View allAll Photos Tagged Bridges_and_Tunnel
The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation held a scaled down version of its annual memorial run & walk on Sun., September 27, 2020. Led by Frank Siller, and accompanied by MTA Bridges & Tunnels President Daniel DeCrescenzo and Acting Vice President and Chief of Operations Richard Hildebrand, the walk commemorates FDNY Firefighter Stephen Siller’s run through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel (now the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel) on September 11, 2001, before his death at the World Trade Center.
(Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit)
Photos I took during the taxi ride from LGA, where my flight from Toronto landed at 8:30AM, to Brooklyn Heights, where my cab driver dropped me off at the Mariott Hotel to wait until the bridges and tunnels reopened. Time stamps are approximate, since these were print photos that I scanned later.
Fellow "Flickr-holic" Bridges and Tunnels and I took our annual trip to Sydney's Northwest on 29 December 2015 to review progress on Metro Northwest (AKA the North West Rail Link).
Looking in a westerly direction at the site of the future Cudgegong Road Station. Water filled we assume as a result of recent rains.
MTA Bridges and Tunnels lent personnel and a fleet of 18 trucks and other pieces of heavy equipment to assist in the snow removal efforts in Suffolk County after a huge blizzard dumped up to 30 inches of snow across the County on February 8-9, 2013.
Photo: MTA Bridges and Tunnels
Vehicles impounded by TBTA at the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge during Persistent Toll Violator interdiction operations on Tuesday, Mar 21, 2023.
(Marc A. Hermann / MTA)
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo toured the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel (formerly known as the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel) on Oct. 30, 2012, with MTA Chairman and CEO Joseph J. Lhota and Jim Ferrara, President of MTA Bridges and Tunnels. The tunnel flooded during Hurricane Sandy.
Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin.
Opening Day of the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel on May 25, 1950.
Photo: MTA Bridges and Tunnels Special Archive
Persistent toll violator vehicles interdicted by TBTA at the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
(Marc A. Hermann / MTA)
On Monday, October 22, 2012, the former Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel was renamed the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel in honor of New York State's 51st Governor.
This photo shows Bridge and Tunnel Officers at the tunnel's entrance in Lower Manhattan.
The overall ceremony was attended by New York State Lieutenant Governor Robert J. Duffy, NYC Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, former Governor Mario Cuomo, former Governor and MTA Board member David A. Paterson, MTA Chairman and CEO Joseph J. Lhota, members of the Carey family, and staff of MTA Bridges and Tunnels.
Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin.
On Monday, October 22, 2012, the former Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel was renamed the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel in honor of New York State's 51st Governor.
In this photo, Gov. Carey's son, Michael Carey, speaks with Gov. Carey's successor, former Governor Mario Cuomo.
The ceremony was attended by New York State Lieutenant Governor Robert J. Duffy, NYC Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, former Governor Mario Cuomo, former Governor and MTA Board member David A. Paterson, MTA Chairman and CEO Joseph J. Lhota, members of the Carey family, and staff of MTA Bridges and Tunnels.
Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin.
After nearly 80 years in the salty sea-air, the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge is getting major upgrades and repairs to its lift span mechanical and electrical systems, structural steel and grid-deck repairs, bridge painting, and new fire line system and hydrants. Photo: MTA Bridges and Tunnels
NYC DEP Research scientist Chris Nadareski with falcon. One baby boy and three baby girl peregrine falcons are banded atop the Marine Parkway Bridge. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
Existing Rockaway Boulevard Overpass with embankment work underway.This $13.9 million design/build project will reconstruct the nearly 50-year-old Rockaway Bridge Boulevard Overpass under an accelerated timeline that will see work completed by the end of the year. Photo: MTA Bridges and Tunnels / Alex Gad and The LiRo Group / Liz Beller
Officers gathered at the King Fook Funeral Home on Fort Hamilton Parkway in Brooklyn to mourn the passing of MTA Bridges and Tunnels Officer Thomas Choi, who was struck by a motorist while performing his duties at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge Oct. 20, 2013. He succumbed to his injuries without ever regaining consciousness on Dec. 29, 2014. Officer Choi is the first MTA Bridges and Tunnels Officer to die in the line of duty in the history of the agency.
Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin.
Compressing the cables on the Throgs Neck Bridge. May 24, 1960.
Courtesy of MTA Bridges and Tunnels Special Archives
On Monday, October 22, 2012, the former Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel was renamed the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel in honor of New York State's 51st Governor.
In this photo, Lieutenant Governor Robert J. Duffy is speaking at the lectern.
The ceremony was attended by New York State Lieutenant Governor Robert J. Duffy, NYC Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, former Governor Mario Cuomo, former Governor and MTA Board member David A. Paterson, MTA Chairman and CEO Joseph J. Lhota, members of the Carey family, and staff of MTA Bridges and Tunnels.
Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo toured the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel (formerly known as the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel) on Oct. 30, 2012, with MTA Chairman and CEO Joseph J. Lhota and Jim Ferrara, President of MTA Bridges and Tunnels. The tunnel flooded during Hurricane Sandy.
Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin.
NYC DEP Research scientist Chris Nadareski sits with falcon. One baby boy and 3 baby girl peregrine falcons are banded atop the Rockaway tower of the Marine Parkway Bridge. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
MTA Bridge and Tunnel Officers involved in rescuing more than a dozen people from a burning building near the Queens-Midtown Tunnel on July 30 were presented with Heroism Awards by MTA Chairman & CEO Thomas Prendergast during the MTA board meeting on Wed., September 24, 2014.
Sergeant Paul Leggio.
Photo: Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit
NYC DEP Research scientist Chris Nadareski sits with falcon. Two baby boys and two baby girl peregrine falcons are banded atop the Bronx tower of the Throgs Neck Bridge. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
NYC DEP Research scientist Chris Nadareski sits with falcon. Two baby boys and two baby girl peregrine falcons are banded atop the Bronx tower of the Throgs Neck Bridge. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
Parent falcon on bridge. One baby boy and three baby girl peregrine falcons are banded atop the Marine Parkway Bridge. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
NYC DEP Research scientist Chris Nadareski sits with falcon. Two baby boys and two baby girl peregrine falcons are banded atop the Bronx tower of the Throgs Neck Bridge. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
Museum that displays historical artifacts of the New York City Subway, bus, commuter rail, and bridge and tunnel systems.
MTA Bridge and Tunnel Officers involved in rescuing more than a dozen people from a burning building near the Queens-Midtown Tunnel on July 30 were presented with Heroism Awards by MTA Chairman & CEO Thomas Prendergast during the MTA board meeting on Wed., September 24, 2014.
Officer Joseph Vasquez.
Photo: Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit
A Nissan Rogue sits in the lot at Runway Towing, after it was impounded June 8 by Bridge & Tunnel Officers at the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge for non-payment of tens of thousands of dollars in tolls.
(Marc A. Hermann / MTA)
An adventure map of Long Island's and Staten Island's Ocean Drive.
Map published and distributed by Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority
Employees from MTA Bridges and Tunnels are pumping 43 million gallons of water out of each of the tubes of the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel (formerly the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel).
Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin.
Crews work during Phase One of repairs to the upper level of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Work is expected to continue through summer 2017. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
MTA Bridges and Tunnels wraps up installation of new environmentally friendly LED lights at the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, the last of the agency’s four suspended spans to upgrade its “necklace” light fixtures that are part of the bridges’ architectural features. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
Much Better Viewed Large On Black
This is a photo of the railroad crossing near the Arizona Eastern Railway station in Globe, Arizona. The train was getting ready to pass and the lights were flashing and the bells were ringing.
INFORMATION ON RAILWAY CROSSINGS:
The term level crossing (also called a railroad crossing, road through railroad, railway crossing, train crossing or grade crossing) is a crossing on one level ("at-grade intersection") — without recourse to a bridge or tunnel — of a railway line by a road, path, or another railroad. It also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way (or a reserved track tramway) crosses a road.
Early level crossings had a flagman in a nearby booth who would, on the approach of a train, wave a red flag or lantern to stop all traffic and clear the tracks. Manual or electrical closable gates that barricaded the roadway were later introduced. The gates were intended to be a complete barrier against intrusion of any road traffic onto the railway. In the early days of the railways much road traffic was horsedrawn or included livestock. It was thus necessary to provide a real barrier. Thus, crossing gates, when closed to road traffic, crossed the entire width of the road. When opened to allow road users to cross the line, the gates were swung across the width of the railway, preventing any pedestrians or animals getting onto the line. The first U.S. patent for such crossing gates was awarded on 27 August 1867, to J. Nason and J. F. Wilson, both of Boston.
