Manhattan Bridge

[Edward]

New pictures of Manhattan Bridge (http://www.wirednewyork.com/bridges/manhattan_bridge/)


http://www.wirednewyork.com/images/bridges/manhattan-bridge/manhattan_bridge_empire_5jan02.jpg

http://www.wirednewyork.com/images/bridges/manhattan-bridge/manhattan_bridge_electricity_5jan02.jpg

http://www.wirednewyork.com/images/bridges/manhattan-bridge/manhattan_bridge_downtown_5jan02.jpg

http://www.wirednewyork.com/images/bridges/manhattan-bridge/manhattan_bridge_under_5jan02.jpg

[Edward]

Found some old pictures of Manhattan Bridge (http://www.wirednewyork.com/bridges/manhattan_bridge/)


http://www.wirednewyork.com/images/bridges/manhattan-bridge/manhattan_bridge_driving_3march02.jpg

http://www.wirednewyork.com/images/bridges/manhattan-bridge/manhattan_bridge_empire_state_fulton_5jan02.jpg

http://www.wirednewyork.com/images/bridges/manhattan-bridge/manhattan_bridge_fulton_ferry_park_5jan02.jpg

[amigo32]

I really like the driving scene. *It shows the magnitude of the bridge.

[NYatKNIGHT]

More Manhattan Bridge....

http://www.pbase.com/image/55541876.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/image/55541827.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/image/55541874.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/image/55541872.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/image/55541829.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/image/55541869.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/image/55541848.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/image/55541852.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/image/55541860.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/image/55541862.jpg

[Rob]

wow nice pics :!: you guys are soooooo lucky to be a New Yorker!! Be proud of it

[Scruffy88]

I love this bridge. And actually depending on my mood I like it better than the brooklyn. The best design, love the the lines, everything about it. the most functional of all the bridges. 4 subway tracks, 7 vehicular lanes, bi-leveled. 2 pedestrian walkways. And still a relatively narrow width. Genius

[BigMac]

Wikipedia Picture of the Day
March 30, 2008

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Manhattan_Bridge_Construction_1909.jpg/800px-Manhattan_Bridge_Construction_1909.jpg

The Manhattan Bridge, under construction in 1909, nine months before its opening on December 31, 1909. This suspension bridge crosses the East River, connecting Lower Manhattan with Brooklyn, just upriver of the Brooklyn Bridge. All of the buildings in foreground of this photograph, with the exception of the Empire Warehouse on the left, are no longer standing.

Photo credit: Irving Underhill

[BrooklynRider]

I walk it once in a while. The walkway should have been placed in the center of the bridge on thre upper level, similar to the Brooklyn Bridge. It is simply too noisy from the subways to enjoy the walk and the chainlink obliterates the views.

[ZippyTheChimp]

http://img369.imageshack.us/img369/8294/manhattanbr04wn7.th.jpg (http://img369.imageshack.us/my.php?image=manhattanbr04wn7.jpg)

[The Benniest]

Anyone know where Edward's first picture (http://www.wirednewyork.com/images/bridges/manhattan-bridge/manhattan_bridge_empire_5jan02.jpg) was taken from?

Thanks,
Ben

[ZippyTheChimp]

^
Looking down Washington St, DUMBO, Brooklyn.

[The Benniest]

Ok.

Thank you Zippy. :)

[Derek2k3]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3319/3221868550_162b8b29ef_b.jpg
mudpig (http://www.flickr.com/photos/yukonblizzard/3221868550/)

[scumonkey]

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/scumonkey/mb.jpg

[david lee]

Could someone please tell me what the building is in Edwards First picture?
manhattan_bridge_empire_5jan02.jpg

The short 2 story brown building through the gates and on the right.
I was there about 3 years ago, taking photos of the bridge down that street and as I approached the junction at the end and raised my camera, A guy came out of the building and told me not to take photos.

I only wanted the bridge behind but he thought I was taking photos of his building.

Just curious really.
Thanks

[ablarc]

http://www.pbase.com/image/55541874.jpg

Here you are, caught between the cyclone fence and the cyclone fence.

Here comes the mugger.

