How long is 59th street bridge

The bridge is more than a century old and has been known as the 59th Street Bridge due to the fact its Manhattan starting point is 59th Street. It was built when it became apparent that another bridge was needed to connect Manhattan with Long Island to ease the traffic load on the Brooklyn Bridge, built 20 years earlier.

Construction of the cantilever bridge that spans the East River began in , but because of various delays, the structure was not completed until Once you take a walk across this bridge, you will see why it was all worth it. A walk across the Queensboro Bridge—nearly three-quarters of a mile long—not only offers views of its striking geometric shapes as well as the New York skyline but also allows you to explore by foot the interesting neighborhoods once you reach the other side.

When you are zooming across by car, you'll probably never notice the battlement-type rooftops on the Queensbridge Houses, or explore the attractions of Long Island City at a leisurely pace.

To be honest, however, the walk across the Queensboro Bridge is not as nice as the amble over the Brooklyn Bridge or even the Williamsburg Bridge , since pedestrians have to walk close to the cars. But you will be rewarded with the spectacular views from this iconic and historic structure. Whether you are starting on the Manhattan or Queens side, you need to find the pedestrian entrances. You will then have to walk two blocks east. At the Queens-end of the bridge is Queensboro Plaza, an elevated subway station.

Be forewarned—Queensboro Plaza can be congested especially come rush hour and walking through will be slow and challenging. If you are taking the subway, grab the number 7, N, or W weekdays only. The Queens side of the bridge is in Long Island City. If you time it right, you can have a sunset drink with views of the bridge and the Manhattan skyline at the Ravel Hotel's Penthouse Bar.

If you'd like to see the city from the water, go ahead and rent a kayak from LIC Boathouse. The trolley lanes were removed in the s, and for the next few decades the bridge carried 11 lanes of automobile traffic. The upper level of the Queensboro Bridge has four lanes of automobile traffic and provides an excellent view of the bridge's cantilever truss structure and the New York skyline.

The lower level has six lanes, the inner four for automobile traffic and the outer two for either automobile traffic or pedestrians and bicycles. The northern outer roadway was converted into a permanent pedestrian walk in The Manhattan approach to the bridge is supported on a series of Guastavino tile vaults which now form the elegant ceiling of the Food Emporium and the restaurant Guastavino's, located under the bridge.

Originally, this open air promenade was known as Bridgemarket and was part of Hornbostel's attempt to make the bridge more hospitable in the city. In addition to the two rapid transit tracks, the bridge also had four streetcar tracks. The following Queens lines operated over the bridge:. Metro Wiki Explore. Wiki Content. The trolley lanes and mid-bridge station were removed in the s, and for the next few decades the bridge carried 11 lanes of automobile traffic.

No tolls are charged for motor vehicles to use the bridge. The upper level of the Queensboro Bridge has four lanes of automobile traffic and provides an excellent view of the bridge's cantilever truss structure and the New York skyline. The lower level has six lanes, the inner four for automobile traffic and the outer two for either automobile traffic or pedestrians and bicycles.

The North Outer Roadway was converted into a permanent pedestrian walk and bicycle path in The Manhattan approach to the bridge is supported on a series of Guastavino tile vaults which now form the elegant ceiling of the Food Emporium and the restaurant Guastavino's, located under the bridge.

Originally, this open air promenade was known as Bridgemarket and was part of Hornbostel's attempt to make the bridge more hospitable in the city. Bridge circa In the novel Charlotte's Web, Charlotte refers to the Queensboro Bridge as a sort of human-made spider web. The Queensboro is prominently displayed during the opening credits of the television series Taxi, as a cab driven by series star Tony Danza drives across it. The bridge is the setting for a significant scene in the movie Spider-Man.

The Queensboro Bridge is prominently displayed in anime Red Garden, even sustaining extensive damages due to a battle. A mechanical King Kong attacked the cars while hanging off the Queensboro Bridge. The bridge was one of the last intact links to the Manhattan Island prison and was land mined to thwart escape attempts. An iconic shot of the bridge in Woody Allen's Manhattan The bridge is seen in the Woody Allen film Manhattan in an iconic visual.