whitestone bridge

View from Queens Official name The Bronx-Whitestone Bridge Carries 6 lanes of I-678 Crosses East River Locale New York City (Whitestone, Queens – Throgs Neck, The Bronx) Maintained by Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority Design Suspension bridge Longest span 701.04 meters (2,300 ft) Total length 1,149.10 meters (3,770 ft) Vertical clearance 14 feet 6 inches (4.4 m) AADT 114,600[1] Opening date April 29, 1939 Toll $5.00 as of March 15, 2008 (both directions per car in cash); discount available with E-ZPass Coordinates 40°48'03?N 73°49'50?W? / ?40.80083°N 73.83056°W? / 40.80083; -73.83056? (Bronx-Whitestone Bridge)Coordinates: 40°48'03?N 73°49'50?W? / ?40.80083°N 73.83056°W? / 40.80083; -73.83056? (Bronx-Whitestone Bridge) Roadway on the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge Aerial view of the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge View of the roadway and a tower From the Bronx

The Bronx-Whitestone Bridge (colloquially referred to as the Whitestone Bridge, Bronx Bridge, (BW) or simply the Whitestone) is a suspension bridge that crosses the East River and connects the boroughs of Queens, on Long Island and The Bronx via Interstate 678. The bridge was designed by Othmar Ammann and opened to traffic with four lanes on April 29, 1939.[2] Contents [hide] 1 History 2 Major repairs 3 Road Connections 4 The bridge in popular culture 5 References 6 External links //

History

The idea for a crossing between The Bronx and Whitestone, Queens had come as early as 1905. At the time, residents around the proposed area of the bridge protested construction in fear of losing the then-rural character of the area.

In 1929, however, the Regional Plan Association had proposed another bridge from the Bronx to northern Queens to allow motorists from upstate New York and New England to reach Queens and Long Island without traveling through the traffic-ridden communities of western Queens. On February 25, 1930, Robert Moses proposed a Ferry Point Park-Whitestone Bridge as a part of his Belt Parkway system around Brooklyn and Queens.

As the 1930s progressed, Moses found his bridge more and more necessary: to link to the 1939 New York World's Fair and to LaGuardia Airport (then known as North Beach Airport). In addition, the Whitestone Bridge was to provide congestion relief to the Triborough Bridge.

The New York Legislature approved Moses' plan in April 1937. Moses had raised controversy when he quickly decided to demolish seventeen homes in the Queens community of Malba. Moses argued such measures were necessary to complete the bridge on schedule.

The RPA had also said that the Whitestone Bridge should have rail connections, or at least be able to accommodate them in the future, but had no allies on the project, to Moses' relief.

Designer Othmar Ammann had several plans for the bridge that would keep construction on its tight schedule. The two 377-foot (115 m) towers were constructed in a short 18 days and were the first to have no diagonal cross bracing.