New York City's harbor and multiple waterways are what once made it the center of trade, but today they make it a city of bridges and tunnels. Over 2,000 of them provide uninterrupted vehicular movement throughout the region. Several agencies claim jurisdiction over this network of crossings including the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), DOT, New York State Department of Transportation, New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Amtrak and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.
Nearly all of the city's major bridges and several of its tunnels, have broken or set records. The Holland Tunnel was the world's first vehicular tunnel when it opened in 1927. The George Washington Bridge and Verrazano-Narrows Bridge were the world's longest suspension bridges when opened in 1931 and 1964 respectively.
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New York's crossings date back to 1693, when its first bridge, known as the King's Bridge, was constructed over Spuyten Duyvil Creek between Manhattan and the Bronx. The bridge, composed of stone abutments and a timber deck, was demolished in 1917. The oldest crossing still standing is High Bridge which connects Manhattan to the Bronx over the Harlem River. This bridge was built to carry water to the city as part of the Croton Aqueduct system.
Ten bridges and 1 tunnel serving the city have been awarded some level of landmark status. The Holland Tunnel was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1993 in recognition of its pioneering role as the first mechanically ventilated vehicular underwater tunnel, operating since 1927. The George Washington, High Bridge, Hell Gate, Queensboro, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Macombs Dam, Carroll Street, University Heights and Washington bridges have all received landmark status as well.
New York features bridges of all lengths and types, carrying everything from cars, trucks and subway trains to pedestrians and bicycles. The George Washington Bridge, spanning the Hudson River between New York City and Fort Lee, New Jersey, is the world's busiest bridge in terms of vehicular traffic.[1][2] The George Washington Bridge, Verrazano Narrows Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge are considered among the most beautiful in the world. Others are more well known for their functional importance such as the Williamsburg Bridge which has 2 heavy rail transit tracks, 8 traffic lanes and a pedestrian sidewalk.
From south to north:
| Name | Opening year | Length | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn Bridge | 1883 | 1825 m | Oldest suspension bridge |
| Manhattan Bridge | 1909 | 2089 m | (B D N Q subway service) |
| Williamsburg Bridge | 1903 | 2227.48 m | (J M Z subway service) |
| Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge | 1909 | 1135.0 m | Also known as 59th Street Bridge |
| Roosevelt Island Bridge | 1955 | 876.91 m | East channel only |
| Robert F. Kennedy Bridge | 1936 | 1569.72 m | I-278 formerly named The Triboro Bridge |
| Hell Gate Bridge | 1916 | 5181.6 m | Rail only |
| Rikers Island Bridge | 1966 | 1280.16 m | Only connects Rikers Island to Queens |
| Bronx–Whitestone Bridge | 1939 | 1149.10 m | I-678 |
| Throgs Neck Bridge | 1961 | 886.97 m | I-295 |
From south to north, east to west:
| Name | Opening year | Length | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wards Island Bridge | 1951 | 285.6m | Pedestrian only |
| Robert F. Kennedy Bridge | 1936 | 1569.72 m | Also known as the Triborough Bridge |
| Willis Avenue Bridge | 1901 | ||
| Third Avenue Bridge | 1898 | ||
| Park Avenue Bridge | 1954 | Metro-North Railroad | |
| Madison Avenue Bridge | 1910 | ||
| 145th Street Bridge | 1905 | ||
| Macombs Dam Bridge | 1895 | 774 m | |
| High Bridge | 1848 | 600 m | Oldest surviving bridge in New York City. Currently closed for repairs. |
| Alexander Hamilton Bridge | 1963 | 724 m | I-95 |
| Washington Bridge | 1888 | 723.9 m | |
| University Heights Bridge | 1908 | 82 m | |
| Broadway Bridge | 1962 | Also known as Harlem Ship Canal Bridge (1 subway service) |
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| Henry Hudson Bridge | 1936 | 673 m | |
| Spuyten Duyvil Bridge | 1899 | Rail only |
| Name | Opening year | Length | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Washington Bridge | 1931 | 1450.85 m | Handles 290,000 vehicles per day)[3] |
| Name | Opening year | Length | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verrazano-Narrows Bridge | 1964 | 2039.1 m | I-278 |
| Name | Opening year | Length | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kosciusko Bridge | 1939 | 1,835 m | I-278 |
| Pulaski Bridge | 1954 | 860 m | McGuinness Blvd. |
