Throgs Neck Bridge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Aerial view of the Throgs Neck Bridge |
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| Carries | 6 lanes of I-295 |
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| Crosses | East River |
| Locale | Queens and the Bronx, in New York City |
| Maintained by | Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (of the MTA) |
| Design | Suspension bridge |
| Longest span | 548.64 meters (1,800 feet) |
| Total length | 886.97 meters (2,910 feet) |
| Vertical clearance | 142 feet (43.3 m) |
| Opening date | January 11, 1961 |
| Toll | $4.50 (both directions per car in cash); $0.50 discount available with E-ZPass |
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The Throgs Neck Bridge is a suspension bridge opened on January 11, 1961 carrying Interstate 295 over the East River where it meets the Long Island Sound. The bridge connects the Throgs Neck section of the Bronx with the Bayside section of Queens. It is the newest bridge across the East River and was built to relieve traffic on the adjacent Whitestone Bridge which opened in 1939.
The Throgs Neck Bridge was planned and managed by Robert Moses. His first plan for a Throgs Neck span dates back to 1945, six years after his last project, the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, was completed two miles to the west. This bridge was one of the few not intended for the Belt System of highways wrapping around Queens and Brooklyn. Moses commissioned famed New York City bridge designer Othmar Ammann. Ammann was the man behind the George Washington, Bronx-Whitestone, Verrazano-Narrows, and Triborough Bridges. This was Ammann's first long span job after 1940, which saw the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Suspension Bridge in Washington State. Instead of employing a rather streamlined-looking plate-girder system, Ammann constructed his bridge with 28-foot deep stiffening trusses under the deck. These would weighten the bridge and allow any wind to simply blow through, instead of against, the bridge.
During planning stages, Ammann had to build long, curved approaches (increasing the length of the roadway) in order to allow for water traffic beneath the span. The shores of Bayside and Throgg's Neck are rather low, so to build a bridge right over the water without approaches would leave almost no clearance under the bridge. Deck-raising began at each tower until crews met at the center, extending out to the approach viaducts. During planning, the bridge received the I-495 designation. During construction, the bridge became a part of I-78. Not until 1971 did the Throgs Neck become a part of I-295.
The span is 1800 feet (549 m) long, with an anchorage to anchorage total length of 2910 feet (887 m). Due to Robert Moses' anti-pedestrian philosophy, the bridge was designed without non-motorized access of any kind. There are also no regularly scheduled buses.
Following the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the operators of the bridge, prohibited the taking of photographs and/or videos on the premises of the bridge due to the fear that terrorist groups may study any potential photographs and videos in order to plot a terrorist attack on the bridge.
As of March 13, 2005, the crossing charge for a two-axle passenger vehicle is $4.50 charged in both directions, with a $0.50 discount for E-ZPass users. The crossing charge for a motorcycle is $2.00 charged in each direction, with a $0.25 discount for E-ZPass users.
The Throgs Neck Bridge is owned by the City of New York and operated by the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, an affiliate agency of the MTA.
[edit] Trucks restricted to overnight hours
After a June 2005 inspection of the Throgs Neck Bridge, damage was found on the approach bridges, more severe away from the center median. Therefore, heavy trucks over 40 tons are permitted to use the bridge only between 11:00 PM and 5:00 AM, when traffic is lightest.
[edit] External links
| Crossings of the East River | |||
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| Upstream Long Island Sound |
Throgs Neck Bridge |
Downstream Bronx Whitestone Bridge  |
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