Rikers Island Bridge

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Rikers Island Bridge
Carries	3 lanes of roadway and 1 sidewalk
Crosses	East River
Locale	Rikers Island and Queens in New York City
Total length	1,280.16 meters (4,200 feet)
Opening date	1966

Rikers Island Bridge (officially named Francis R. Buono Memorial Bridge) connects Rikers Island (officially part of the borough of the Bronx) to the Steinway neighborhood of Queens in New York City. It also connects the island to the Parking Lot at the Queens end. It is the sole route to the island for vehicular traffic. Before this bridge was built, access to Rikers Island was by ferry only.

The bridge is a fixed low-level span built using concrete and steel. At its center, the bridge has a 52 foot rise allowing clearance for vessels passing beneath the structure.

On May 25, 1978, the bridge was named for the late Supervising Warden Francis R. Buono, who directed its construction ^[1]

[edit] References

1. ^ The Pen, June 1978 NYC Dept. of Corrections

[edit] External links

• A Feature Article from the Spring 1967 issue: Rikers Island Bridge Opened

Crossings of the East River Upstream Bronx Whitestone Bridge Rikers Island Bridge Downstream Hell Gate Bridge Amtrak