Infrastructure
New York City (NYC)
Manhattan (1909)
Manhattan (1909)
The idea for Manhattan Bridge was first conceived by Gustav Lindenthal,
the commissioner of the Department of Bridges, who also had a hand in
the Queensboro Bridge. This happened after the completion of the
Williamsburg and Brooklyn Bridges. In 1901 he proposed his first plan
for the Manhattan Bridge. His vision for the Manhattan Bridge was to
combine the aesthetics of Williamsburg and Brooklyn Bridges. The
proposed bridge would have massive steel towers, similar to the
Williamsburg Bridge, and enormous trusses to fortify the structure. Just
like the Brooklyn Bridge, the plan would incorporate both vertical
suspender ropes and diagonal cable stays, characteristic of suspension
bridges. The proposed design by Lindenthal was swiftly rejected by the
Municipal Arts Commission for aesthetic reasons. Soon after, Lindenthal
drafted up a second, more controversial plan for the bridge. His second
plan replaced the traditional steel wire cables with chains made of
eye-bars (the design of the eye-bar chain is similar to bicycle chains).
Only four of these cables would support the suspended bridge. The cables
would be held up by thin-profile steel towers at each end of the East
River. In 1904, the new mayor of New York City hired a different
commissioner for the Department of Bridges, he decided to employ Leon
Moiseeiff as the chief designer of the Manhattan Bridge.
Leon Moiseeiff adapted Lindenthal original idea of using thin-profile
steel towers, but chose to install the traditional steel wires, rather
than the eye-bars Lindenthal proposed. His design philosophy was largely
based on a new engineering principle called deflection theory, which
relied on the idea that suspension bridges were inherently stronger than
originally supposed. Unfortunately, since the study of deflection theory
was just beginning to gain ground, it was not fully perfected. Upon
completion the Manhattan Bridge was under-built and encountered numerous
issues owing to its inability to support train and automobile traffic.
In 1982, a reconstruction project aimed to correct the inherent flaws of
the bridge began and lasted for twenty seven years. The cost of the
original structure reached $31 million dollars by December 31st, 1909.
Originally the Manhattan Bridge was meant to be used exclusively by
trains. Today it is a two deck suspension bridge used for pedestrian,
automobile and subway traffic, connecting the neighborhoods of Downtown
Brooklyn with Chinatown, Manhattan. The Holland Tunnel, which connects
lower Manhattan and New Jersey, is directly across the island from the
Manhattan Bridge this Leads to a great deal of truck and automobile
traffic. Vehicles going from Brooklyn to New Jersey, drive across
Manhattan on Canal Street contributing to the congestions and pollution,
creating a serious urban problem.
Visit Additional NYC Bridges:
Brooklyn (1883)
Williamsburg (1903)
Ed Koch Queensboro (1906)
Verrazano (1964)
George Washington Bridge
Whitestone
Throgs Neck
Triboro bridge
Source:
nycbridges100.org
www.nycroads.com
www.nyc.gov