What do you do?

[scumonkey]

pull out your gun and shoot him! ;)

[BrooklynRider]

No More Gates for Manhattan Bridge Archway
by Brooklyn Eagle published online 04-21-2009

The Archway beneath the Manhattan Bridge in DUMBO was gated for 17 years, barring passersby from enjoying the 100-year-old cavernous passageway. The “soft opening” of The Archway was on September 8, 2008, but the gates were closed for the winter for construction of a new sidewalk and the restoration of the Belgian block roadbed. But on April 19, the gates were once again done away with, and plans are in the works to have events and programs there throughout the year, reports the Dumbo Improvement District, which will manage and maintain The Archway.

© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2009

[Derek2k3]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3590/3492059331_6e78ba2f20.jpg?v=0
rysq (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rysq/)

[NYatKNIGHT]

Here you are, caught between the cyclone fence and the cyclone fence.

Here comes the mugger.

What do you do?

What's your point?

[lofter1]

Being up on the pedestrian walkway suspended over the East River you don't have many options in the case of a mugger -- with or without a cyclone fence.

But what is the fear of muggers on the bridge? Do incidents happen there in any greater number than down on the streets?

[Merry]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgXveBf_l6k&feature=player_embedded

[Merry]

Manhattan Bridge 100th Anniversary Special

When was the last time you really looked at the Manhattan Bridge? Or underneath it? The flawed landmark, which turns 100 this Sunday, connects two of the city’s most historic and dynamic neighborhoods.

By Lisa Ritchie

http://newyork.timeout.com/newyork/resizeImage/htdocs/export_images/731/731.otc.x491.manhattanbridge.jpg?width=480

It has no song celebrating a groovy stroll across its length, nor has it inspired literary reflections (although it is a popular suicide spot in Steve Martin’s 1984 movie The Lonely Guy). The Manhattan Bridge may lack the lore of the Brooklyn and Queensboro, but viewed from a flattering angle, the sweeping steel suspension bridge is undeniably beautiful. The impressive stone archway on the Manhattan side, modeled on the 17th-century Porte St-Denis in Paris, was designed by New York Public Library architects Carrère and Hastings, while the Brooklyn approach once boasted allegorical statues representing the two boroughs designed by Lincoln Memorial sculptor Daniel Chester French (they now reside in the Brooklyn Museum).

Built to ease congestion on its older sibling to the south, it was “designed to knit the city tighter together through transit and transport links and make it more efficient,” says historian Jeffrey Kroessler, author of New York Year by Year: A Chronology of the Great Metropolis. “The city of New York built the bridge itself, without funds from Albany or Washington, and it was meant to facilitate the expansion of mass transit into Brooklyn.”

Yet over time, it turned out to be less practical than had been hoped: The designer, Leon Moisseiff, didn’t incorporate sufficient support, and placed the subway and streetcar lines on the outer edges of the roadway, putting too much strain on the deck.

“The Queensboro Bridge made Queens; the Williamsburg Bridge was called the ‘Jews’ highway’ because it enabled the Jews from the Lower East Side to pour into Williamsburg,” explains Kroessler. “But what is the Manhattan Bridge known for? Being so badly designed that it twisted out of shape due to decades of subway use, and the fact that the outer roadway was closed for years.”

Now, as the bridge enters its centennial year and the final stages of a massive reconstruction project begun in the early ’80s, take some time to admire its graceful span and rediscover the neighborhoods on both sides.
Centennial highlights

Saturday October 3

FREE Walking tour with Adrienne Onofri Meet at the southwest corner of Bowery and Canal St. 2–4pm. The author of Walking Brooklyn guides you over the bridge, through Dumbo and Vinegar Hill.

Sunday October 4

FREE Centennial ceremonial parade 9–11am. Only VIPs can access the bridge during the festivities, but onlookers can see the FDNY Fireboat multicolor salute on the river, hear the New York Chinese School marching band and, if you arrive early, glimpse the vintage cars.

FREE Fireworks display East River Park Amphitheater, north of Manhattan Bridge. Enter at Cherry and Jackson Sts. 7pm. The pyrotechnics are accompanied by the Manhattan School of Music Brass Quintet.