With the appearance of motor vehicles, this barrier became less effective and the need for a barrier to livestock diminished dramatically. Many countries therefore substituted the gated crossings with weaker but more highly visible barriers and relied upon road users following the associated warning signals to stop.
In many countries, level crossings on less important roads and railway lines are often "open" or "uncontrolled", sometimes with warning lights or bells to warn of approaching trains. Ungated crossings represent a safety issue; many accidents have occurred due to failure to notice or obey the warning. Railways in the United States are adding reflectors to the side of each train car to help prevent accidents at level crossings. In some countries, such as Ireland, instead of an open crossing there may be manually operated gates, which the motorist must open and close. These too have significant risks, as they are unsafe to use without possessing a knowledge of the train timetable: motorists may be instructed to telephone the railway signaller, but may not always do so.
The director of rail safety at the UK HM Railway Inspectorate commented in 2004 that "the use of level crossings contributes the greatest potential for catastrophic risk on the railways." Eighteen people were killed in the UK on level crossings in 2003-4. Bridges and tunnels are now favoured, but this can be impractical in flat countryside where there is insufficient space to build a roadway embankment or tunnel (because of nearby buildings).
In the United States and in countries following U.S. practices, a locomotive must have a bright headlight and ditch lights (two lights located below the headlight), a working bell, and a whistle or horn that must be sounded four times (long-long-short-long), similar to the signal for the International Morse Code letter "Q", as the train approaches the crossing.
Some American cities, in the interest of noise abatement, have passed laws prohibiting the sounding of bells and whistles; however, their ability to enforce such rules is debatable. In December 2003, the U.S. Federal Railroad Administration published regulations that would create areas where train horns could be silenced, provided that certain safety measures were put in place, such as concrete barriers preventing drivers from circumventing the gates or automatic whistles (also called wayside horns) mounted at the crossing (which reduce noise pollution to nearby neighborhoods). Additional information can be found at the FRA website under "Train horn rule." Implementation of the new "Quiet Zone" Final Rule was delayed repeatedly but was finally implemented in the summer of 2005. Rail "Quiet Zone" crossings still require bells as part of the automatic warning devices (AWDs) in addition to the wayside horns. The wayside horns usually are sets of speakers that are directed at the crossing mounted right up on a pole.
Every crossing, whether above grade, below grade, or at grade, is required to be assigned a unique identifier which is a six-digit number and a trailing letter used as a checksum. This identifier is called a Grade Crossing Number, and is usually posted with a sign or sticker on the sign or equipment. This allows a particular crossing anywhere in the United States to be precisely identified as to its exact location in the event of an incident involving that crossing.
Source: Wikipedia
MTA Bridges and Tunnels lent personnel and a fleet of 18 trucks and other pieces of heavy equipment to assist in the snow removal efforts in Suffolk County after a huge blizzard dumped up to 30 inches of snow across the County on February 8-9, 2013.
Photo: MTA Bridges and Tunnels
Mayoral candidate Paul Screvane, Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority's William J. Tracy, Robert Moses, and Borough President Abe Stark greet children at Opening Day ceremonies.
Photographer unknown
June 23, 1965
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo toured the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel (formerly known as the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel) on Oct. 30, 2012, with MTA Chairman and CEO Joseph J. Lhota and Jim Ferrara, President of MTA Bridges and Tunnels. The tunnel flooded during Hurricane Sandy.
Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin.
MTA Bridges & Tunnels Vice President and Chief of Operations Richard Hildebrand presents commendations to Sgt. Orlando Caholo and BTO Heather Minutello at the Queens Midtown Tunnel on Tue., June 22, 2021.
The officers spotted runaway dog Indie running through the tunnel, and contacted her owner, Heather Angus, leading to their reunion.
Photo: Marc A. Hermann / MTA
Sunset
Sonnenuntergang
The Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid cable-stayed/suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East River. It was also the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time of its opening, with a main span of 1,595.5 feet (486.3 m) and a deck 127 ft (38.7 m) above Mean High Water. The span was originally called the New York and Brooklyn Bridge or the East River Bridge but was officially renamed the Brooklyn Bridge in 1915.
Proposals for a bridge connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn were first made in the early 19th century, which eventually led to the construction of the current span, designed by John A. Roebling. The project's chief engineer, his son Washington Roebling, contributed further design work, assisted by the latter's wife, Emily Warren Roebling. Construction started in 1870 and was overseen by the New York Bridge Company, which in turn was controlled by the Tammany Hall political machine. Numerous controversies and the novelty of the design prolonged the project over thirteen years. After opening, the Brooklyn Bridge underwent several reconfigurations, having carried horse-drawn vehicles and elevated railway lines until 1950. To alleviate increasing traffic flows, additional bridges and tunnels were built across the East River. Following gradual deterioration, the Brooklyn Bridge was renovated several times, including in the 1950s, 1980s, and 2010s.
The Brooklyn Bridge is the southernmost of four vehicular bridges directly connecting Manhattan Island and Long Island, with the Manhattan Bridge, the Williamsburg Bridge, and the Queensboro Bridge to the north. Only passenger vehicles and pedestrian and bicycle traffic are permitted. A major tourist attraction since its opening, the Brooklyn Bridge has become an icon of New York City. Over the years, the bridge has been used as the location of various stunts and performances, as well as several crimes, attacks and vandalism. The Brooklyn Bridge is designated a National Historic Landmark, a New York City landmark, and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.
Description
The Brooklyn Bridge, an early example of a steel-wire suspension bridge, uses a hybrid cable-stayed/suspension bridge design, with both vertical and diagonal suspender cables. Its stone towers are neo-Gothic, with characteristic pointed arches. The New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT), which maintains the bridge, says that its original paint scheme was "Brooklyn Bridge Tan" and "Silver", but other accounts state that it was originally entirely "Rawlins Red".
Deck
To provide sufficient clearance for shipping in the East River, the Brooklyn Bridge incorporates long approach viaducts on either end to raise it from low ground on both shores. Including approaches, the Brooklyn Bridge is a total of 6,016 feet (1,834 m) long when measured between the curbs at Park Row in Manhattan and Sands Street in Brooklyn. A separate measurement of 5,989 feet (1,825 m) is sometimes given; this is the distance from the curb at Centre Street in Manhattan.
Suspension span
The main span between the two suspension towers is 1,595.5 feet (486.3 m) long and 85 feet (26 m) wide. The bridge "elongates and contracts between the extremes of temperature from 14 to 16 inches". Navigational clearance is 127 ft (38.7 m) above Mean High Water (MHW). A 1909 Engineering Magazine article said that, at the center of the span, the height above MHW could fluctuate by more than 9 feet (2.7 m) due to temperature and traffic loads, while more rigid spans had a lower maximum deflection.
The side spans, between each suspension tower and each side's suspension anchorages, are 930 feet (280 m) long. At the time of construction, engineers had not yet discovered the aerodynamics of bridge construction, and bridge designs were not tested in wind tunnels. John Roebling designed the Brooklyn Bridge's truss system to be six to eight times as strong as he thought it needed to be. As such, the open truss structure supporting the deck is, by its nature, subject to fewer aerodynamic problems. However, due to a supplier's fraudulent substitution of inferior-quality wire in the initial construction, the bridge was reappraised at the time as being only four times as strong as necessary.
The main span and side spans are supported by a structure containing trusses that run parallel to the roadway, each of which is 33 feet (10 m) deep. Originally there were six trusses, but two were removed during a late-1940s renovation.[29][30] The trusses allow the Brooklyn Bridge to hold a total load of 18,700 short tons (17,000 metric tons), a design consideration from when it originally carried heavier elevated trains. These trusses are held up by suspender ropes, which hang downward from each of the four main cables. Crossbeams run between the trusses at the top, and diagonal and vertical stiffening beams run on the outside and inside of each roadway.
An elevated pedestrian-only promenade runs in between the two roadways and 18 feet (5.5 m) above them. It typically runs 4 feet (1.2 m) below the level of the crossbeams, except at the areas surrounding each tower. Here, the promenade rises to just above the level of the crossbeams, connecting to a balcony that slightly overhangs the two roadways. The path is generally 10 to 17 feet (3.0 to 5.2 m) wide. The iron railings were produced by Janes & Kirtland, a Bronx iron foundry that also made the United States Capitol dome and the Bow Bridge in Central Park.
