Name: Manhattan Bridge
Address: Manhattan Brg, New York, NY 11201
Rating: 4.6

Opened in 1909, this suspension bridge between Brooklyn & Manhattan is known for its ornate portal.

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Times Square

Rockefeller Center

Statue of Liberty

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Manhattan Bridge officially opened to traffic on December 31, 1909.

Opening Year

The Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge, meaning the deck is hung below cables on vertical suspenders.

Type of Bridge

Although designed by Leon Moisseiff, the Manhattan Bridge used design principles pioneered by John A. Roebling, the engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Family Connection

The Manhattan Bridge carries four subway tracks, making it a vital transportation link for the New York City subway system.

Subway Tracks

The Manhattan Bridge has a pedestrian walkway on each side, offering stunning views of the New York City skyline.

Pedestrian Access

The Manhattan Bridge is painted a distinctive 'Manhattan Bridge Blue', a color chosen for its aesthetic appeal and protective qualities.

Distinctive Color

Manhattan Bridge

The Manhattan Bridge, a suspension bridge connecting Lower Manhattan with Brooklyn, distinguishes itself through its innovative design, particularly its use of deflection theory in its cable design, a relatively new concept at the time of its construction. Its four main cables, each over 3,224 feet long, are anchored within Manhattan and Brooklyn, supporting the roadway and four subway tracks, a feature unique among the major New York City bridges. The bridge's open grid design, while offering stunning views, also contributes to its notorious noisiness, a characteristic often overlooked but deeply ingrained in the experience of crossing it. Furthermore, the Manhattan Bridge boasts Beaux-Arts styled arch and colonnade at the Manhattan entrance, designed by Carrère and Hastings, the architects of the New York Public Library, adding an unexpected touch of classical elegance to an otherwise industrial structure. This architectural flourish, often missed by those rushing across, provides a striking contrast to the bridge's functional engineering.

Introduction

The Manhattan Bridge is one of five vehicular bridges that facilitate crossings of the East River between Manhattan Island and Long Island. Situated north of the Brooklyn Bridge, it is a crucial component of New York City's transportation infrastructure. Unlike the Brooklyn Bridge, which only permits passenger vehicles, pedestrian, and bicycle traffic, the Manhattan Bridge accommodates five subway lines (N, Q, R, B, D), making it a vital artery for both vehicular and public transit.

Proposals for bridges connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn, which eventually led to the construction of both the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, emerged in the early 19th century to address the increasing need for efficient transportation between the two burgeoning cities. Prior to these fixed crossings, ferries were the sole means of transport across the East River. As traffic flow increased, additional bridges and tunnels were constructed to alleviate congestion.

Approved in mid-2023, a congestion pricing plan for New York City allows the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to toll drivers entering Manhattan south of 60th Street, implemented in January 2025. While most traffic between the Brooklyn Bridge and FDR Drive is exempt, Manhattan-bound drivers must pay a toll, varying by time of day. Brooklyn-bound drivers also face tolls to access streets leading to the Manhattan Bridge, unless they use the FDR Drive.

East River Crossing

The Brooklyn Bridge, originally known as the Great Bridge, stands as a testament to structural design innovation, particularly through the pioneering work of John A. Roebling. His expertise in architecture, hydraulics, and bridge construction, honed at the Bauakademie in Berlin, laid the foundation for the bridge's groundbreaking design. Roebling's innovation revolutionized bridge building, evident in the Brooklyn Bridge's use of large pneumatic caissons and steel-wire suspension cables. This approach allowed for a "grand flying leap from shore to shore," as envisioned by observers, eliminating the need for piers or drawbridges across the crowded East River.

Roebling's earlier experience with the Allegheny Portage Railroad, which used steam-powered inclines to haul boats over the Allegheny Mountains, likely influenced his approach to bridge design. The railroad's complex engineering, bridging the divide between the Susquehanna and Ohio rivers, provided valuable insights into overcoming challenging terrain. The Brooklyn Bridge, a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark since 1972, embodies an era of rapid progress and industrialization, showcasing the self-confidence of a nation through its structural design. Its construction marked a significant advancement in engineering capabilities, solidifying its place as a masterpiece of structural design innovation.

Structural Design Innovation

The Manhattan Bridge features approach plazas on both ends, designed by Carrère and Hastings to initially obscure views of the bridge from the streets. The Manhattan plaza connects to Canal Street and the Bowery, while the Brooklyn end merges into Flatbush Avenue. Sculptures around the plazas were commissioned from Carl Augustus Heber, Charles Cary Rumsey, and Daniel Chester French. The Manhattan plaza, originally bounded by the Bowery, Bayard, Division, Forsyth, and Canal streets, includes an arch and colonnade completed in 1915, surrounding an elliptical plaza facing the Bowery.

The arch and colonnade, constructed from white, fine-grained Hallowell granite, feature allegorical sculptures by Heber and a frieze by Rumsey. The arch's design symbolizes the bridge's role as an ocean gateway, influenced by the New York Improvement Plan of 1907. The arch is based on Paris’s Porte Saint-Denis and is adorned with carvings of ships, masks, shields, and oak leaves, along with sculptural groups depicting the Spirit of Commerce and Industry. The "Buffalo Hunt" frieze sits above a keystone depicting a bison.

The colonnade and plaza were modeled after St. Peter's Square in Vatican City, featuring Tuscan columns and classical motifs. The Brooklyn approach originally included a terraced plaza with balustrades. French designed pylons named Brooklyn and Manhattan, installed in 1916, representing life in each borough. The pylons were relocated to the Brooklyn Museum in 1963, and a bas-relief memorializing former mayor William Jay Gaynor was moved to Brooklyn Bridge Plaza.

Approach Plazas

Following the 2007 I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis, the Brooklyn Bridge's condition came under scrutiny, with approach ramps receiving a "poor" rating during a 2007 inspection, though officials clarified this indicated a need for renovation rather than immediate danger. A comprehensive renovation of the approaches and deck began in 2010, including repainting the suspension span, widening approach ramps, raising clearance over the BQE, seismic retrofitting, and replacing safety barriers. This project, initially slated for completion in 2014, faced delays, pushing the finish to 2017, and the cost escalated from $508 million to $811 million.

In 1981, the snapping of two diagonal stay cables, resulting in a pedestrian fatality, exposed rust issues in the anchorages. This led to an emergency cable repair and accelerated a $153 million rehabilitation project in advance of the bridge's centennial. The original suspender cables were replaced in 1986, marking their first replacement since the bridge's construction. Further issues arose in 1993 with the discovery of high lead levels near the towers. Emergency repairs were again needed in 1999 due to concrete shards falling from the deck, which had been installed during the 1950s renovations.

In 2016, a study was initiated to assess the feasibility of a heavier upper deck to accommodate an expanded pedestrian and bicycle path. Also that year, plans were announced to reinforce the bridge's foundations and repair masonry arches damaged by Hurricane Sandy. In 2018, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved further renovations to the suspension towers and approach ramps, supported by $25 million in federal funding. This work, commencing in late 2019, included brick replacement and cleaning of the granite arches to reveal their original color. Additionally, 56 LED lamps were installed on the bridge.

Manhattan Bridge

Did You Know?

Opening Year

Type of Bridge

Family Connection

Subway Tracks

Highlights from Reviews

Location