Monday October 5

FREE “Miss Manhattan, Miss Brooklyn and Their Creator, Daniel Chester French” NYU-Poly, 5 MetroTech Ctr, main floor, Downtown Brooklyn. 6:30pm. Artist Brian Tolle (Irish Hunger Memorial) and the Met’s Karen Lemmey discuss the bridge’s original decorations.

October 8

“Art Along the Way: Masstransiscope with Artist Bill Brand” Transit Museum, Boerum Pl at Schermerhorn St, Downtown Brooklyn. 6pm. $5. This two-hour event comprises a talk about and a ride-by viewing of the extraordinary work in the unused Myrtle Avenue subway station, which appears animated when seen from a moving train.

October 10

FREE Transportation Alternatives bike tour Meet at Allen Street Mall, corner of Allen and Grand Sts. 10am. TA’s senior policy adviser, Noah Budnick, reveals the newest bike paths on this 90-minute tour, which crosses the bridge, skirts the Navy Yard and culminates at Brooklyn Bridge Park.

October 11

FREE Manhattan Bridge walk Meet at the southwest corner of Broadway and Canal St . 10am. Photographers and bridge aficionados Bernie Ente and David Frieder lead this two-hour tour, in conjunction with Open House New York.

FREE “Losing the Bridge” Meet at Confucius Plaza, 33 Bowery at Bayard St. Noon. Former commissioner of the NYC Department of Transportation “Gridlock” Sam Schwartz shares his inside knowledge on a 90-minute walk, in conjunction with Open House New York.

http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/own-this-city/79065/manhattan-bridge-100th-anniversary-special

http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=13&id=31117

[BrooklynRider]

It really is a horrendous bridge. Very little to celebrate.

The pedestrian walkway should be raised to the center of the bridge, above the upper roadway. Let ther two existing pedestrian lanes become bikeways.

The best walk I ever had on this bridge was on September 11th, when I walked across the upper deck to get out of Manhattan. Sparkling sunny day, the WTC in ruins and burning, the poison cloud blowing in the direction I was walking, and lots of people helping each other out.

The little miracles of compassion and brotherly love on that day were as powerful as the destruction.

Never-the-less, this bridge ultimately sucks ass.

[Derek2k3]

lol

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2453/3960066667_9f4eb6ee50_b.jpg
krugerlive (http://www.flickr.com/photos/krugerlive/3960066667/sizes/l/)

[OmegaNYC]

I know BR, might flame me, but... I personally think this is one of the most beautiful bridge in all of New York. :cool:

[ZippyTheChimp]

Whoa, I think the Manhattan Bridge is fine.

Victorian-industrial embellishments.

Perfect spot too, right next to the Brooklyn Bridge. You can see how, in one generation, the technology advanced from tentative over-engineering to a more efficient design.

Sometimes I prefer the solitude of the walkway; seems like walking along a railroad freight line. And the view of downtown is better because the Brooklyn Bridge is in it.

[BrooklynRider]

I agree. It is a great bridge to look at from afar, but how often do you say, "Let's take a stroll on the Manhattan Bridge" or "I love driving across the Manhattan Bridge" or Take the D or the Q train, because you move at a crawl over the Manhattan Bridge"?

Stand anywhere but on the bridge to look at it and it looks fine. Get on the bridge using any of the modes available and you regret it instantly.

It's kind of like seeing a Hershey Kiss. From afar, you see the Kiss and you want to pull it from the shiny wrapper, pop it in your mouth, and taste that creamy rich milk chocolate. Suddenly, you have the thing in your hand and you realize that it is dogsh*t wrapped in aluminim foil. Total let down.

[ZippyTheChimp]

:confused:


but how often do you say, "Let's take a stroll on the Manhattan Bridge"How often do you say,"Let's take a stroll on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge?"


or "I love driving across the Manhattan Bridge"How often is driving into Manhattan a great experience?


or Take the D or the Q train, because you move at a crawl over the Manhattan Bridge"?How fast is the train across the Brooklyn Bridge?