Approaches
Each of the side spans is reached by an approach ramp. The 971-foot (296 m) approach ramp from the Brooklyn side is shorter than the 1,567-foot (478 m) approach ramp from the Manhattan side. The approaches are supported by Renaissance-style arches made of masonry; the arch openings themselves were filled with brick walls, with small windows within. The approach ramp contains nine arch or iron-girder bridges across side streets in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Underneath the Manhattan approach, a series of brick slopes or "banks" was developed into a skate park, the Brooklyn Banks, in the late 1980s.[40] The park uses the approach's support pillars as obstacles. In the mid-2010s, the Brooklyn Banks were closed to the public because the area was being used as a storage site during the bridge's renovation. The skateboarding community has attempted to save the banks on multiple occasions; after the city destroyed the smaller banks in the 2000s, the city government agreed to keep the larger banks for skateboarding. When the NYCDOT removed the bricks from the banks in 2020, skateboarders started an online petition. In the 2020s, local resident Rosa Chang advocated for the 9-acre (3.6 ha) space under the Manhattan approach to be converted into a recreational area known as Gotham Park. Some of the space under the Manhattan approach reopened in May 2023 as a park called the Arches; this was followed in November 2024 by another 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m2) section of parkland.
Cables
he Brooklyn Bridge contains four main cables, which descend from the tops of the suspension towers and help support the deck. Two are located to the outside of the bridge's roadways, while two are in the median of the roadways. Each main cable measures 15.75 inches (40.0 cm) in diameter and contains 5,282 parallel, galvanized steel wires wrapped closely together in a cylindrical shape. These wires are bundled in 19 individual strands, with 278 wires to a strand. This was the first use of bundling in a suspension bridge and took several months for workers to tie together. Since the 2000s, the main cables have also supported a series of 24-watt LED lighting fixtures, referred to as "necklace lights" due to their shape.
In addition, either 1,088, 1,096, or 1,520 galvanized steel wire suspender cables hang downward from the main cables. Another 400 cable stays extend diagonally from the towers. The vertical suspender cables and diagonal cable stays hold up the truss structure around the bridge deck. The bridge's suspenders originally used wire rope, which was replaced in the 1980s with galvanized steel made by Bethlehem Steel. The vertical suspender cables measure 8 to 130 feet (2.4 to 39.6 m) long, and the diagonal stays measure 138 to 449 feet (42 to 137 m) long.
Anchorages
Each side of the bridge contains an anchorage for the main cables. The anchorages are trapezoidal limestone structures located slightly inland of the shore, measuring 129 by 119 feet (39 by 36 m) at the base and 117 by 104 feet (36 by 32 m) at the top. Each anchorage weighs 60,000 short tons (54,000 long tons; 54,000 t).[5] The Manhattan anchorage rests on a foundation of bedrock while the Brooklyn anchorage rests on clay.
The anchorages both have four anchor plates, one for each of the main cables, which are located near ground level and parallel to the ground. The anchor plates measure 16 by 17.5 feet (4.9 by 5.3 m), with a thickness of 2.5 feet (0.76 m) and weigh 46,000 pounds (21,000 kg) each. Each anchor plate is connected to the respective main cable by two sets of nine eyebars, each of which is about 12.5 feet (3.8 m) long and up to 9 by 3 inches (229 by 76 mm) thick. The chains of eyebars curve downward from the cables toward the anchor plates, and the eyebars vary in size depending on their position.
The anchorages also contain numerous passageways and compartments. Starting in 1876, in order to fund the bridge's maintenance, the New York City government made the large vaults under the bridge's Manhattan anchorage available for rent, and they were in constant use during the early 20th century. The vaults were used to store wine, as they were kept at a consistent 60 °F (16 °C) temperature due to a lack of air circulation. The Manhattan vault was called the "Blue Grotto" because of a shrine to the Virgin Mary next to an opening at the entrance. The vaults were closed for public use in the late 1910s and 1920s during World War I and Prohibition but were reopened thereafter. When New York magazine visited one of the cellars in 1978, it discovered a "fading inscription" on a wall reading: "Who loveth not wine, women and song, he remaineth a fool his whole life long." Leaks found within the vault's spaces necessitated repairs during the late 1980s and early 1990s. By the late 1990s, the chambers were being used to store maintenance equipment.
Towers
The bridge's two suspension towers are 278 feet (85 m) tall with a footprint of 140 by 59 feet (43 by 18 m) at the high water line.[ They are built of limestone, granite, and Rosendale cement. The limestone was quarried at the Clark Quarry in Essex County, New York. The granite blocks were quarried and shaped on Vinalhaven Island, Maine, under a contract with the Bodwell Granite Company, and delivered from Maine to New York by schooner. The Manhattan tower contains 46,945 cubic yards (35,892 m3) of masonry, while the Brooklyn tower has 38,214 cubic yards (29,217 m3) of masonry. There are 56 LED lamps mounted onto the towers.
Each tower contains a pair of Gothic Revival pointed arches, through which the roadways run. The arch openings are 117 feet (36 m) tall and 33.75 feet (10.29 m) wide. The tops of the towers are located 159 feet (48 m) above the floor of each arch opening, while the floors of the openings are 119.25 feet (36.35 m) above mean water level, giving the towers a total height of 278.25 feet (84.81 m) above mean high water.
Caissons
The towers rest on underwater caissons made of southern yellow pine and filled with cement. Inside both caissons were spaces for construction workers. The Manhattan side's caisson is slightly larger, measuring 172 by 102 feet (52 by 31 m) and located 78.5 feet (23.9 m) below high water, while the Brooklyn side's caisson measures 168 by 102 feet (51 by 31 m) and is located 44.5 feet (13.6 m) below high water. The caissons were designed to hold at least the weight of the towers which would exert a pressure of 5 short tons per square foot (49 t/m2) when fully built, but the caissons were over-engineered for safety. During an accident on the Brooklyn side, when air pressure was lost and the partially-built towers dropped full-force down, the caisson sustained an estimated pressure of 23 short tons per square foot (220 t/m2) with only minor damage. Most of the timber used in the bridge's construction, including in the caissons, came from mills at Gascoigne Bluff on St. Simons Island, Georgia.
The Brooklyn side's caisson, which was built first, originally had a height of 9.5 feet (2.9 m) and a ceiling composed of five layers of timber, each layer 1 foot (0.30 m) tall. Ten more layers of timber were later added atop the ceiling, and the entire caisson was wrapped in tin and wood for further protection against flooding. The thickness of the caisson's sides was 8 feet (2.4 m) at both the bottom and the top. The caisson had six chambers: two each for dredging, supply shafts, and airlocks.
The caisson on the Manhattan side was slightly different because it had to be installed at a greater depth. To protect against the increased air pressure at that depth, the Manhattan caisson had 22 layers of timber on its roof, seven more than its Brooklyn counterpart had. The Manhattan caisson also had fifty 4-inch-diameter (10 cm) pipes for sand removal, a fireproof iron-boilerplate interior, and different airlocks and communication systems.
Impact
At the time of construction, contemporaries marveled at what technology was capable of, and the bridge became a symbol of the era's optimism. John Perry Barlow wrote in the late 20th century of the "literal and genuinely religious leap of faith" embodied in the bridge's construction, saying that the "Brooklyn Bridge required of its builders faith in their ability to control technology".
Historical designations and plaques
The Brooklyn Bridge has been listed as a National Historic Landmark since January 29, 1964, and was subsequently added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. The bridge has also been a New York City designated landmark since August 24, 1967, and was designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1972. In addition, it was placed on UNESCO's list of tentative World Heritage Sites in 2017.
A bronze plaque is attached to the Manhattan anchorage, which was constructed on the site of the Samuel Osgood House at 1 Cherry Street in Manhattan. Named after Samuel Osgood, a Massachusetts politician and lawyer, it was built in 1770 and served as the first U.S. presidential mansion. The Osgood House was demolished in 1856.
Another plaque on the Manhattan side of the pedestrian promenade, installed by the city in 1975, indicates the bridge's status as a city landmark.
Culture
The Brooklyn Bridge has had an impact on idiomatic American English. For example, references to "selling the Brooklyn Bridge" are frequent in American culture, sometimes presented as a historical reality but more often as an expression meaning an idea that strains credulity. George C. Parker and William McCloundy were two early 20th-century con men who may have perpetrated this scam successfully, particularly on new immigrants, although the author of The Brooklyn Bridge: A Cultural History wrote, "No evidence exists that the bridge has ever been sold to a 'gullible outlander'".
As a tourist attraction, the Brooklyn Bridge is a popular site for clusters of love locks, wherein a couple inscribes a date and their initials onto a lock, attach it to the bridge, and throw the key into the water as a sign of their love. The practice is illegal in New York City and the NYPD can give violators a $100 fine. NYCDOT workers periodically remove the love locks from the bridge at a cost of $100,000 per year.
To highlight the Brooklyn Bridge's cultural status, the city proposed building a Brooklyn Bridge museum near the bridge's Brooklyn end in the 1970s. Though the museum was ultimately not constructed, as many as 10,000 drawings and documents relating to it were found in a carpenter shop in Williamsburg in 1976. These documents were given to the New York City Municipal Archives, where they are normally located, though a selection of them were displayed at the Whitney Museum of American Art when they were discovered.
