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Aerial view of the Queensborough Bridge and Midtown Manhattan, New YorkThe Queensboro Bridge is a cantilever bridge over the East River in New York City. It connects the neighborhood of Long Island City in the borough of Queens with Manhattan, passing over Roosevelt Island as it does so. It is also called the "59th Street Bridge", a name popularized by the Simon and Garfunkel song "The 59th St. Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)", because it enters Manhattan at that street.
Serious proposals for a bridge linking Manhattan to Long Island City were first made as early as 1838 and attempts to finance such a bridge were made by a private company beginning in 1867. Its efforts never came to fruition and the company went bankrupt in the 1890s. Successful plans finally came about in 1903 under the city's new Department of Bridges, led by Gustav Lindenthal in collaboration with Leffert L. Buck and Henry Hornbostel , designers of the Williamsburg BridgeThe Williamsburg Bridge is a bridge in New York City across the East River connecting Manhattan at Delancey St. with the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn on Long Island at Interstate 278. Construction on the bridge began in 1896. and opened on Decemb. Construction soon began but it would take until 1909Events January 5 Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama. January 16 Ernest Shackleton's expedition finds the magnetic South Pole. January 28 United States troops leave Cuba after being there since the Spanish-American War. February 12 The National for the bridge to be completed due to delays from the collapse of an incomplete span during a windstorm and from labor unrest (including an attempt to dynamite one span). The bridge opened to the public on March 30March 30 is the 89th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (90th in Leap years). There are 276 days remaining. Events 1492 Ferdinand and Isabella sign a decree aimed at expelling all Jews from Spain unless they convert to Roman Catholicism. 1533 Thoma, 1909Events January 5 Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama. January 16 Ernest Shackleton's expedition finds the magnetic South Pole. January 28 United States troops leave Cuba after being there since the Spanish-American War. February 12 The National, having cost about $18 million and 50 lives. It was then known as the Blackwell's Island Bridge, from an earlier name for Roosevelt Island.
At the time of its construction, the Queensboro Bridge was the greatest cantilever bridge in the world. The lengths of its five spans and approaches are:
- Manhattan to Roosevelt Island span length: 1,182 feet
- Roosevelt Island span length: 630 feet
- Roosevelt Island to Queens span length: 984 feet
- side span lengths: 469 feet and 459 feet
- total length between anchorages: 3724 feet
- total length including approaches: 7449 feet
The bridge has two levels. Originally the top level contained two vehicular traffic lanes and two elevated railway lines and the lower deck four traffic lanes and two trolley lanes. The railway and trolley lanes would be removed in the 1940s and 1950s, and for the next few decades the bridge carried 11 lanes of vehicular traffic. After years of decay and corrosion, an extensive renovation of the Queensboro Bridge began 19871987 is a common year starting on Thursday. Events January January 1 Nunavut's capital changes it name to Iqaluit from Frobisher Bay. January 3 Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. January 4 An Amtrak train and is still in progress, having cost over $300 million.
Today, the upper level of the Queensboro Bridge has four lanes of vehicle traffic and provides an excellent view of the bridge's cantilever truss structure and the New York skyline. The lower level has six lanes, the inner four for vehicle traffic and the outer two for either vehicle traffic or pedestrians and bicycles.
The bridge is the setting for a significant scene in the 20022002 is a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). 2002 was the first palindromic year since 1991 and the last until 2112. 2002 was also designated: International Year of Ecotourism and Mountains National Science Year in the United Kingdom movie Spider-ManSpider-Man is the name of an extremely successful movie (released on May 3, 2002) which stars Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and Willem Dafoe and was directed by Sam Raimi. It is an adaptation of the story of how the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man came. In that movie, the Green GoblinThe Green Goblin is a Marvel Comics supervillain who is the greatest enemy of Spider-Man. The Green Goblin dresses in a garish green costume resembling a goblin and uses an arsenal of high-tech weapons, notably grenade-like "pumpkin bombs", and rides on a throws Mary Jane Watson from the bridge, and Spider-Man must decide between saving her or passengers on the Roosevelt Island tram.