[NYatKNIGHT]

I'm really quite surprised, BR. I like the bridge and I like walking across it, and I do it as often as I can. The walkway is right on the edge, so the views are unobstructed - not so on Brooklyn, Williamsburg or Queensboro. Plus, as has been mentioned, the views of the surrounding city are exceptional. There is no traffic whizzing by, it's barely noticeable above and over the subway tracks. There is the occasional subway train, which I agree is somewhat jarring for about 30 seconds, but nothing I'd describe as horrendous, and definitely preferrable to ceaseless auto and truck traffic you get on the other bridges. It's a pretty bridge with lots of details you only discover up close. Best of all it is uncrowded and at times almost serene. One of my favorite urban hikes is the Brooklyn-Manhattan Bridge loop, and the best part of it, IMO, is being on the Manhattan Bridge. Oh well, to each his own.

[rp23g7]

I'm really quite surprised, BR. I like the bridge and I like walking across it, and I do it as often as I can. The walkway is right on the edge, so the views are unobstructed - not so on Brooklyn, Williamsburg or Queensboro. Plus, as has been mentioned, the views of the surrounding city are exceptional. There is no traffic whizzing by, it's barely noticeable above and over the subway tracks. There is the occasional subway train, which I agree is somewhat jarring for about 30 seconds, but nothing I'd describe as horrendous, and definitely preferrable to ceaseless auto and truck traffic you get on the other bridges. It's a pretty bridge with lots of details you only discover up close. Best of all it is uncrowded and at times almost serene. One of my favorite urban hikes is the Brooklyn-Manhattan Bridge loop, and the best part of it, IMO, is being on the Manhattan Bridge. Oh well, to each his own.


Coming to the city for a week for vacation, soemone told me to do the Brooklyn-Manhattan bridge loop. What is the route?

We are staying on W 40th, the FairField Marriott, and can figure a way down to the route.

[NYatKNIGHT]

Let's see, I usually make it up as I go along taking various detours...

When walking across the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan into Brooklyn, start on Park Row across from City Hall. Get off the bridge at the first stairway (the walkway/bikeway continues, so watch for it). The Manhattan Bridge is 2 or 3 blocks to the east, you can take Prospect St. until you are beneath the bridge, the entrance is up on the right, and there are signs if you look closely. The DUMBO neighborhood is right there too so I usually head right to the water off the bridge on Old Fulton St. then head back up Pearl St. The entrance is on Jay St.

The Manhattan bridge starts/ends on the Manhattan side at Bowery and Canal St. You can head back from there, a subway stop is 2 blocks north at Grand St., but if you want to loop around or if you started on the Brooklyn side, the easiest way to the Brooklyn Bridge is to go south on Bowery to Chatham Square. Make a right onto Worth Street and go about 3 blocks to Foley Square / Federal Plaza (@ Centre St.). Head south on Centre past the courthouses and past the Municiple Building to the Brooklyn Bridge entrance. A more interesting way is to zig-zag through Chinatown: going south on Bowery make your first or second right onto Bayard or Pell St. then left on Mott and right on Mosco to Columbus Park. Either way you'll get to Worth St. near the courthouses. There are other routes behind the courthouses and Municiple building, but it's not easy to describe and not as interesting.

[rp23g7]

Let's see, I usually make it up as I go along taking various detours...

When walking across the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan into Brooklyn, start on Park Row across from City Hall. Get off the bridge at the first stairway (the walkway/bikeway continues, so watch for it). The Manhattan Bridge is 2 or 3 blocks to the east, you can take Prospect St. until you are beneath the bridge, the entrance is up on the right, and there are signs if you look closely. The DUMBO neighborhood is right there too so I usually head right to the water off the bridge on Old Fulton St. then head back up Pearl St. The entrance is on Jay St.

