Queensboro Bridge

Queensboro Bridge
View from Manhattan towards Roosevelt Island, 2010
Coordinates	40°45′25″N 73°57′17″W / 40.75694°N 73.95472°W / 40.75694; -73.95472
Carries	9 lanes (4 upper, 5 lower) of NY 25 1 lane for pedestrians/bicycles
Crosses	East River
Locale	New York City (Manhattan–Queens)
Official name	Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge
Other name(s)	59th Street Bridge Blackwell Island Bridge
Maintained by	New York City Department of Transportation
ID number	2240048
Characteristics
Design	Double-decked cantilever bridge
Total length	7,449 ft (2,270 m)
Width	100 ft (30 m)
Height	350 ft (110 m)
Longest span	1,182 ft (360 m) (west span)
No. of spans	5
Clearance above	12 feet (3.7 m) (upper level)
Clearance below	130 ft (40 m)
History
Architect	Henry Hornbostel
Designer	Gustav Lindenthal
Engineering design by	Leffert L. Buck
Opened	March 30, 1909; 115 years ago (1909-03-30)
Statistics
Daily traffic	160,111 (2019)[1]
Toll	Free
Queensboro Bridge
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
New York State Register of Historic Places
New York City Landmark No. 0828
Architectural style	Beaux-Arts; through cantilever truss
NRHP reference No.	78001879[2]
NYSRHP No.	06101.000495
NYCL No.	0828
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	December 20, 1978
Designated NYSRHP	June 23, 1980
Designated NYCL	April 16, 1974
Location

The Queensboro Bridge, officially the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, is a cantilever bridge over the East River in New York City. Completed in 1909, it connects the Long Island City neighborhood in the borough of Queens with the East Midtown and Upper East Side neighborhoods in Manhattan, passing over Roosevelt Island. Because the western end of the bridge connects to 59th Street in Manhattan, it is also called the 59th Street Bridge. The bridge consists of five steel spans measuring 3,725 ft (1,135 m) long; including approaches, its total length is 7,449 ft (2,270 m).

The Queensboro Bridge carries New York State Route 25 (NY 25), which terminates at the bridge's western end in Manhattan. The bridge has two levels: an upper level with a pair of two-lane roadways, and a lower level with five vehicular lanes and a walkway/bike lane. The western leg of the Queensboro Bridge is flanked on its northern side by the Roosevelt Island Tramway. The Queensboro Bridge is the northernmost of four toll-free vehicular bridges connecting Manhattan Island to Long Island, along with the Williamsburg, Manhattan, and Brooklyn bridges to the south. It lies along the courses of the New York City Marathon and the Five Boro Bike Tour.

Serious proposals for a bridge linking Manhattan to Long Island City were first made as early as 1838, but various 19th-century plans to erect such a bridge, including two proposals by Queens doctor Thomas Rainey, never came to fruition. After the creation of the City of Greater New York in 1898, plans for a city-operated bridge were finalized in 1901. The bridge opened for public use on March 30, 1909, and was initially used by pedestrians, horse-drawn and motor vehicles, elevated trains, and trolleys. Elevated service ceased in 1942, followed by trolley service in 1957. The upper-level roadways were built in the early 1930s and the late 1950s. Designated as a New York City landmark in 1973, the bridge was renovated extensively from the late 1970s to the 1990s. The bridge was officially renamed in 2011 in honor of former New York City mayor Ed Koch, and another renovation occurred in the early 2020s.