriated
the following year. Due to the
uneven topography and relatively
undeveloped landscape, the proposed
bridge required substantial
pier and approach construction.
The superstructure, composed of
iron, was contracted to the Keystone
Bridge Company in 1882. The swing
bridge was opened in 1884. The
Unionport Bridge...one of the borough’s many draw bridges, is udergoing complete replacement
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