East River

This article is about the East River in New York City. For other uses, see East River (disambiguation).

East River
Tidal strait
East River and the headquarters of the United Nations in Manhattan, as seen from Roosevelt Island.
Country	United States
State	New York
Municipality	New York City

Tributaries
- left	Newtown Creek, Flushing River
- right	Westchester Creek, Bronx River, Bronx Kill, Harlem River


Source	Long Island Sound
- coordinates	40°48′14″N 73°49′30″W / 40.8039900°N 73.8251343°W / 40.8039900; -73.8251343
Mouth	Upper New York Bay
- coordinates	40°41′47″N 74°01′00″W / 40.696355°N 74.016609°W / 40.696355; -74.016609Coordinates: 40°41′47″N 74°01′00″W / 40.696355°N 74.016609°W / 40.696355; -74.016609

Length	16 mi (26 km)

The East River is shown in red on this satellite photo of New York City.
Wikimedia Commons: East River

The East River is a salt water tidal strait in New York City. The waterway, which is actually not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island – including the boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn – from the Bronx on the North American mainland, and the island of Manhattan. Because of its connection to Long Island Sound, it was once also known as the Sound River.^[1] The tidal strait changes its flow direction frequently.

Formation

A map from 1781

The strait was formed approximately 11,000 years ago at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation.^[2] The distinct change in the shape of the strait between the lower and upper portions is evidence of this glacial activity. The upper portion (from Long Island Sound to Hell Gate), running largely perpendicular to the glacial motion, is wide, meandering, and has deep narrow bays on both banks, scoured out by the glacier's movement. The lower portion (from Hell Gate to New York Bay) runs north-south, parallel to the glacial motion. It is much narrower, with straight banks. The bays that exist (or existed before being filled in by human activity), are largely wide and shallow.

The channel

Historically, the lower portion of the strait (separating Manhattan from Brooklyn) was one of the busiest and most important channels in the world, particularly during the first three centuries of New York City's history. The Brooklyn Bridge, opened in 1883, was the first bridge to span the strait, replacing frequent ferry service. Some passenger ferry service remains between Manhattan, and Queens and Brooklyn.

Due to heavy pollution, the East River is dangerous to people who fall in or attempt to swim in it, although as of mid-2007 the water was cleaner than it had been in decades.^[3] As of 2010, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection categorizes the East River as Use Classification I, meaning it is safe for secondary contact activities such as boating and fishing.^[4] According to the marine sciences section of the city Department of Environmental Protection, the channel is swift, with water moving as fast as four knots (just as it does in the Hudson River on the other side of Manhattan). That speed can push casual swimmers out to sea. A few people drown in the waters around New York City each year.^[3] The strength of the current foiled an effort in 2007 to tap it for tidal power.^[5] However, in February 2012 the federal government announced an agreement with Verdant Power to install 30 tidal turbines in the channel, projected to begin operations in 2015 and produce 1.05 MW of power.^[6]

Tributaries

Historical film of the East River, leading up to a final shot of the Brooklyn Bridge (1903)

The Bronx River drains into the East River in the northern section of the strait.

North of Randalls Island, it is joined by the Bronx Kill. Along the east of Wards Island, at approximately the strait's midpoint, it narrows into a channel called Hell Gate, which is spanned by both the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge (formerly the Triborough), and the Hell Gate Bridge. On the south side of Wards Island, it is joined by the Harlem River.

Newtown Creek on Long Island drains into the East River, forming part of the boundary between Queens and Brooklyn. The East River contains a number of islands, including:

Upper section
- Rikers Island
- North and South Brother Islands
- Mill Rock
Lower section
- Randalls Island and Wards Island (joined by landfill)
- Roosevelt Island
- U Thant Island (Belmont Island)

Crossings

Crossing	Carries	Year opened
Manhattan — Manhattan (Roosevelt Island)
Roosevelt Island Tramway	pedestrians and bicycles	1976
Manhattan — Brooklyn
Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel	I-478	1950
Joralemon Street Tunnel		1908
Montague Street Tunnel		1920
Clark Street Tunnel		1919
Cranberry Street Tunnel		1932
Brooklyn Bridge		1883
Manhattan Bridge		1909
Rutgers Street Tunnel		1936
Williamsburg Bridge		1903
14th Street Tunnel		1924
Manhattan — Queens
East River Tunnels	Amtrak Northeast Corridor Long Island Rail Road	1910
Queens Midtown Tunnel	I-495	1940
Steinway Tunnel		1915
53rd Street Tunnel		1933
Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge (59th Street Bridge)	NY 25	1909
60th Street Tunnel		1920
63rd Street Tunnel		1989
Roosevelt Island Bridge		1955
RFK-Triborough Bridge (East River Suspension Span)	I-278	1936
Hell Gate Bridge	Amtrak Northeast Corridor CSX Transportation Fremont Secondary Providence & Worcester Railroad	1916
The Bronx — Queens
Rikers Island Bridge		1966
Bronx Whitestone Bridge	I-678	1939
Throgs Neck Bridge	I-295	1961

Exposition display showing cross-section of East River railroad tunnel to Pennsylvania Station

William Glackens 1902 painting of East River Park in the Brooklyn Museum

In popular culture

Music

Edward Harrigan's 1874 comic song "Muldoon, the Solid Man" mentions "the enchanting East River air"
The Brecker Brothers performed a song named after the river that is featured on their album Heavy Metal Be-Bop (1978)
According to its author, Yasushi Akimoto, one of the best known Japanese songs "Kawa no Nagare no Yō ni" – the "swan song" of the noted singer Hibari Misora – was inspired by the East River.^[7]

Television

Kramer decided to swim in the East River for exercise in the Seinfeld episode "The Nap"
In The Simpsons episode, "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson", Homer receives a letter stating that his vehicle is illegally parked between the World Trade Center Towers and that if he doesn't fix the issue his car will be "crushed into a cube and thrown into the East River at your expense."

Games

In the video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the Russian Navy had taken control of the river as part of their invasion of the East Coast of the United States in the fictitious Russo-American War.

In the news

In January 2014, a Fashion Institute of Technology photography student discovered the remains of Danny Oquendo's half-brother Avonte, a missing 14 year-old autistic teenager, in Powell's Cove, off College Point, Queens.^[8]