Thursday, February 29, 2024

1869-89+1889-98 Falls View Suspension Bridges over Niagara River at Niagara Falls, NY

(Satellite, 300' (91m) north of the American Falls. [NiagaraFallsInfo] or
 Satellite, 14' (4.3m) downstream from the Honeymoon Bridge. [brocku])
 
Digitally Zoomed from the following photo

hmdb, cropped
"When it opened in 1869 with a 1,260-foot (384-meter) span, it was the longest suspension bridge ever constructed. The bridge was widened in 1888 to accommodate two-way traffic. On January 9, 1889, a strong southwest gale destroyed the bridge. It was quickly rebuilt and reopened on May 7, 1889."

The photo at the top of these notes shows the original timber towers. "In 1872, the sides were enclosed with wood and corrugated metal and a steam powered “Otis” elevator was installed in the Canadian tower to take tourists to an enclosed observation deck at the top of the tower. Tourists could then walk up a flight of stairs to an outdoor promenade on the roof of the tower. The elevator ride was priced at 10 cents." [NiagaraFallsInfo]
Patrick M. Sirianni posted
Wind Swept Bridges in Niagara and This Week in Local History.
No better time than today to mention the wind and its historical effects on the bridges and structures in and around Niagara Falls. Today marks the anniversary of the almost hurricane wind storm that would see the Falls View Suspension Bridge collapsing upside down into the gorge of the Niagara River just below the Falls on January 10th. 1889, and Dr. J.W. Hodge's near-death experience while crossing it.
That particular night, between Buffalo and Niagara Falls, railway tracks were covered with fallen trees and telegraph poles. Telephone, telegraph and electric light wires for miles in all directions were down. All passenger and freight trains were at a complete standstill as wrecking trains were sent out to clear the tracks. The water because of the force of the wind rose higher than it had ever since 1844. Quite a bit of the shore along the upper river and mouth of lake Erie were under three feet of water. A strip of land known as the Island was completely flooded and six homes at that location belonging to local fishermen have swept away.
Before I get into that tale, allow me to mention Reginald Fessenden and his experiences that he would later recollect crossing the then fairly new RR Suspension Bridge at the head of the Whirlpool Rapids.
Reggie's father was the first Minister of the newly constructed Christ Church located at the "Point" where Clifton Ave. meets River Road. The rectory at this time was located at the bottom of Queen Street and young Reggie attended DeVeaux School on the American side and crossed the bridge walking to classes every day. At a much later time, he wrote in his memoirs about his experiences crossing that sturdy structure.
"From home the walk was rather long and classes started early. In the fall the sun would be coming up just as I got to Mt. Eagle, and from there it was a lovely walk and a lovely site from there on., for the school was in the extensive and wooded grounds just at the Whirlpool Rapids. But in the winter it was much different. I had many bitterly cold struggles across the Whirlpool Suspension Bridge. Forcing my way into and across the heavy winds blowing down the Niagara Gorge, and having to hold on every now and then to the railing with both hands, but it was always a good fight and as a lad, I rather enjoyed it all."
Roebling's expertise certainly made for a sturdy two-deck Whirlpool RR Suspension bridge and I have never found any documents to ever state otherwise.
On the other hand, the Fallsview Suspension Bridge (considered to be the worlds longest Suspension Bridge at that time with a span of 1260 feet,) was built in the late 1860s by one Samuel Keefier and it certainly looked "shaky" enough to perhaps give one-second thoughts about crossing it on any sort of windswept day. In all fairness to Keefier, after its construction, the Falls View Suspension Bridge had been "tinkered" with on two different occasions. In 1872, the sides of the bridge were infused and a steam passenger elevator was installed in the Tower on the Canadian side. Then in 1887, the whole bridge was widened and this daunting task was completed in June of 1888. One can only contemplate the possibility that these two events could have been underlying factors in partially being responsible for its collapse.
Dr. J.W. Hodge was considered to be somewhat of an eccentric because of his decided opinions. He did not believe in God and was an affirmed agnostic at a time when religion was paramount to everything else in one's life. Some of his beliefs were quite unorthodox for the time as well, He was an anti-vaccinationist and was outspoken against efforts to immunize local residents during a smallpox epidemic and was also a great advocate for animal rights. According to his obituary, he was "for many years a relentless prosecutor of all those guilty of mistreating animals and was ever seeking to improve a lot of creatures which could not help themselves".
Perhaps what Dr. J.W. Hodge should have done was walk two miles and cross on the other during that late and stormy night's visit to the Canadian side to see a patient. Upon his trip back to the American side and most likely because his residence was located on Buffalo Ave., he decided to take the much shorter route and cross the Upper Suspension Bridge and save himself time and an extra four miles of walking. This ill-fated decision would almost cost him his life. Dr. Hodge in his own words:
"I had not advanced far beyond the Canadian Tower, however, before I realized from the nature of the swaying that something was wrong...As I neared the center, the swaying of the bridge was something terrific, and to add to the horror of the situation there was likewise a heavy motion like the rising and falling of a ship in the waves. .....Sometimes the bridge would seem to tip up as though one side was raised up by the wind, while the other hung from the 'suspenders' and whenever this occurred I dropped on my hands and knees for fear that I should be thrown over the railing. The rest of the time I clung to the railings as though it were the only straw between me and certain death, and worked my way along a few steps at a time whenever there would come a slight lull in the gale. To add to the discomfort and difficulties of the trip, great volumes of spray from the falls mingled with snow and sleet were dashed at intervals into my face, blinding me and drenching my clothing. At one point a gust of wind more powerful than the rest seemed to come swelling up from the water, and getting under my overcoat literally tore it open...
"Mingled with the whistling of the wind through the wires, when near the center of the bridge, I heard a sound like the flapping of a broken cable against the railing, and I believe it was here that the bridge began first to give way. When I finally reached the American towner, fully half an hour after I began the trip across, I was wet to the skin, almost blinded, and breathless. Nothing would tempt me to go through the same ordeal again"'.The bridge would finally give way on Jan. 10th at about 3;20 am. and Dr. Hodge was the last person to cross it before it collapsed into the river below.
Dr. Hodge continued to be a practicing physician well into his eighties and died on Feb. 18th. 1937 at 86 years of age. His body was cremated according to his wishes. He had written in his will "Having for many years been firmly convinced that cremation of the dead is the most sanitary, scientific and satisfactory method yet devised for disposal of human remains.....Furthermore, it is my ardent desire that no funeral service or religious rites of any sort be conducted over my body or the ashes thereof."
May be a black-and-white image of outdoors

