The Queensboro Bridge, officially named the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, is a cantilever bridge over the East River in New York City. Completed in 1909, it connects the Long Island City neighborhood in the borough of Queens with the East Midtown and Upper East Side neighborhoods in Manhattan, passing over Roosevelt Island. The bridge is also known as the 59th Street Bridge because its Manhattan end is located between 59th and 60th streets.
The Queensboro Bridge carries New York State Route 25 (NY 25), which terminates at the bridge's western end in Manhattan, and also once carried NY 24 and NY 25A. The western leg of the Queensboro Bridge is flanked on its northern side by the freestanding Roosevelt Island Tramway. The bridge was known as the Queensboro Bridge for 102 years, but in March 2011, it was officially renamed in honor of former New York City mayor Ed Koch.
The Queensboro Bridge is the northernmost of four toll-free vehicular bridges connecting Manhattan Island to Long Island, along with the Williamsburg, Manhattan, and Brooklyn bridges to the south. It is the first entry point into Manhattan in the course of the New York City Marathon and the last exit point out of Manhattan in the Five Boro Bike Tour.
Name
The Queensboro Bridge was originally named in honor of the borough of Queens, which, at the time of the bridge's construction in 1909, was largely rural. It was the third bridge across the East River to be named after a New York City borough, after the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge. By the late 20th century, the Queensboro Bridge was also known as the 59th Street Bridge, after its terminus in Manhattan. This name caused controversy among some Queens residents who felt that the 59th Street Bridge name did not honor the borough of Queens.
On December 8, 2010, Mayor Bloomberg announced that the bridge would be renamed in honor of former mayor Ed Koch from the Queensboro Bridge to the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge. The announcement was made the same week the New York State Legislature voted to rename the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel in honor of former Governor Hugh Carey. The new name became official in March 2011. The renaming decision was unpopular among Queens residents and business leaders, and many local residents continue to refer to the bridge by its older name. New York City Council member Peter Vallone Jr. from Queens vowed to remove Koch's name from the bridge. Vallone said, "Never in a million years would they think to rename the Brooklyn or Manhattan bridges, but for some reason, it was OK to slap Queens around."
Description
The Queensboro Bridge is a two-level double cantilever bridge, with separate cantilevered spans over channels on each side of Roosevelt Island joined by a fixed central truss. In all it has five spans, including approaches between the cantilevered sections and each terminus.
The New York Daily News wrote in 1981 that the Queensboro Bridge "reminds people of the bridges they built with erector sets as children". Nonetheless, the bridge was not as widely appreciated as the Brooklyn Bridge further south, especially in the late 20th century.
Levels
The upper level of the bridge has four lanes of automobile traffic, consisting of two roadways with two lanes in each directions. It provides a view of the bridge's cantilever truss structure and the New York skyline. Although the two upper level roadways both end at Thomson Avenue on the Queens side (with ramps to the Queens side), they diverge in opposite directions on the Manhattan side. The two lanes to the north, normally used by westbound traffic, lead to 62nd and 63rd Streets. The two lanes to the south, normally used by eastbound traffic, lead to 57th and 58th Streets. The southern roadway is used as a westbound high-occupancy vehicle lane during morning rush hours, when all eastbound traffic uses the lower level.
The lower level has five vehicular lanes, the inner four for automobile traffic and the southern outer lane for automobile traffic as well, used exclusively for Queens-bound traffic. The northern lower-level roadway was converted into a permanent pedestrian walk and bicycle path in September 2000.
Spans
The lengths of the spans are as follows:
Manhattan to Roosevelt Island span length (cantilever): Roosevelt Island span length: Roosevelt Island to Queens span length (cantilever): Manhattan approach span: Queens approach span: Maximum height above water: Total length between anchorages: , of which are above water Total length including approaches:
Until it was surpassed by the Quebec Bridge in 1917, the span between Manhattan and Roosevelt Island was the longest cantilever in North America.