Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, suspension bridge connecting the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City across the Narrows.
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| Verrazano Narrows Bridge New York History |
Brief history
The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. It is named after Giovanni da Verrazzano, an Italian explorer and the first European navigator to enter the Hudson River as New York Bay. Its construction ended in 1964 and from then until 1981, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. It currently ranks seventh even though it remains the longest in the US It is famous for being the starting point of the well-known New York City Marathon, much of the maritime traffic that circulates between New Jersey and New York, passes under its structure. It carries about 200,000 vehicles per day. It is the work of civil engineer Othmar AmmannThis bridge was also helped build by mid-1930s boxer and heavyweight champion James Walker Braddock, better known as the Cinderella Man of New Jersey. It was opened November 21, 1964 (upper level) and June 28, 1969 (lower level) the bridge is maintained by MTA Bridges and Tunnels.
General Features
It consists of two floors, the length of its central section is 1,298 m, a width of 31.5 m and a height of 211 m. Its tall towers can be seen from much of the New York metropolitan area, including parts of the city's 5 boroughs. Each of its two towers contains 1 million bolts and 3 million rivets, the diameter of each of the four suspension cables is 36 inches, and each cable is made up of 26,108 cables totaling 143,000 miles in length. Because of the height of the towers and their spacing, the towers are 1 5/8 inches further at their tops than at their bases, due to thermal expansion of the steel cables the bridge roadway is 12 feet lower in summer than in winter. Its toll amounts to 15 dollars.
Building
To build this bridge, 10,000 men worked for 5 years, 3 dying in its construction, its cost was 320 million dollars, Its construction raised many controversies because with the Staten Island bridge it would lose the charm of connecting only by sea and because the Residents' homes from the Bay Bridge to Brooklyn were destroyed to build the bridge. After more than 50 years of its construction it remains one of the engineering marvels of the United States.