Broadway Bridge (Manhattan)

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Broadway Bridge
Broadway Bridge
Carries Broadway (US 9) (lower)
2 tracks of IRT Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line (upper).
Crosses Harlem River
Locale Manhattan and the Bronx, in New York City
Design Double-decked Vertical lift bridge
Clearance below 136 feet (41 m) (raised)
24 feet (7.3 m) (lowered)
Opening date July 1, 1962

The Broadway Bridge in New York City crosses the Spuyten Duyvil Creek (also known as the Harlem River Ship Canal) between Inwood and Marble Hill, both parts of Manhattan (the latter on the mainland and attached to the Bronx due to the rerouting of the Harlem River). It is named the Broadway Bridge because it carries Broadway, which is designated as U.S. Route 9 here. The bridge also carries the IRT Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line above the road. Immediately to the north of the bridge along this line is the 225th Street–Marble Hill station.

Before the Harlem River was rerouted, the bridge in the area was named Kings Bridge, crossing the river on the border between Marble Hill and the Bronx. The Boston Post Road and Albany Post Road crossed this bridge. A later bridge, opened on January 1, 1895, spanned the canal.

The present Broadway Bridge (opened on July 1, 1962) has a navigable channel 304 feet (93 m) wide providing 136 feet (41 m) of vertical clearance when the bridge is in the open position. In the down position, the bridge provides 24 feet (7.3 m) of vertical clearance.

An earlier incarnation of the Broadway Bridge that was being replaced by a new double-level structure was recycled to create the University Heights Bridge. In June 1906, the old bridge was floated down the river and placed on a newly-constructed center pier. After all the approaches and other consturction were completed, the new University Heights Bridge opened to traffic on January 8, 1908.[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ West 207th Street/University Heights Bridge Over Harlem River, accessed May 26, 2006

[edit] External links


Crossings of the Harlem River
Upstream
Henry Hudson Bridge
Broadway Bridge
NYC Subway 1 service
Downstream
University Heights Bridge