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

1910 Miles Glacier (Million Dollar) Bridge over Copper River near Cordova, AK

(Bridge Hunter broke Mar 22, 2023; no Historic Bridges; HAERSatellite)

Construction was 1909-10. [WisconsinHistory]

HAER AK,20-CORD.V,1--18 (CT)
18. Looking east from Childs Glacier to Miles Glacier - Copper River & Northwestern Railroad, Million Dollar Bridge, Spanning Copper River at Miles Glacier, Cordova, Chugach Census Area, AK
Bridge Now and Then posted.
Alaska's Miles Glacier "Million Dollar" Bridge. Damaged in the Good Friday Earthquake in 1964, these "temporary" repairs lasted 40 years. photo by Jet Lowe, July, 1984. (HAER)

Bridges Now and Then commented on its post
2008, after permanent repairs

HAER AK,20-CORD.V,1--20 (CT)
20. Collapsed span, looking east

HAER AK,20-CORD.V,1--19 (CT)
19. Principal long span, looking east

DangerousRoads
"The bridge is 1,550 feet (470 m) long across the Copper River. This one-lane historic bridge was built in the early 1900s, from 1909-1910, as a one-track railroad bridge for the Copper River and Northwestern Railway to haul copper from the Kennicott copper mines to the port of Cordova....Nicknamed as the Million Dollar Bridge, it was closed in 1938, reopened as a highway bridge, part of the Copper River Highway in 1958 and fourth span collapsed in earthquake on 1964. In 2005, the span was repaired but the road is no longer in use."
 
CopperRiverRailway_history
The Copper River & Northwestern Railway paid $1,424,775 to build this bridge.
"The bridge carries the railroad over the Copper River for its second time after leaving Cordova, crossing from the east bank back to the west bank.  The alignment takes advantage of a narrow channel to allow the railway to avoid two active glaciers – Childs Glacier downstream on the west bank, and Miles Glacier upstream on the east bank."
(The railway was 200 miles long. [AdamsPictureBlog])
The roadbed was converted to a road in 1958 to provide a highway connection to the outside world. When this road is "broken," Cordova can be accessed only by airplanes and ferries.