The Manhattan bridge starts/ends on the Manhattan side at Bowery and Canal St. You can head back from there, a subway stop is 2 blocks north at Grand St., but if you want to loop around or if you started on the Brooklyn side, the easiest way to the Brooklyn Bridge is to go south on Bowery to Chatham Square. Make a right onto Worth Street and go about 3 blocks to Foley Square / Federal Plaza (@ Centre St.). Head south on Centre past the courthouses and past the Municiple Building to the Brooklyn Bridge entrance. A more interesting way is to zig-zag through Chinatown: going south on Bowery make your first or second right onto Bayard or Pell St. then left on Mott and right on Mosco to Columbus Park. Either way you'll get to Worth St. near the courthouses. There are other routes behind the courthouses and Municiple building, but it's not easy to describe and not as interesting.


Thanks for the info, gonna have to check it out.

[ZippyTheChimp]

It's worth spending a little time in the area before returning to Manhattan. It's where Brooklyn began as a village.

At the bottom of the stairway off the Brooklyn Bridge, looking left down Washington St, you'll see the tower of the Manhattan Bridge. Walk 4 blocks through the DUMBO neighborhood to the waterfront, a completed segment of Brooklyn Bridge Park (http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4027&page=33).

Alternately: turn right at the Brooklyn Bridge stairway, and follow the path through Cadman Plaza Park. Cross Cadman Plaza West (along Middagh St) into Brooklyn Heights. At Columbia Heights, turn left. There's an overlook with good views of New York Bay. A little further along, there's the entrance to the promenade. Walk along the promenade to the 4th exit, Montague St. Montague and Hicks Sts begins the commercial area of the neighborhood. Good place to stop for a meal.

Return trip: North on Hicks St one block to Pierrepont St. Turn left. One block to Willow St. Willow St is representative of the different building styles in the neighborhood (note the converted red carriage house on your right). Willow will intersect Middagh St. Turn right on Middagh and retrace your steps to the Brooklyn Bridge stairway.

The two bridge loop is 2.5 miles.
The neighborhood tour will add 1.5 miles.

A shorter diversion: At Columbia Heights and Middagh St, turn right and head down the long hill to Old Fulton St. Turn left to Fulton Ferry. Good view of Manhattan. Take Water St under the Brooklyn bridge to Dock St. On your left, there's an entrance to Empire-Fulton Ferry Park. Exit the park at the Manhattan Bridge. Walk along the left side of the anchorage (Anchorage Pl). It leads to Pearl St. Continue to and cross Sands St. Left one block and cross Jay St. You'll see a stone staircase to your right - to the pedestrian walkway.

[rp23g7]

thanks Zippy

[NYatKNIGHT]

Related Thread (http://www.wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22350)

[rp23g7]

Related Thread (http://www.wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22350)

Yeah, saw that one too. gotta love that view. Something to do with the bridge looking outta place around the buildings i guess.

Kinda like the Bay Bridge in San Francisco, the way it comes into the city.

All the bridges in Seattle area were there before they built stuff, so most of them have clear areas around them.

[Merry]

Manhattan Bridge Subway Lines to Be Disrupted

By PATRICK McGEEHAN

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/10/29/nyregion/30bridgeready/popup.jpg

A $150 million project to replace all of the vertical suspension cables on the 100-year-old Manhattan Bridge will cause sporadic weekend disruptions in subway service and require closings of the bikeway and some traffic lanes for parts of the next four years, city transportation officials said this week.

The city’s Department of Transportation is preparing to award a contract for the repair work to Skanska, a Swedish company whose American headquarters are in New York. The department notified Skanska last week that its bid, which was just shy of $150 million, was lower than the other four received.

The contract is one of 14 that make up the final phase of a three-decade effort to rebuild the bridge, which connects Lower Manhattan to Downtown Brooklyn.

All told, about $830 million has been spent repairing the bridge, which suffered from neglect during the city’s financial crisis in the 1970s, said Brian Gill, the chief engineer of Manhattan Bridge reconstruction for the Transportation Department.

Skanska has said that it will complete the work, which includes replacing the necklaces of lights that illuminate the bridge’s outer cables, in three and a half years. Mr. Gill said the city could penalize the company if it did not complete the work on schedule.

During that period, subway service across the bridge on the B, D, N and Q lines will be suspended on as many as eight weekends, Mr. Gill said. The schedule for those suspensions has not yet been determined, said Seth Solomonow, the department’s spokesman.

