Manhattan Bridge

The Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the East River in New York City, connecting Lower Manhattan (at Canal Street) with Brooklyn (at Flatbush Avenue Extension) on Long Island. It was the last of the three suspension bridges built across the lower East River, following the Brooklyn and the Williamsburg bridges.

The bridge was opened to traffic on December 31, 1909 and was designed and built by Polish bridge engineer Ralph Modjeski with the deflection cables designed by Leon Moisseiff, who later designed the infamous Galloping Gertie (the original Tacoma Narrows Bridge that opened and collapsed in 1940). It has four vehicle lanes on the upper level (split between two roadways). The lower level has three lanes, four subway tracks, a walkway and a bikeway.

The upper level, originally used for streetcars, has two lanes in each direction, and the lower level is one-way and has three lanes in peak direction. It once carried New York State Route 27 and later was planned to carry Interstate 478. No tolls are charged for motor vehicles to use Manhattan Bridge.

The original pedestrian walkway on the south side of the bridge was reopened after sixty years in June 2001. It was also used by bicycles until late summer 2004, when a dedicated bicycle path was opened on the north side of the bridge, and again in 2007 while the bike lane was used for truck access during repairs to the lower motor roadway.

Manhattan Bridge

Carries                   7 lanes of roadway, 4 tracks of the B D N Q

                              trains of the New York CitySubway, pedestrians, and bicycles

Crosses                  East River

Locale                    Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York City 

Design                    Suspension bridge

Longest span         1,470 ft (448 m)

Total length           6,855 ft (2,089 m)

Opening date         December 31, 1909