Jonathan McNeely, Jan 2011

Jonathan McNeely, Jan 2011
 
CopperRiverRailway_photo
"One of the photos I’ve recently acquired is this view of a train approaching the Miles Glacier bridge from the east. It would appear to be a work train that’s returning from carrying ballast, given it consists entirely of the railroad’s Western side-dump gravel cars and a spreader on the back just ahead of the caboose.
"Another thing to note is the trestle wye at the east end of the bridge. Most people don’t realize there was a wye here, completely up on trestlework. I also find it interesting that I can’t see the Miles Glacier station at the west end of the bridge, but it may be just out of the photographer’s field view."
 
AdamsPictureBlog, 1 of several photos in the area
" In this view of the bridge you can see how the section in the foreground (the formerly collapsed section) is more than two feet off of alignment with the rest of the bridge."
The Miles Glacier is the largest icefield on earth outside of Greenland and Antarctica.
 
AMRC-b64-1-135
"View of Copper River and Northwestern Railway bridge construction showing caisson for constructing bridge piers on Copper River at Miles Glacier in the Cordova, Alaska area. From verso: 'Cagsion [sic] for bridge piers.' Postcard."

CityOfCordova
"The 56-mile Copper River Highway begins in Cordova and ends at the Million Dollar Bridge. Locals and tourists alike use the highway to access trails, hunting and fishing opportunities, off-road recreation areas, and the US Forest Service’s popular Childs Glacier campground and recreation site.
From the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities:
"The ADOT&PF has indefinitely closed the Copper River Highway at mile 36 due to safety concerns at Bridge No. 339. The closure will last until the bridge is replaced." 

The Miles Glacier is upstream, and it calves icebergs into the river, so ice breakers were installed in front of the piers to help protect them.
1:13 video @ 1:01


Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Union Railroad (US Steel) Bridge over Turtle Creek at East Pittsburgh

(Bridge Hunter broke Mar 22, 2023; Satellite)

Mtnclimberjoe Rail Photography posted
As a snow squall moves through East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Union Railroad Job 95A crew brings scrap loads an slab empties across the Turtle Creek bridge with a trio of MP15's. The crew will proceed north to clear the next switch, then shove their train down the ramp into the US Steel Edgar Thompson Works complex.
====Info====
2/17/2024
URR North Bessemer Branch
East Pittsburgh, PA
URR Job 95A (Slab Empties; Irvin Works - Dravosburg, PA to Edgar Thompson Works - East Pittsburgh, PA)
URR 15 MP15DC Blt. 1975
URR 23 MP15DC Blt. 1976
URR 11 MP15DC Blt. 1974
R. B. Rail Photog shared
Dennis DeBruler shared
Dennis DeBruler: Bridge location: 
 https://www.google.com/maps/@40.3917428,-79.8405862,213m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu

Monday, February 26, 2024

Was 1893 Trail/NS/(L&N+Southern) Bridge over Tennesse River at Florence, AL

If you are here because of the "1840+1893 Trail/NS/(Southern+L&N) Bridge over Tennessee River at Florence, AL," then you need to go there.



Sunday, February 25, 2024

1864 Clifton Suspension Bridge over River Avon at Bristol, UK

(Satellite)

Looking South:
Street View, Oct 2020

Looking North:
Street View, Apr 2017

The bridge spans a gorge that is 700' (213m) and 250' (76m) deep. When conceived, this bridge was the highest and longest suspension bridge in the world. [3:37 video @ 0:25]
The towers rise 86' (26m) above deck level. [BridgesOfDublin]
 
Bridges Now and Then posted
Isambard Kingdom Brunel's SS Great Britain passing under Brunel's Clifton Suspension Bridge on her triumphant return to Bristol in 1970. (Casual UK)

Will Rogers posted
Seen on a local site. Old British rail advertisement for Bristol showing a white funnel
Paddler & a train on the Somerset side of the suspension bridge
 
Clifton Suspension Bridge posted
#OnThisDay [Mar 16] in 1831 Isambard Kingdom Brunel's design for the CSB was formally accepted, beating 12 other proposals submitted in an open competition. Brunel's winning design originally took 2nd place, but he convinced the lead judge, Davies Gilbert, of the merits of his design and he was declared the winner two days later. He assures us in his diary that the conversation he had with Gilbert was "all fair and honest".
Lisa Vincent: Do you know what the original 1st place bridge design was, and by whom?
Bob Bruton: Lisa Vincent it was won by a Mr Hawks but we have no record of the design or what he said when told he would not get the contract.
Bridges Now and Them shared

VisitBristol
"The world famous Clifton Suspension Bridge was designed by the great Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, although he never lived to see his creation finished in 1864."