Media
The bridge is often featured in wide shots of the New York City skyline in television and film and has been depicted in numerous works of art. Fictional works have used the Brooklyn Bridge as a setting; for instance, the dedication of a portion of the bridge, and the bridge itself, were key components in the 2001 film Kate & Leopold. Furthermore, the Brooklyn Bridge has also served as an icon of America, with mentions in numerous songs, books, and poems. Among the most notable of these works is that of American Modernist poet Hart Crane, who used the Brooklyn Bridge as a central metaphor and organizing structure for his second book of poetry, The Bridge (1930).
The Brooklyn Bridge has also been lauded for its architecture. One of the first positive reviews was "The Bridge As A Monument", a Harper's Weekly piece written by architecture critic Montgomery Schuyler and published a week after the bridge's opening. In the piece, Schuyler wrote: "It so happens that the work which is likely to be our most durable monument, and to convey some knowledge of us to the most remote posterity, is a work of bare utility; not a shrine, not a fortress, not a palace, but a bridge." Architecture critic Lewis Mumford cited the piece as the impetus for serious architectural criticism in the U.S. He wrote that in the 1920s the bridge was a source of "joy and inspiration" in his childhood, and that it was a profound influence in his adolescence. Later critics would regard the Brooklyn Bridge as a work of art, as opposed to an engineering feat or a means of transport. Not all critics appreciated the bridge, however. Henry James, writing in the early 20th century, cited the bridge as an ominous symbol of the city's transformation into a "steel-souled machine room".
The construction of the Brooklyn Bridge is detailed in numerous media sources, including David McCullough's 1972 book The Great Bridge and Ken Burns's 1981 documentary Brooklyn Bridge. It is also described in Seven Wonders of the Industrial World, a BBC docudrama series with an accompanying book, as well as Chief Engineer: Washington Roebling, The Man Who Built the Brooklyn Bridge, a biography published in 2017.
(Wikpedia)
Die Brooklyn Bridge (ursprünglich New York and Brooklyn Bridge) in New York City ist eine kombinierte Hänge- und Schrägseilbrücke und eine der ältesten Hängebrücken dieser Bauart in den USA. Sie überspannt den East River und verbindet die Stadtteile Manhattan und Brooklyn miteinander. Die Brücke hat heute fünf Fahrstreifen für Fahrzeuge, drei von Manhattan nach Brooklyn, zwei von Brooklyn nach Manhattan. Der dritte Fahrstreifen nach Manhattan wurde zum Fahrradweg umfunktioniert. In der Ebene darüber befindet sich ein breiter Fußweg. Zum Zeitpunkt ihrer Fertigstellung 1883 war die Brooklyn Bridge die längste Hängebrücke der Welt; sie übertraf alle zuvor errichteten in ihrer Länge um mehr als 50 Prozent. Für die Stadt New York wurde die Brooklyn Bridge schnell zu einem neuen Wahrzeichen.
Geschichte
Vorgeschichte
Die Idee einer Brücke zwischen Manhattan und Brooklyn wurde schon seit dem frühen 19. Jahrhundert diskutiert, scheiterte aber immer am East River, der kein Fluss, sondern ein Meeresarm mit starken gezeitenabhängigen Strömungen und dichtem Schiffsverkehr ist. Eine Brücke ohne störende Pfeiler, die den Meeresarm weit über den Schiffsmasten in einer großen Spanne überquert, wäre die ideale Lösung gewesen, schien aber damals jenseits aller technischen Möglichkeiten zu sein.
Vorbereitungen
Der deutsch-amerikanische Ingenieur Johann August Röbling, der sich nach Einbürgerung John Augustus Roebling nannte und aus Mühlhausen in Thüringen stammte, hatte bereits mehrere Hängebrücken konstruiert und 1855 die Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge (ebenfalls eine kombinierte Hänge- und Schrägseilbrücke) mit einer Spannweite von 260 m fertiggestellt. Er war auch der Inhaber einer Seilerei, die Drahtseile aus hochfesten Stahldrähten herstellen konnte. Er schlug eine Hängebrücke vor, für die er auch schon Pläne mit zahlreichen Einzelheiten ausgearbeitet hatte, samt den beiden großen Granittürmen mit den vier Tragkabeln. Die Stadtverwaltungen von New York und Brooklyn reagierten zurückhaltend. Roebling konnte aber einen Geschäftsmann und Zeitungsverleger für die Idee begeistern, dem es nach längeren Bemühungen gelang, ein Gesetz des Staates New York zu erwirken, wonach eine private Gesellschaft eine Brücke über den East River bauen dürfe. 1867 wurde die New York Bridge Company gegründet. 1869 wurden Roeblings Pläne genehmigt und er selbst zum Chief Engineer für den Brückenbau ernannt.
Bei der Besichtigung des für einen der Türme vorgesehenen Platzes wurde Roebling jedoch Opfer eines Unfalls, bei dem sein Fuß von einer Fähre eingequetscht wurde. Er starb nur drei Wochen später infolge einer Tetanus-Infektion. Sein Sohn Washington übernahm daraufhin die Leitung des Projektes.
Bau
Die eigentlichen Bauarbeiten an der Brooklyn Bridge begannen am 3. Januar 1870 mit den Vorbereitungen für die Fundamente der Türme und der Anker. Die bis zu 23 m tiefen Baugruben wurden mit Hilfe von Senkkästen ausgehoben, ein in den USA erstmals eingesetztes Verfahren, das noch nicht voll beherrscht wurde und dessen medizinische Probleme überhaupt noch nicht verstanden wurden. Während der fünf Jahre dauernden Tiefbauarbeiten kam es immer wieder zu Unfällen und Krankheiten. Auch Washington Roebling erkrankte 1872 bei Arbeiten in einem der Senkkästen (Caisson) für die Errichtung der Pfeilerfundamente an der Dekompressionskrankheit (Taucherkrankheit) oder Caissonkrankheit. Er verfügte daraufhin nur noch über eingeschränktes Sprechvermögen und war auf einen Rollstuhl angewiesen. Während er die weiteren Bauarbeiten lediglich mit einem Teleskop von zu Hause aus verfolgen konnte, war es vor allem seine Ehefrau Emily, die die Arbeiten voranbrachte. Sie sollte später auch die erste Person sein, die die Brücke nach ihrer Fertigstellung überquerte.
Im August 1876 wurde das erste Seil von einem Anker über die Türme und den East River zu dem anderen Anker gespannt, mit dessen Hilfe anschließend ein schmaler durchhängender Steg (catwalk) gebaut wurde. Im Februar 1877 begann man mit dem Spinnen der Tragkabel. Die Spinnräder liefen bis Oktober 1878 hin und her, um die über 20.000 Stahldrähte für die vier Tragkabel über den Fluss zu ziehen. Im März 1879 begannen die Arbeiten an den Fahrbahnträgern, die weitere vier Jahre dauerten. Außer den beiden Fahrbahnen waren zwei Gleise für die Eisenbahn vorgesehen. Da deren Züge inzwischen schwerer geworden waren, musste Roebling verstärkte Streben in den Fachwerkkonstruktionen vorsehen. Vor der Eröffnung mussten noch die Mauthäuser an beiden Enden der Brücke geplant und gebaut und die Brücke selbst mit 70 elektrischen Lampen ausgerüstet werden.
Die Gesamtkosten betrugen 15,2 Millionen US-Dollar inklusive 3,8 Millionen US-Dollar Grunderwerbskosten. Insgesamt beschäftigte der Bau 6000 Arbeiter, 27 verloren dabei ihr Leben.
Eröffnung und erste Jahre
Am Tag ihrer Eröffnung, dem 24. Mai 1883, überquerten bereits 1.800 Fahrzeuge und 150.300 Menschen die neue Brücke. Pro Fahrzeug mussten fünf Cent, pro Fußgänger ein Cent bezahlt werden. Um die skeptische New Yorker Bevölkerung von der Stabilität des Bauwerks zu überzeugen, soll zuvor der Zirkus Barnum, der sein Winterquartier in Brooklyn hatte, mit 21 Elefanten zur Belastungsprobe über die Brücke geschickt worden sein. Es scheint dafür jedoch keine gesicherten Quellen zu geben. Manchen Berichten zufolge fand dieses Ereignis erst ein Jahr später statt.
Unklar ist, wie die New Yorker damals die neue Brücke akzeptiert haben. Teilweise heißt es, alle seien begeistert gewesen und hätten zu Hunderttausenden am Eröffnungstag die Brücke beschritten. Anderen Berichten zufolge war die Bevölkerung anfangs sehr zögerlich, demnach soll es lange gedauert haben, bis sich diese Vorsicht legte.