| J. J. Byrne Memorial Bridge | 1987 | 55 m | a.k.a. Greenpoint Avenue Bridge |
| Grand Street Bridge | |||
| Metropolitan Avenue Bridge |
| Name | Opening year | Length | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hutchinson River (heading upriver) | |||
| Pelham Bridge | 1908 | Shore Road | |
| Hutchinson River Pky Bridge | |||
| Westchester Creek | |||
| Unionport Bridge | |||
| Bronx River | |||
| Eastern Boulevard Bridge | I-278 | ||
| Pelham Bay | |||
| City Island Bridge | 1901 | City Island Road | |
| Name | Opening year | Length | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mill Basin | |||
| Mill Basin Bridge | |||
| Gowanus Canal | |||
| Union Street Bridge | |||
| Carroll Street Bridge | |||
| Third Street Bridge | |||
| Ninth Street Bridge | (F G subway service) | ||
| Hamilton Avenue Bridge | |||
| Rockaway Inlet (Brooklyn and Queens) | |||
| Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge | 1937 | 1226 m | |
| Name | Opening year | Length | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dutch Kills | |||
| Borden Avenue Bridge | |||
| Hunters Point Avenue Bridge | |||
| Jamaica Bay | |||
| Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge | 1970 | ||
| The Joseph P. Addabbo Memorial Bridge | |||
| Grassy Bay Subway Bridge | (A subway service) Howard Beach to Broad Channel. |
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| South Channel Subway Bridge | (A S subway service) Swing Bridge, Broad Channel to The Rockaways |
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| 102nd Street Bridge | Connecting Hamilton Beach at Russell Street with Howard Beach, also known as "Lenihan's Bridge". | ||
| Hawtree Creek Bridge | 163rd Avenue and 99th Street in Howard Beach across to Hamilton Beach at Rau Court and Davenport Court | ||
| Rockaway Inlet (Brooklyn and Queens) | |||
| Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge | 1937 | 1226 m | |
| Name | Opening year | Length | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Kill | |||
| Goethals Bridge | 1928 | 2164.08 m | I-278 |
| Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge | 1959 | 170.08 m | CSX and M&E rail lines |
| Outerbridge Crossing | 1928 | 3093 m | NJ 440/NY 440 |
| Kill Van Kull | |||
| Bayonne Bridge | 1931 | 1761.74 m | NY 440/NJ 440 |
Each of the tunnels that run underneath the East and Hudson rivers were marvels of engineering when first constructed. The Holland Tunnel is the oldest of the vehicular tunnels, opening to great fanfare in 1927 as the first mechanically ventilated underwater tunnel. The Queens Midtown Tunnel was opened in 1940 to relieve the congestion on the city's bridges. Each of its tubes were designed 1½ feet wider than the Holland Tunnel in order to accommodate the wider cars of the period. When the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel opened in 1950 it was the longest continuous underwater vehicular tunnel in the world, a title which it still holds. The Lincoln Tunnel has three tubes linking midtown Manhattan to New Jersey, a configuration which provides the flexibility to provide four lanes in one direction during rush-hour or three lanes in each direction.
All four underwater road tunnels were built by Ole Singstad: the Holland Tunnel's original chief engineer Clifford Milburn Holland died, as did his successor, Milton H. Freeman, after which Singstad became chief engineer, finishing the Holland Tunnel and then building the remaining tunnels.
From south to north:
From south to north:
| Name | Opening year | Length | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington Avenue Tunnel | 1918 | IRT Lexington Avenue Line (4 5 6 <6> subway services) | |
| 149th Street Tunnel | 1905 | 195 m (641 ft) | IRT White Plains Road Line (2 subway service) |
| Concourse Tunnel | 1933 | IND Concourse Line (B D subway services) |
From south to north:
| Name | Opening year | Length | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown Hudson Tubes | 1909 | 1,720 m (5,650 ft) | Montgomery-Cortlandt Tunnels Port Authority Trans-Hudson |
| Holland Tunnel | 1927 | south tube: 2,551 m (8,371 ft) north tube: 2,608 m (8,558 ft) |
I-78 |
| Uptown Hudson Tubes | 1908 | 1,700 m (5,500 ft) | Hoboken-Morton Tunnels Port Authority Trans-Hudson |
| North River Tunnels | 1910 | 1,900 m (6,100 ft) | part of New York Tunnel Extension Amtrak and New Jersey Transit (Northeast Corridor) |
| Lincoln Tunnel | south tube: 1957 center tube: 1937 north tube: 1945 |
south tube: 2,440 m (8,006 ft) center tube: 2,504 m (8,216 ft) north tube: 2,281 m (7,482 ft) |
NJ 495/I-495 |
The relative average number of inbound vehicles between 5 am and 11 am to Midtown and Lower Manhattan are:
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