VisitBristol_story
Brunel was only 23 when he won the contract for the bridge in 1831. Work started in 1836, and the two towers were completed by 1843. However, the funds dried up and "in 1853 all the ironwork that had been made for Clifton was sold off and re-used for another of Brunel’s great bridges: the Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash in Devon." After Brunel's death in 1859, "the opportunity arose to recycle the chains from Brunel’s Hungerford footbridge in London which was being demolished." Work resumed in 1862 and the bridge opened to the public in 1864. "The majority of the bridge’s wrought ironwork is original and has not been replaced."
 
Highway Engineering Discoveries posted
Clifton Suspension Bridge
Suspension bridge in Bristol, United Kingdom

This bridge has plenty of redundant tie-bars, unlike the Silver Bridge in Ohio that collapsed.
Street View, Oct 2023

Bridges Now and Then posted
Clifton Suspension Bridge construction,1862.
Bridges Now and Then shared
BNaT Classic.
 
Clifton Suspension Bridge posted
Bridges Now and Then shared

2:10 video @ 1:16

Saturday, February 24, 2024

1846 Reading-Halls Station Bridge near Pennsdale, PA (oldest active metal truss)

(Bridge Hunter broke Mar 22, 2023; Historic Bridges; HAERSatellite)

One of the few bridges in Historic Bridges that have the rating of two 10/10. The oldest bridge in the USA is the 1839 Market Street Bridge. It is an arch bridge so all of its structural members can be made with cast iron. This bridge needs wrought iron for its tension members.
Significance: The Reading-Halls Bridge is almost certainly the oldest all-metal truss bridge in active service in the United States, a lone survivor from the first series of all-metal trusses of any kind designed and constructed in the United States. This Howe pony through-truss bridge followed shortly after the construction in 1845 of the very first all-metal truss bridge, the West Manayunk Bridge, also designed by Osborne and built by the Reading Railroad. [HAER_data]

HAER PA,41-MUNC.V,1--1
1. Credit JTL: West elevation of bridge - Reading-Halls Station Bridge, U.S. Route 220, spanning railroad near Halls Station, Muncy, Lycoming County, PA

I was going to label this a bridgeTrussPin since it is an old bridge. But then I noticed that this bridge uses cast-iron compression members so it uses is an even older connection technology. It essentially uses friction for the joints under compression and nuts-and-bolts for the tension members. I presume the tension members are made from wrought iron.
HAER PA,41-MUNC.V,1--8
8. Credit JTL: Detail view, six panels at south end of eastern truss, from beside bridge

14:42 video @ 1:23 (source)
The history starts here. The bridge is owned by the farmer that owns the land, not the railroad. But the railroad has done most of the maintenance.


Friday, February 23, 2024

1839 Market Street (Historic National Road) over Dunlaps Creek in Brownsville, PA

(Bridge Hunter broke Mar 22, 2023; Historic Bridges; HAER; Satellite)

This was the first cast-iron bridge built in the USA. The engineer choose to use iron because he could not find any stone in the area that was strong enough to build a 100' (30m) arch bridge. [HAER_data]

I learned about this bridge while researching the oldest extant all-metal truss bridge in the USA.

It looks like it is a rather flat arch.
HAER PA,26-BROVI,2--1
1. GENERAL VIEW LOOKING NORTH, SHOWING WESTERN HALF OF BRIDGE SPAN - Dunlap's Creek Bridge, Spanning Dunlap's Creek, Brownsville, Fayette County, PA

HAER PA,26-BROVI,2--6
6. VIEW LOOKING WEST, SHOWING ABUTMENT AND CAST IRON ARCH SEATS

It has a lattice spandrel. And a much wider deck was added to the bridge in the 1920s.
HAER PA,26-BROVI,2--4
4. DETAIL VIEW, SHOWING CAST IRON ARCH AND STEEL MODIFICATIONS



Thursday, February 22, 2024

1870 Monongahela Incline (Funicular) in Pittsburgh, PA

(Satellite)
 