The bikeway on the north side of the bridge will also be closed for as long as eight months during the project, which is expected to begin by early next year and end in mid-2013, Mr. Gill said.

Throughout the shutdown of the bikeway, which was closed from October 2006 to August 2007 during a previous phase of the bridge’s overhaul, cyclists will share the walkway on the south side of the bridge with pedestrians, he said.

Mr. Gill said the project’s impact on the public would be much less than that of previous phases of the rebuilding. Subway service was disrupted for years in the 1990s, and the bridge’s lower roadway was closed for a year, ending in October 2008, he said.

Starting late this year or early next year, Skanska will replace all 622 suspenders — cables that attach the bridge’s decks to its four main cables — for the first time in more than 50 years, Mr. Gill said. Workers also will rewrap the main cables, replace the bearings on the eight main trusses, and replace the 168 lights on the outer cables with more energy-efficient ones, he said.

The current contract is the third major one that Skanska has won for rehabilitation of the Manhattan Bridge since 2000, the company said. It has also done repair work on the Williamsburg, Queensborough and Triborough Bridges and is about to be awarded a contract to repair parts of the Brooklyn Bridge with $30 million in federal stimulus money, according to the city’s online stimulus tracker.

After the cable work is complete, virtually every part of the bridge will have been replaced, except its towers, the main cables and the trusses that support them, Mr. Gill said.

“This is the end of the program,” he said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/30/nyregion/30bridge.html?ref=nyregion

[Merry]

100 Years Later, Still No Respect for a Bridge

By JAMES BARRON

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/12/31/nyregion/31bridge_337-span/articleLarge.jpg
The Manhattan Bridge under construction in 1909, the year it officially opened.
But it was not completed until years later (photo: Irving Underhill)

It was Mayor George B. McClellan Jr.’s last public act: an afternoon ride across a bridge so new, it was not quite finished. He led “a little cavalcade of automobiles and carriages” as steam whistles sounded on both sides of the river, The New York Times reported.

“Hundreds of Brooklynites stood for hours in the cold,” The Times said, “waiting to greet the mayor and those who accompanied him.”

At midnight, Mr. McClellan’s term was over. He left City Hall, 100 years ago on Friday.

That makes Thursday the 100th anniversary of the official opening of the Manhattan Bridge. But is anyone talking re-enactment? Not the NYC Bridge Centennial Commission, created to take note of six 100-year anniversaries between 2008 and 2010.

The president, Samuel Schwartz, the former deputy transportation commissioner, is on vacation in the Caribbean until after the new year.
The vice president, Harold Holzer, is planning to spend New Year’s Eve at the information desk of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he is a senior vice president, directing visitors to the galleries and exhibitions.

And then there is what Mr. Holzer called his “antipathy to all things McClellan.” Mr. Holzer, an authority on Abraham Lincoln, is the author, co-author or editor of more than 30 books on Lincoln and the Civil War.

“The mayor’s father”—

Gen. George B. McClellan, who was popular among the Union troops despite his troubles on the battlefield — “was too disrespectful too many times to Abraham Lincoln,” Mr. Holzer said. “And while I am vice chairman of the bridge commission, I am co-chairman of the U.S. Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. I have my loyalties.”

M. Barry Schneider, the secretary of the bridge commission, said the anniversary would not be marked with a re-enactment — no McClellan-style crossing on New Year’s Eve. He said the commission was e-mailing everyone who had had a hand in its work, urging a toast to the bridge at 9 p.m.

“We did our celebration in the good weather of the first week of October,” Mr. Schneider said. “I don’t want to be seen as a spoilsport, that we did it when it was convenient for us. We had 100 years to plan this. But the bridge wasn’t completed on Dec. 31. He got the people across and he said, ‘Now finish the damn bridge.’ ”

The Times expressed that idea a bit differently. “Much still remains to be done on the Manhattan Bridge,” it said in the article about Mr. McClellan’s crossing on New Year’s Eve, “before it will be a finished product of engineering skill.”