Einige Tage nach der Eröffnung, am 30. Mai, brach eine Panik in einem Gedränge aus, die zwölf Menschen das Leben kostete. Eine Frau schrie laut auf, als eine andere beim Gehen auf einer hölzernen Treppe den Halt verlor. In der Umgebung brach in Sekundenschnelle eine Massenpanik aus, in deren Verlauf zwölf Menschen starben und 35 teilweise schwer verletzt wurden.
Am 25. September 1883 begann auf den mittig zwischen den Richtungsfahrbahnen, beiderseits des Fußwegs gelegenen Gleisen der Zugverkehr über die Brücke. An den Brückenenden in Manhattan und Brooklyn hatte man die Strecke als Hochbahnen bis zu den nahen Endbahnhöfen weitergeführt. In den ersten Jahren pendelten Cable Cars, von denen 24 Fahrzeuge angeschafft wurden, zwischen den beiden Stationen. Diese Wagen wurden von Dampflokomotiven – denen man nicht zutraute, die Steigungen der Rampen zu bewältigen – aus den Endbahnhöfen bis zum Fuß der Rampen geschoben. Dort wurden die Wagen in ein stetig umlaufendes Seil eingeklinkt, das von einer Dampfmaschine auf der Brooklyn-Seite bewegt wurde.
1884 wurden ca. 9 Millionen Fahrgäste befördert, 1885 verkehrten die Züge während der Hauptverkehrszeit bereits im 90-Sekunden-Intervall. 1893 wurden zur Erhöhung der Kapazität im Brückenbereich ineinander verschlungene Gleise angelegt und ein zweites Zugseil installiert. Am 30. November 1896 endete der Einsatz der Dampflokomotiven, fortan brachten elektrische Triebwagen die – mittlerweile aus mehreren Wagen gebildeten – Züge zu den Rampen, wo weiterhin das Seil die Traktion sicherstellte. Nach der Vereinigung der Städte New York und Brooklyn übernahm 1898 die Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) die New York and Brooklyn Bridge Railway, verknüpfte die Strecke mit ihren vorhandenen und ließ einige ihrer Züge bis Manhattan durchlaufen. Die Dampfmaschine für das Bewegen des Zugseils wurde durch Elektromotoren ersetzt. Ab 1899 verkehrten außerhalb der Hauptverkehrszeit Züge auch rein elektrisch, ohne Zugriff auf das Kabel, über die Brücke.
1898 wurde die Straßenbahnverbindung über die Brooklyn Bridge eröffnet. Die Gleise wurden auf der jeweils linken Spur der beiden Fahrbahnen neben jenen der Kabelbahn angelegt.
20. Jahrhundert
Um das Jahr 1900 herum verkauften die Betrüger George C. Parker und William McCloundy mehrfach angeblich von ihnen besessene Grundstücke, über die neue Zufahrtsstraßen zur Brücke laufen sollten, an wohlhabende Besucher der Stadt, die sich davon hohe Renditen versprachen. Im Volksmund lief bald die Geschichte um, die beiden hätten unbedarften Fremden die Brücke selbst angedreht. „Selling the Brooklyn Bridge“ wurde bis heute zum geflügelten Wort in der englischen Sprache für jede Art von Missbrauch der Gutgläubigkeit anderer.
Ab dem 1. Oktober 1901 wurde die Kabeltraktion auf die nachmittäglichen lokalen Züge der Hauptverkehrszeit zwischen den beiden Flussufern beschränkt und am 27. Januar 1908 ganz eingestellt. 1944 endete der mittlerweile zur New York City Subway gehörende U-Bahn-Verkehr auf den BRT-Gleisen über die Brücke, fortan nutzte die Straßenbahn die Gleise der ehemaligen Kabelbahn. 1954 wurde auch der Straßenbahnverkehr über die Brooklyn Bridge eingestellt.
Zwischen 1944 und 1955 wurden umfangreiche Renovierungs- und Verstärkungsmaßnahmen durchgeführt. Dabei wurden zuletzt auch die Straßenbahngleise entfernt und die Brücke auf sechs Fahrstreifen für den Kfz-Verkehr umgestellt. 1999 wurde die Fahrbahndecke erneuert und eine Reihe verstärkender Stahlstreben eingesetzt.
Im Januar 1964 erhielt die Brücke den Status eines National Historic Landmarks. Im Oktober 1966 wurde die Brooklyn Bridge in das National Register of Historic Places der USA aufgenommen, die offizielle Liste schützenswerter Stätten und Bauten. Am 24. März 1983 erhielt sie den Titel einer National Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks. Um ihre herausragende architektonische Stellung zu unterstreichen, wird die Brücke seit den 1980er Jahren nachts beleuchtet.
21. Jahrhundert
Seit 2009 wird am Fuß der Brücke entlang des East Rivers der Brooklyn Bridge Park errichtet. Eine grundlegende Renovierung der Brücke begann ebenfalls 2009 und dauert an (Stand: August 2016). Nachdem bei der Sanierung weitere Schäden entdeckt worden sind, verzögert sich der Abschluss der Sanierungsarbeiten. Bis zum endgültigen Abschluss der Sanierung wird mit Kosten von mehr als 600 Millionen Dollar gerechnet. Während der Sanierungsarbeiten bleibt die Brücke zwar geöffnet, es kommt jedoch insbesondere an Wochenenden immer wieder zu Teil- und Vollsperrungen für den Fahrzeugverkehr. Mit einem Abschluss der Arbeiten wurde für das Jahr 2016 gerechnet, mittlerweile ist der geplante Fertigstellungstermin auf 2022 verschoben worden.
Im Mai 2024 wurde der neue Radweg auf der Fahrbahnebene eröffnet. Der alte Fuß- und Radweg ist jetzt nur noch Fußweg.
Technische Beschreibung
John Augustus Roebling wandte bei der Brooklyn Bridge die gleichen grundlegenden Prinzipien an wie bei seinen früheren Brücken: Die Brücke wird von massiven Steintürmen getragen. Der Fahrbahnträger ist eine kastenförmige Fachwerkkonstruktion, die für sich allein bereits eine hohe Steifigkeit aufweist, um die gefürchteten Schwingungen und Verdrehungen bei Stürmen zu verhindern. Der Fahrbahnträger wird nicht nur mit senkrechten Hängern an die Tragkabel gehängt, sondern zusätzlich mit Schrägseilen an den Türmen befestigt. Die Dimensionierung erfolgt großzügig, so dass die Brücke auch große Lasten und schwere Stürme schadlos überstehen kann. Obwohl die Brooklyn Bridge ursprünglich für Pferdekutschen, Ochsenfuhrwerke und die damaligen leichten Eisenbahnen konzipiert war, überstand sie später die enorme Zunahme des Straßenverkehrs und der Fußgängermassen.
Die Brooklyn Bridge hat eine Länge von insgesamt 1834 m (6016 ft) einschließlich der Auffahrtsrampen, die wegen der Nutzung durch Eisenbahnen flach gehalten werden mussten. Die Länge zwischen den Ankern der Tragkabel beträgt 1068 m (3455 ft 6 in). In der Hauptöffnung hat sie eine Stützweite von 486,3 m und in den beiden Randöffnungen eine von jeweils 284,4 m, was eine Gesamtstützweite von 1055,1 m ergibt.
Der 25,9 m breite, in zwei Hälften geteilte Fahrbahnträger bietet Platz für insgesamt sechs Fahrstreifen, jeweils drei pro Richtung. Ursprünglich waren es vier Fahrstreifen sowie zwei Gleise für Vorortzüge auf den inneren Fahrstreifen, die später in Straßenbahntrassen umgebaut wurden. 1950 wurden auch diese Gleise entfernt. Ein Zwischenraum in der Mitte ist nicht als Fahrstreifen ausgebildet, da er von den mittleren Pylonen zwischen den großen Portalen in Anspruch genommen wird. In der Ebene über den Fahrbahnen befindet sich mittig ein separater Überweg, der sich in Hälften aufgabelnd durch die Portalöffnungen durchfädelt. Dazwischen ist ein Metallnetz waagrecht gespannt. Bis zum Umbau 2024 war der Weg für Fußgänger und Fahrradfahrer, seit Mai 2024 nur noch für Fußgänger. Für die Fahrradfahrer wurde von den drei nach Manhattan führenden Fahrstreifen die linke zu zwei Fahrradspuren (nach und von Manhattan) umgebaut und mit einer Trennwand zum übrigen Verkehr versehen.