Civil War Pittsburgh posted
Opened in May 1870, Pittsburgh’s Monongahela Incline has been in continuous operation for 154 years. During the 28th Annual Encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic in 1894 the Incline not only served as a practical mode of transportation, but also shuttled onlookers and veterans to the peak of Mount Washington where closing ceremonies could be observed with a spectacular view.
[The comment continues with a description of the closing ceremonies.]
Fred Limbach: You can see the really big freight inclines to the left of the smaller passenger ones that survive to this day. My grandfather drove milk wagons on them in his youth.
𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻: 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗻𝘀𝘆𝗹𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗮 posted
Monongahela Incline• Pittsburg, Pennsylvania • January 1905! 
(For those who aren't aware, it was Pittsburg in 1905 - formally reverting to PittsburgH in 1911.)
Frankly Words posted
The Monongahela Incline, up Mount Washington, Pittsburgh: showing the funicular railway that ran until 1935. Photo taken in 1905.

A postcard colorization of the above photo.
Shelly Ross posted
Monongahela Incline, Pittsburgh, Pa

WQED Pittsburgh posted three photos with the comment:
Often called the Mon Incline for short, the Monongahela Incline is the oldest continuously operating funicular railway in the U.S.  
Prussian-born engineer John Endres of Cincinnati, OH was commissioned to design the Monongahela Incline, which opened on May 28, 1870, as the first for passenger use. On the first day, some 944 fares were collected. (at 6 cents each!) But the second day, 4,174 people rode the incline & it became a success. He was assisted by his American-born daughter, Caroline Endres, who was educated in Europe & became one of the first women engineers in this country.
At a 35-degree grade, it’s one of the steepest in the world. It's recognized as a National Historic Landmark & as an historic structure by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation
Alexis Zinovenko: It may be the oldest still in operation, but the Johnstown Inclined Plane is billed as the "world's steepest vehicular inclined plane". It can carry automobiles and passengers, up or down a slope with a grade of 71.9%.
[The Duquesne Incline is a few thousand feet downstream from here.]
1
Shelly Ross posted
Pittsburgh incline.
Jim McFarlane
Lenny Hendricks Vehicles, horse drawn wagons, bicycles etc. Keep in mind that there wasn’t a very convenient way to get up to Mount Wash when these were built. I’ve attached a link to a clip of an old episode of “Route 66” in which the boys took their 1961 ‘vette up the Castle Shannon Incline which was located just a short distance away from the Mon Incline…...just for reference!
https://fb.watch/u2OqQ_-bqc/?: Jim McFarlane - so was the second set of tracks for freight only?
Scott Rectenwald: Lenny Hendricks. Yes.
Jim McFarlane: Lenny Hendricks Vehicles, horse drawn wagons, bicycles etc. Keep in mind that there wasn’t a very convenient way to get up to Mount Wash when these were built. I’ve attached a link to a clip of an old episode of “Route 66” in which the boys took their 1961 ‘vette up the Castle Shannon Incline which was located just a short distance away from the Mon Incline…...just for reference!

2
[The bridge on the left is the Smithfield Street Bridge.]

3

Tony McCune commented on the above post
My shot.

Pittsburgh Regional Transit posted two photos with the comment: "Happy 153rd Birthday to the Monongahela Incline - the oldest operating funicular in the United States (opened May 28, 1870)!🥳🎈"
1

2




Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Lost/NP Saint Louis Bay (Rice's Point) Bridge over St. Louis River at Duluth+Superior

(Bridge Hunter broke Mar 22, 2023; John A Weeks III; Satellite, south abutment)

David Schauer posted
The year is 1973 and we are looking toward Duluth from Superior's waterfront. Canadian lakers are loading at the GN elevator (center) and Globe elevator (right). Two silver stackers of the U.S. Steel fleet are headed for the DM&IR ore docks while a pair of salties are at the port terminal. The open area in the lower left would soon become the Superior Midwest Energy Terminal to handle millions of tons of western coal through the Twin Ports. Burlington Northern's Wisconsin and Minnesota swing bridges are also visible (removed in the mid-1980s). Basgen Photography

JohnWeeks
[The NP bridge is in the middle by the grain elevator. The bridge behind that one was the Interstate Bridge.]

The grain elevator in the background is the 1898 General Mills/Great Northern Grain Elevator "S" and "X".
David Schauer posted
Amtrak's Northstar with a late morning arrival to the Twin Ports is seen crossing BN's Wisconsin Draw with the Great Northern elevator as an impressive backdrop. Superior, WI - early 1983
Steve Anderson: They blew that bridge up in 1984. I saw it on WDIO News.
Bradley Massengill: In superior / duluth, the passenger main line was pulled out along with Wisconsin and Minnesota drawbridges, so a ten minute crossing now takes an hour via grassy point drawbridge,
[So the southern swing bridge is called the Wisconsin Draw, and the northern swing bridge is called the Minnesota draw.]

