Williamsburg Bridge


flatlining, originally uploaded by nj dodge.

The Williamsburg Bridge is a suspension bridge in New York City across the East River connecting the Lower East Side of Manhattan at Delancey Street with the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn.

Construction on the bridge began in 1896, with Leffert L. Buck as chief engineer, Henry Hornbostel as architect and Holton D. Robinson as assistant engineer, and the bridge opened on December 19, 1903 at a cost of $12,000,000. At the time it was constructed, the Williamsburg Bridge was the largest suspension bridge on Earth, and remained so until the Bear Mountain Bridge was completed in 1924. The entire bridge is 7308 feet (2227 m) long.

The bridge is one of only two suspension bridges in New York City to currently carry both automobile and rail traffic. (The Manhattan Bridge is the other.) In addition to this two-track rail line there were once two sets of trolley tracks.

The Williamsburg Bridge is featured in the movies The Lost Weekend (1945) and The Naked City (1948) and the novel The Alienist (1994) by Caleb Carr.

The bridge has been under reconstruction since the 1980s, largely to repair damage caused by decades of deferred maintenance.
The bridge celebrated its 100th anniversary in December 2003.

Comments

Erica said…
Gawgeous! You took that pic?

You know, by the way, my name is "Erica Sherman." I only bring it up because you're the second person in two weeks who's mistaken me for an Eric Asherman or an Eric Casherman.

It's kinda funny actually.
Erica said…
(duh, I just saw the photo credit...obviously you didn't take the pic...)
gate valves said…
wow! now thats what ya call photography!