Die Brooklyn Bridge hat eine lichte Höhe von 41,15 m (135 ft) in der Mitte des leicht nach oben gewölbten Fahrbahnträgers. Zu den Ufern hin vermindert sich die lichte Höhe auf 36,27 m (119 ft) an den Pylonen.
Die beiden mit neugotischen Stilelementen versehenen Türme bestehen aus Granit. Als Stilvorlage sollen Roebling die gotischen Bogenfenster der Divi-Blasii-Kirche in seinem deutschen Geburtsort Mühlhausen/Thüringen gedient haben. Sie haben zwei Spitzbogenportale für die drei Fahrbahnen auf den beiden Hälften des Fahrbahnträgers, die dementsprechend jeweils zwei Tragkabel haben. Die Türme überragten mit einer Höhe von 48,50 m (159 ft) über der Fahrbahn und von 84,30 m über dem mittleren Hochwasser alle damaligen Gebäude bis auf die Turmspitze der Trinity Church, die noch einen guten Meter höher war. Die Fundamente der Türme reichen auf der Seite von Manhattan 23,7 m (78 ft) und 13,4 m (44 ft) auf der Seite von Brooklyn in den Boden.
Die Brooklyn Bridge war die erste Hängebrücke, für die Tragkabel aus Stahl verwendet wurden. Die vier Tragkabel sind Paralleldrahtseile; sie bestehen aus jeweils 5434 parallel nebeneinander liegenden Stahldrähten, die zunächst in 19 Bündeln zu je 286 Drähten zusammengefasst und anschließend durch große Seilklemmen zu den rund 40 cm starken Tragkabeln zusammengepresst und mit glühendem Draht ummantelt wurden. Sie wurden mit Roeblings patentiertem Luftspinnverfahren vor Ort hergestellt. An den Tragkabeln sind insgesamt 1520 Hänger aus normalem, geschlagenem Drahtseil befestigt. Außerdem wurden zwischen den Turmspitzen und dem Fahrbahnträger noch insgesamt 400 Schrägseile gespannt.
Roebling arbeitete einen großen Sicherheitsfaktor ein, indem er die Tragseilkonstruktion für eine sechsmal höhere Last auslegte als erforderlich. Dies machte sich vor allem bezahlt, als man während der Arbeiten entdeckte, dass ein Zulieferer minderwertige Drähte geliefert hatte. Diese waren bereits eingebaut und konnten nicht mehr entfernt werden. Da die Belastungsfähigkeit dadurch aber nur so weit sank, dass die Brücke immer noch die vierfache Beanspruchung verkraftete, beließ man es dabei. Insgesamt wurden 24.000 km Draht für die Seile verwendet.
Das Gewicht der Brücke beträgt ca. 13.300 metrische Tonnen (ohne Türme, Caissons und Verankerungen).
Täglich passieren rund 120.000 Fahrzeuge, 4000 Fußgänger und 3100 Radfahrer die Brücke. Die Nutzung ist beschränkt auf Fahrzeuge bis zu 3,4 m Höhe und 2,7 t Gesamtgewicht.
In Kunst und Medien
Die Brooklyn Bridge steht zusammen mit der Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge im Mittelpunkt des Films und Musicals Saturday Night Fever, beide als Sinnbilder für den Weg in eine neue Welt – zu einer glamourösen Karriere anstelle trister Arbeit. Der Hinterhof-Junge aus Brooklyn träumt von der feinen Gesellschaft in Manhattan. Die zwei Welten sind durch den East River getrennt, aber die Brooklyn Bridge verbindet sie und wird so zum Ort der Hoffnung auf den sozialen Aufstieg.
Das gleiche Motiv gibt es bei Katharina Weingartner in ihrem Film Sneaker Stories. Neben Red Hook in Brooklyn werden Viertel aus Wien und Accra dargestellt, in denen arme Jugendliche davon träumen, mittels Baseballspielen reich zu werden und dann ein lukratives Sponsoring von Nike etc. zu bekommen. Weingartner kontrastiert Red Hook und das Finanzviertel von Manhattan, sie sind nur durch den Fluss getrennt: seit dem Industrieabbau … und dem darauf folgenden Aufstieg schwarzer Musik- und Sport-Ikonen ist er unüberwindbar geworden, und doch sind die beiden Viertel symbolisch verbunden: Wie soll sich ein Jugendlicher auf Lebensmittelmarken in Red Hook diesem Mythos entziehen?
In die Gegenrichtung verlaufen die Sehnsüchte in Leslie Kaplans Roman Brooklyn Bridge. Für die Hauptfigur stellt der abschließende Gang über die Brücke die erträumte mentale Rückkehr in die Kindheit, in die Heimat, dar.
Der Expressionist Robert Müller schrieb 1920 die Erzählung Brooklyn-Bridge.
Der US-amerikanische Dichter Harold „Hart“ Crane war bei seinem Poem The Bridge (1930; dt. Die Brücke) von der Brooklyn Bridge inspiriert. Hart Crane lebte einige Zeit in 110 Columbia Heights in Brooklyn, mit guter Sicht auf die Brücke. Unter der Adresse hatte zuvor auch der Erbauer Washington Roebling gewohnt.
In Richard Crabbe’s historischem Thriller Die Brooklyn Verschwörung steht die Brooklyn Bridge im Mittelpunkt einer dramatischen Epoche der Stadtgeschichte.
Als eines der Wahrzeichen der Stadt New York ist die Brooklyn Bridge Handlungsort in zahlreichen Romanen, Fernsehsendungen, Filmen (z. B. Es war einmal in Amerika [1984], Godzilla [1998], Deep Impact [1998], I Am Legend [2007]), Cloverfield [2008] und Computerspielen (z. B. SimCity 3000).
Der Dokumentarfilmer Ken Burns drehte 1981 einen oscarnominierten Dokumentarfilm über die Entstehung der Brücke (Brooklyn Bridge).
Im Sommer 2008 war die Brooklyn Bridge selbst Teil einer großen Installation: The New York City Waterfalls war von Mitte Juli bis Mitte Oktober 2008 zu sehen. Der dänisch-isländische Künstler Olafur Eliasson hatte mit einem Budget von 15 Millionen Dollar mehrere künstliche Wasserfälle konstruiert, einen davon unter der Brooklyn Bridge.
Andreas Feininger schuf mehrere Fotos der Brücke (darunter z. B.: im Nebel; zur Nacht) aus verschiedenen Perspektiven, die ein weitverbreitetes Poster-Motiv abgeben. Eine eher unbekannte Version, bei der die Brücke waagerecht vor der Hochhauskulisse verläuft, dient als Coverbild (vorn und hinten) eines Düsseldorfer Ausstellungskatalogs über Rose Ausländer unter dem Titel Ich fliege auf der Luftschaukel Europa – Amerika – Europa von 1994
Am 22. Juli 2014 wurden zwei im Wesentlichen weiße Flaggen geborgen, die Unbekannte auf den zwei Pylonen statt der Staatsflaggen aufgezogen hatten. Am 13. August 2014 bekannten sich zwei Berliner Künstler, Mischa Leinkauf und Matthias Wermke, als für diese Aktion verantwortlich.
(Wikipedia)
NYC DEP Research scientist Chris Nadareski sits with falcon. Two baby boys and two baby girl peregrine falcons are banded atop the Bronx tower of the Throgs Neck Bridge. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
The roof of the facility is 69 feet above the Hudson River and also above viewing level from the West Side Highway even when riding in a bus! The North River Wastewater (sewage) Treatment Plant is the base for 28 acres of the Riverbank State Park (NYC info on historical sign), which is on its roof. According to Wikipedia the facility "processes 125 million gallons of wastewater every day during dry weather, and it is designed to handle up to 340 million gallons a day when the weather is wet."
Architects for the project were Abel Bainnson Butz LLC (of interest is the aerial view and a drawing of the plant under the park) The construction went as deep as 230 feet below river level.
Good views of the waste water treatment plant and the park by the Bridge and Tunnel Club.
Evaluation of a park over a sewage plant
NY1 Report: "Popular Harlem Park Located On Precarious Ground"
Environmental Justice Case Study
The State Park Movement in America: a book review where Riverbank State Park is discussed.
College and High School Use of the Park
FIRST LEGO Robotics Tournament
Description of Riverbank State Park 212-694-3600
Riverbank State Park is the only park of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. Inspired by urban rooftop designs in Japan, this 28-acre multi-level landscaped recreational facility is a state-of-the-art park facility. Rising 69 feet above the Hudson River, Riverbank offers a wide variety of recreational, athletic and arts experiences for all ages, interests and abilities.
Housed in five major buildings are an Olympic-size pool, a covered skating rink for roller skating in the summer and ice-skating in the winter, an 800-seat cultural theater, a 2,500-seat athletic complex with fitness room, and a 150-seat restaurant.