According to John Weeks, the Interstate Bridge was built by GN and this bridge was built by NP.
1953 Duluth and 1954 Superior Quad @ 24,000

JohnWeeks
"This photo was clipped from the program for the dedication ceremony for the new I-535 Blatnik Bridge over the harbor connecting Duluth (on the near side) to Superior (on the far side). The Great Northern Interstate Bridge is located just to the left of the Blatnik Bridge. The Northern Pacific Saint Louis Bay Bridge is located on the right side of the photo. The Minnesota Draw swingspan is located in the foreground, while the Wisconsin Draw swingspan is located at the far right edge of the photograph."

Dyna Mike posted
This is looking east, the nearest bridge is the Rice's point bridge. It had 2 swing spans. The Interstate bridge is in the background.
John Soderberg: I used to walk out to this bridge to take guitar lessons from the bridge operator.
[This would be the Minnesota Draw. Note the Interstate span is already closing back into the closed position.]


Tuesday, February 20, 2024

1951 Wards Island/103rd Pedestrian Bridge over Harlem River in New York, NY

(Bridge Hunter broke Mar 22, 2023; no Historic Bridges; NYCSatellite)

How many pedestrian bridges in the USA, world, have a working lift span?

Street View, Oct 2016

nyc
The lift span is 312' (95m) long, and the sidewalk is 12' (3.7m) wide.
 
1 of several photos of the new span for the Willis Avenue Bridge being moved to the bridge site

1 of 4 photos posted by United States beauty
The Wards Island Bridge, also known as the 103rd Street Footbridge, is a pedestrian bridge in New York City that connects Manhattan to Wards Island, crossing the Harlem River. Opened in 1951, the bridge links East Harlem at East 103rd Street to Wards Island, which is part of Randalls and Wards Islands Park. The bridge is designed as a vertical lift bridge, allowing the central span to be raised for boats navigating the Harlem River.
Primarily used by pedestrians and cyclists, the bridge provides access to the parklands, sports fields, and recreational areas on Wards Island, as well as the island’s wastewater treatment plant and homeless shelters. The lift span of the bridge is rarely used, but the structure remains a unique feature among New York City’s pedestrian bridges due to its ability to accommodate river traffic.
The Wards Island Bridge is popular with joggers, cyclists, and residents looking for a green escape within the city. It provides a scenic route over the river and is one of the few pedestrian-only connections between Manhattan and the islands in the East and Harlem Rivers.

Metrotrails posted
Wards Island Pedestrian Bridge, originally known as Harlem River Pedestrian Bridge, completed in 1951. It connects the east River Greenway to Wards Island and Randall's Island Parks.
The center section is a lift span that allows for the passage of larger ships.
Seen from the walkway on Manhattan.
M'ke Helbing shared
 
Jeffrey Gluck posted
Ward's Island Pedestrian Bridge (103d St. Bridge)

The New York Landmarks Conservancy posted
Wards Island Bridge
The Wards Island Bridge, also known as the 103rd Street Footbridge, is a pedestrian bridge crossing the Harlem River between Manhattan Island and Wards Island. Completed at a cost of $2.1 million, it opened to pedestrians in 1951 and was later opened to bicycles in 1967.
The vertical lift bridge has a total of twelve spans consisting of steel towers and girders. Although originally painted in a red, yellow, and blue color scheme, it was repainted in sapphire blue and emerald green in 1986. After being closed to the public for approximately two years for a $16.8 million infrastructure project, Wards Island Bridge was reopened on June 1, 2012 and is open 24 hours-a-day year-round. Previously, the bridge had only been available for use from April through October during daylight hours.
Dave Frieder: Bridge was originally owned by the TBTA. Now owned by NYCDOT.
Engineer of design, Othmar Ammann. SAME engineer who was responsible for the engineering of the GWB [I presume the George Washington Bridge.]!
"The Wards Island Bridge is a pedestrian bridge over the Harlem River connecting the East River Housing Project at East 103rd Street in Manhattan to Wards Island. The view from Wards Island."

webpage with 9 photos

The navigation channel has a closed clearance of 55' (17m) and a width of 300' (91m). [WaterwayGuide]


This is one of the 2027 bridges in NYC. [nycbridges]