Once it was completed, it became the Rodney Dangerfield of the city’s bridges. “Does it have a Roebling?” Mr. Holzer said, referring to the family that masterminded the Brooklyn Bridge. “Does it have Tony Bennett on the other end in Astoria, the way the 59th Street Bridge does? No. It’s the bridge between the Brooklyn Bridge and the 59th Street Bridge, two famous icons that dwarf it.”

The historian Thomas R. Winpenny wrote in “Manhattan Bridge: The Troubled Story of a New York Monument” (Canal History and Technology Press, 2004), that it was “a figurative disaster in which repairing, reconstructing and maintaining the Manhattan Bridge became a black hole capable of devouring hundreds of millions of dollars with only modest results.”

The city has spent about $830 million repairing the bridge since the 1980s.

Subways had to be rerouted for years in the 1990s, and the lower roadway was closed for a year starting in the fall of 2007. The Department of Transportation is awarding a contract for a $150 million project to replace its vertical suspension cables.

“It was poorly designed, but it’s beautiful,” said Dave Frieder, a photographer who is assembling a coffee-table book about the bridges in and around New York.

One of its designers was Leon S. Moisseiff, whose later projects were either revered — the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, between Philadelphia and Camden, N.J., for example — or reviled, a category that includes the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington. The latter did the twist — a very bad idea for a bridge. Slammed by a blast of wind one morning in 1940, it danced so hard it collapsed.

According to Mr. Frieder, the Manhattan Bridge has an up-and-down life of its own because Mr. Moisseiff put the subway tracks on the outside of the span instead of the middle. He said it used to drop four to six feet whenever a subway train was on the bridge. Now, after the renovations, he said, it undulates far less, “and really only when two trains go over” at the same time.

Mr. Frieder said he felt the bridge sink firsthand, during a photo shoot some years ago. “I’m standing on the cable and can feel the train rumbling through the cable,” he said. “It was like I was getting an elevator ride. I was going down with the deck and coming back up once the train passed where I was.”

So what about the bridge commission and its mission, celebrating the six spans that opened between 1908 and 1910? Five down — which is perhaps not the best thing to say about a group that deals with bridges — and one to go, the Madison Avenue Bridge, in the summer.

“That completes our assignment,” Mr. Schneider said. Then what? “There are tunnels,” he said. “There are footbridges. There are other things we could celebrate.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/31/nyregion/31bridge.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper

[Derek2k3]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2657/3701759424_ba01b1038e_o.jpg
.: Philipp Klinger :.
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/dcdead/3701759424/sizes/o/)

[rp23g7]

.: Philipp Klinger :.
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/dcdead/3701759424/sizes/o/)

Wow, such a great picture. I should have gone back at night to snap a shot, hmmm next October.

[paul_houle]

http://images.ny-pictures.com/photo2/m/36120_m.jpg (http://ny-pictures.com/nyc/photo/picture/36120/manhattan_bridge_brooklyn_bridge_background)

Picture of Manhattan Bridge (http://ny-pictures.com/nyc/photo/topic/6576/Manhattan_Bridge) thanks to nikonvscanon (http://ny-pictures.com/nyc/photo/photographer/605055/nikonvscanon) and New York Pictures (http://ny-pictures.com/nyc/photo/)

[CMANDALA]

Manhattan Bridge March 5 2010

[AdamNY]

9670Hey you know the Manhattan Bridge Jay Street exit right?
http://www.ajfroggie.com/roadpics/ny/manhattan-br-w.jpg
You know that big pole, right?
Can anyone tell me if ever had a light ring on top? Like this:

[AdamNY]

Hey you know the Manhattan Bridge Jay Street exit right?
9671
[Click on the image and look to the left]
You know that big pole, right?
Can anyone tell me if ever had a light ring on top? Like this:
9672
[click on image]

[AdamNY]

And while you're at it, what's the name of the building, that's across the street from the exit, on the left of the picture? If you know, that would be a big help. Thanks.

[Merry]

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/4768080718_73f8b52ec2_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cranburry/4768080718/in/pool-curbed

[Viktor Schwartz]

Very nice big bridge.

[Merry]

This is really cool.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebgh_JZnL4g&feature=player_embedded#!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/14/immersive-surfaces-video-_n_962983.html