Outdoor sports amenities include a 25-yard lap pool, a wading pool, four tennis courts, four basketball courts, a softball field, four hand/paddleball courts, and a 400-meter eight-lane running track with a football/soccer field.
Riverbank also boasts spectacular promenade views of the Hudson River, the Palisade Mountains and the George Washington Bridge. At water level, there is a 900-seat amphitheater and docking facilities for excursion and fishing boats.
Points of Interest: The "Totally Kid Carousel", created by Milo Mottola and 37 young children.
Parks attractions include: Carousel, Food, Gymnasium, Hiking, Ice Skating, Performing Arts Theater, Picnic Tables, Playground, Playing Fields, Pool, Recreation Programs, Showers, Tennis
Facilities
Earl Monroe's Restaurant Now called the River Room.
Swimmers' Guide; features of pool/: indoor, 50 meters long, 60 feet wide, heated 82° - 84° F.
Carousel Designed by Kids (I believe the carousel never opened as it would have been dangerous to operate.
NYC DEP Research scientist Chris Nadareski sits with falcon. Two baby boys and two baby girl peregrine falcons are banded atop the Bronx tower of the Throgs Neck Bridge. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
MTA Bridges and Tunnels lent personnel and a fleet of 18 trucks and other pieces of heavy equipment to assist in the snow removal efforts in Suffolk County after a huge blizzard dumped up to 30 inches of snow across the County on February 8-9, 2013.
Photo: MTA Bridges and Tunnels
Image of fraudulent license plate on vehicle pulled over on the RFK Bridge on Wednesday, June 9, resulting in the arrest of the motorist for third degree criminal possession of a forged instrument.
Photo courtesy MTA Bridges and Tunnels
Hurricane Sandy has been tormenting me for days. On Friday, I was assigned a six-stop trip in western Pennsylvania that was scheduled to deliver on Monday. From the moment that I got that information, I have been flip-flopping with my go/no-go decision.
My main motivation for deciding to go is money. If I don’t go, I make none. While mowing the grass yesterday I was tortured with multiple scenarios. The best one was that the forecasters were wrong, as they sometimes are. I would get all my stops done and come back home safely with another hundred thousand dollars in my wallet. (Those numbers might be a slight exaggeration.) The wind is what scares me most, and contributed to the worst-case scenario. That involves me and my truck getting blown over on the highway. After we slid to a stop while lying on our side, I would come out and cry at the damage done to my beloved truck. After that, someone would take a picture that would make national news. Somewhere in Middle America, a couple named Frank and Ethel would be sitting in a diner enjoying breakfast when Ethel would spot the picture in the newspaper and say, “Look at this Frank, an Ashley Furniture truck got blown right off the highway!” Frank would slide his reading glasses on and take a look. “Wow. Look, there’s a name on the side of that truck. It looks like it says ‘Jason Harry.’ He must be a real idiot to have gone out in the storm.” Frank says all this while shaking his head, as will the rest of the nation when they spot that picture.
It’s amazing this movie played in my head while pushing a lawn mower. I like to use my time wisely, and a task such as trimming the grass is perfect for thinking. After the blown-over scene, I wondered about my safety bonus. I have managed to obtain it every year I have been working at my present company. (It will be seven years the first of November 2012.) If I am driving down the road, a tree falls in my path, on top of me, or I simply get blown over, what might happen? The company could hold it against me. They could echo Frank and Ethel and call me an idiot for leaving in the first place. I could lose my safety bonus if their theory was that I should have never left, or parked the truck when things turned bad. (No one in my company would ever call me an idiot [at least not to my face or over the phone] but still, why take the chance?) After all of these arguments with myself, I still decided I would go. What an idiot.
Last night I turned on the TV in our bedroom for the first time in a long while. (I don’t watch TV much, if at all.) The Weather Channel was tuned in, and I spent some time listening to what they had to say. I figured if I was out in the western part of the state that I should be okay. It’s more inland and surely won’t be as bad as locations nearest the coast. I tried to look away when they showed a graphic of the hurricanes projected path. Most of Pennsylvania was highlighted in a deep shade of red. The color red is bad, just like in stoplights. I had no shot of escaping the red. Still, I went to bed last night with plans to get up soon after first light and head to work. I would roll early and be parked by dark. That was the plan anyway.
As planned, I woke up early and checked the forecast and news stories. The predictions of gloom and doom did not change overnight. I was out the door by ten in the morning.
As I drove to the yard where my truck is parked, I could feel that my stomach was still being fed by my intuition. It had been telling me since the onset of this storm that I should not go, and I had been trying to ignore it. The ride to work was no different.
I pulled in the lot, parked behind my truck and tossed my fifty bags into my home-away-from home. (Those numbers are not an exaggeration.) I stuck my cell phone in its dash-mounted cradle, and pulled up Facebook, in case I wanted to offer one last good-bye to everyone I have ever loved in my life. By pure chance, a status at the top was written by my friend and co-worker Mike Dirske. It said, and I quote:
“Just read a study by The University of Kansas from 2009. They found that as little as a 20 mph crosswind can blow over an empty semi-trailer. A fully loaded truck (80,000lbs) can withstand up to a 60mph crosswind. Please remember this next time you decide to drive next to me on a windy day.”
I looked at that and thought, “Wow, another sign from God that I should not go.” I also know Mike to be an occasional Jokester, so I commented and asked him if that was a real study. He replied that it was. Now I was worried my Frank and Ethel fantasy could actually become a reality.
Sitting in the driver’s seat, with the engine running, I pondered whether I was making a wise decision. I looked over at the truck parked next to me. Its owner was another friend of mine, Brian Porter. He has much more experience than I do when it comes to trucking. I decided to call him and seek out his advice. He too was planning to leave for the left half of the Keystone State. He was leaning towards not going. He stated his case why. I listened intently. At one point, he mentioned that New York was already planning to close bridges and tunnels. As soon as he said that, I envisioned a few long bridges on my planned path down Interstate 80. I saw myself crossing one of the bridges that had ravines a hundred feet below. The wind would come and blow me clear off the right side. I would plummet to my death inside of a tractor-trailer, and now Frank would tell Ethel that I was, in fact, “A dead idiot.” I told Brian that I had changed my mind and was not going. I thanked him for his time and advice, threw my fifty bags back in my car, and now I’m safely at home with my family where we’ll ride out the storm together.
During this entire saga, I would occasionally think of a slogan used by pilots when it comes to making go/no-go decisions. The saying is, “It’s better to be on the ground wishing you were flying than in the air wishing you were on the ground.” That can apply to trucking also. I’d much prefer being home wishing I was trucking than falling to my death and giving Frank the pleasure of labeling me an idiot.
Sometimes I wish our company would issue “ground stops” like the airlines do. A ground stop means nobody can move due to dangerous conditions that exist or are about to. It would be easier if they made the decision for us. They don’t need to because they trust us to make the correct choices. I hope I have made the right one.
Nothing would make me happier than if the forecasters are wrong, and this system won’t turn out anything like they are predicting. I’d love to call them idiots. If I'm able to, I know at least two people in Middle America who will be doing the same thing.
Hong Kong International Airport (IATA: HKG, ICAO: VHHH) is the main airport in Hong Kong. It is located on the island of Chek Lap Kok, which largely comprises land reclaimed for the construction of the airport itself. The airport is also colloquially known as Chek Lap Kok Airport (赤鱲角機場), to distinguish it from its predecessor, the closed Kai Tak Airport.
The airport has been in commercial operation since 1998, replacing the Kai Tak Airport. It is an important regional trans-shipment centre, passenger hub and gateway for destinations in Mainland China (with 45 destinations) and the rest of Asia. The airport is the world's busiest cargo gateway and one of the world's busiest passenger airports. It is also home to one of the world's largest passenger terminal buildings (the largest when opened in 1998).
The airport is operated by the Airport Authority Hong Kong 24 hours a day and is the primary hub for Cathay Pacific (the flag carrier of Hong Kong), Dragonair, Hong Kong Airlines, Hong Kong Express Airways and Air Hong Kong (cargo carrier). The airport is one of the hubs of Oneworld alliance, and it is also one of the Asia-Pacific cargo hubs for UPS Airlines. It is a focus city for many airlines, including China Airlines and China Eastern Airlines. Singapore Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines and Air India utilize Hong Kong as a stopover point for their flights.
HKIA is an important contributor to Hong Kong's economy, with approximately 65,000 employees. More than 100 airlines operate flights from the airport to over 180 cities across the globe. In 2015, HKIA handled 68.5 million passengers, making it the 8th busiest airport worldwide by passenger traffic. Since 2010, it has also surpassed Memphis International Airport to become the world's busiest airport by cargo traffic.
HISTORY
Chek Lap Kok Airport was designed as a replacement for the former Hong Kong International Airport (commonly known as Kai Tak Airport) originally built in 1925. Located in the densely built-up Kowloon City District with a single runway extending into Kowloon Bay, Kai Tak had only limited room for expansion to cope with steadily increasing air traffic. By the 1990s, Kai Tak had become one of the world's busiest airports – it far exceeded its annual passenger and cargo design capacities, and one out of every three flights experienced delays, largely due to lack of space for aircraft, gates, and a second runway. In addition, noise mitigation measures restricted nighttime flights, as severe noise pollution (exceeding 105 dB(A) in Kowloon City) adversely affected an estimated total of at least 340,000 people.
A 1974 planning study by the Civil Aviation and Public Works departments identified the small island of Chek Lap Kok, off Lantau Island, as a possible airport replacement site. Away from the congested city centre, flight paths would be routed over the South China Sea rather than populous urban areas, enabling efficient round-the-clock operation of multiple runways. The Chek Lap Kok (CLK) airport master plan and civil engineering studies were completed towards the end of 1982 and 1983 respectively. In February 1983, however, the government shelved the project for financial and economic reasons. In 1988, the Port & Airport Development Strategy (PADS) Study was undertaken by consultants, headed by Mott MacDonald Hong Kong Limited, reporting in December 1989. This study looked at forecasts for both airport and port traffic to the year 2011 and came up with three recommended strategies for overall strategic development in Hong Kong. One of the three assumed maintaining the existing airport at Kai Tak; a second assumed a possible airport in the Western Harbour between Lantau Island and Hong Kong Island; and the third assumed a new airport at Chek Lap Kok. The consultants produced detailed analyses for each scenario, enabling Government to consider these appraisals for each of the three "Recommended Strategies". In October 1989 the Governor of Hong Kong announced to the Legislative Council that a decision had been made on the long-term port and airport development strategy for the territory. The strategy to be adopted was that which included a replacement airport at Chek Lap Kok and incorporating new container terminals 8 and 9 at Stonecutters Island and east of the island of Tsing Yi respectively.
In the PADS study the consultants advised that the earliest the airport could be opened was January 1998. However, in reaching the government's decision, this date was modified to January 1997, six months prior to the handover of the territory to China. Construction of the new airport began in 1991. As construction progressed, an agreement was reached with China that as much as possible of the airport would be completed before the handover to China in July 1997. In the event, British Prime Minister John Major opened the Tsing Ma Bridge, the main access to Lantau Island and the airport and its supporting community in May 1997, prior to the transfer of sovereignty to China. The airport itself was opened in July 1998.
The construction period was very rushed; specialists considered that only a 10–20-year period was sufficient for this massive project. Another cause for this rush was due to the uncertain future of the airport construction after the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China. Shortly after the then-British colonial government of Hong Kong announced plans to construct the new airport, the Chinese government in Beijing began voicing objections to various aspects of the massive project, which prompted financial institutions to delay extending project finance. Without access to this financing, many of the companies who had secured contracts to build various portions of the project halted construction, resulting in delays that pushed the actual opening of the airport, originally planned to take place before the transition in sovereignty until one year after. As agreements were reached with the government in China, Beijing removed most of its objections and work then continued, albeit behind schedule.
Hong Kong International Airport was built on a large artificial island, formed by levelling Chek Lap Kok and Lam Chau islands (3.02 square kilometres and 0.08 square kilometres (0.031 sq mi) respectively), and reclaiming 9.38 square kilometres of the adjacent seabed. The 12.48-square-kilometre airport site added nearly 1% to Hong Kong's total surface area, connecting to the north side of Lantau Island near Tung Chung new town.
Construction of the new airport was only part of the Airport Core Programme, which also involved construction of new road and rail links to the airport, with associated bridges and tunnels, and major land reclamation projects on both Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon. The project is the most expensive airport project ever, according to Guinness World Records. Construction of the new airport was voted as one of the Top 10 Construction Achievements of the 20th Century at the ConExpo conference in 1999.
The detailed design for the airport terminal was awarded to a consortium led by Mott Connell (the Hong Kong office of UK consultant Mott MacDonald) with British Airports Authority as specialist designers for airport related aspects, Foster and Partners as architects and Ove Arup as specialist structural designers for the roof. Mott Connell were the designers for foundations, all other structural components and the mechanical and electrical work. Project architects were Foster and Partners. The sides of the terminals, predominantly glass, were designed to break during high speed winds, relieving pressure and allowing the terminal to withstand an intense typhoon.
The airport was officially opened in an opening ceremony by the then-General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (paramount leader) Jiang Zemin at noon Hong Kong Time on 2 July 1998. Actual operation of the airport commenced on 6 July 1998, concluding the six-year construction that cost US$20 billion. On that day at 06:25 Hong Kong Time, Cathay Pacific flight 889 became the first commercial flight to land at the airport, pipping the original CX 292 from Rome which was the scheduled first arrival. However, the airport had already started to experience some technical difficulties on the first day of opening. The flight information display system (FIDS) had suddenly shut down which caused long delays. Shortly afterwards, the cargo communication link with Kai Tak, where all the data was stored, went down. In the same period of time, someone had accidentally deleted a critical database for cargo services. This meant that cargo had to be manually stored. At one point, the airport had to turn away freight headed for and exported from Hong Kong (except food and medical supplies) while it sorted out the mess. HKIA simply could not keep up without an automated computer assisting. For three to five months after its opening, it suffered various severe organisational, mechanical and technical problems that almost crippled the airport. Computer glitches were to blame for the crisis. Lau Kong-wah, a Hong Kong politician, was quoted saying "This was meant to be a first-class project, but it has turned into a ninth-class airport and a disgrace. Our airport has become the laughing stock of the world." At one time, the government reopened the cargo terminal at Kai Tak Airport to handle freight traffic because of a breakdown at the new cargo terminal, named Super Terminal One (ST1). However, after six months the airport started to operate normally.
On 31 July 2000, Todd Salimuchai, a regularised illegal immigrant in Hong Kong with no provable nationality, forced his way through a security checkpoint using a fake pistol, took a woman hostage, and boarded a Cathay Pacific aircraft. He demanded to be flown to Burma, which he claimed was his native country but had refused to admit him due to his lack of documents. He surrendered to police two and a half hours later.
Officially opened in June 2007, the second airport terminal, called T2, (check-in facility only) is linked with the MTR Airport Express on a new platform. The terminal also features a new shopping mall, SkyPlaza, providing a large variety of shops and restaurants, together with a few entertainment facilities. T2 also houses a 36-bay coach-station for buses to and from mainland China and 56 airline check-in counters, as well as customs and immigration facilities.
Besides T2, the SkyCity Nine Eagles Golf Course has been opened in 2007 whereas the second airport hotel, the Hong Kong SkyCity Marriott Hotel; and a permanent cross-boundary ferry terminal, the Skypier, began operations in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Development around T2 also includes the AsiaWorld-Expo which has started operation in late 2005. A second passenger concourse, the North Satellite Concourse (NSC), opened in 2010, followed by the Midfield Concourse in December 2015.
COMPOSITION
Hong Kong International Airport covers an area of 1,255 hectares. The airport has a total of 90 boarding gates, with 78 jet bridge gates (1–4, 15–36, 40–50, 60–71, 201–219, 501–510) and 12 virtual gates (228–230, 511–513, 520–525) which are used as assembly points for passengers, who are then ferried to the aircraft by apron buses. Of the 66 jet bridges, five (Gates 15,23,60,62,64) are capable of handling the Airbus A380, the current users of which are Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Qantas, British Airways, Asiana Airlines, Thai Airways, Air France and Lufthansa. Previous users were Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, and China Southern Airlines.
WIKIPEDIA
NYC DEP Research scientist Chris Nadareski with falcons.One baby boy and three baby girl peregrine falcons are banded atop the Marine Parkway Bridge. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
Crews work during Phase One of repairs to the upper level of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Work is expected to continue through summer 2017. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
On Monday, October 22, 2012, the former Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel was renamed the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel in honor of New York State's 51st Governor.
This photo shows New York State Lieutenant Governor Robert J. Duffy, former Governor and MTA Board member David A. Paterson and NYC Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, standing at the tunnel's entrance in Lower Manhattan.
The overall ceremony was attended by New York State Lieutenant Governor Robert J. Duffy, NYC Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, former Governor Mario Cuomo, former Governor and MTA Board member David A. Paterson, MTA Chairman and CEO Joseph J. Lhota, members of the Carey family, and staff of MTA Bridges and Tunnels.
Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin.