Madison Avenue Bridge
Coordinates: 40 ° 48 ′ 51 ″ N , 73 ° 56 ′ 0 ″ W.
| Madison Avenue Bridge | ||
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| construction | Swing bridge made of steel framework | |
| overall length | 577 m | |
| width | 16.5 m | |
| Clear width | 37 m | |
| Clear height | 7.6 m | |
| building-costs | 2.2 million US dollars | |
| start of building | October 8, 1907 | |
| opening | July 18, 1910 | |
| planner | Alfred P. Boller | |
| location | ||
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The Madison Avenue Bridge is a swing bridge over the Harlem River in New York City that opened in 1910 and connects the two districts of Manhattan and the Bronx . Today's bridge is the second structure on the same site.
history
First bridge
As early as 1874, residents and traders asked the local authorities to build a bridge over the Harlem River at 138th Street. Under the direction of the New York City Parks Department , which was responsible for all bridges at the time, the engineers Alfred P. Boller and General John Newton made plans for the first bridge at 138th Street, which opened to traffic in November 1884 has been. It took about two years to build and cost $ 510,000 to build.
The iron structure of the first bridge consisted of a 91 m long swing bridge, which was flanked by two fixed spans. The bridge's granite lane was 6.7 m wide and had two 1.5 m wide sidewalks. The driveways were built on embankments, which were held in place by granite retaining walls.
In 1885 the Union Railway Company's first horse-drawn tram crossed the bridge, which was replaced by the Metropolitan Street Railway Company's electric trams in 1892 .
Second bridge
After the Bronx and the other districts were incorporated into what is now New York City in 1898, responsibility for the bridges was transferred from the Parks Department to the newly established New York City Department of Bridges . This suggested the construction of a larger bridge with wider access roads because the old bridge could no longer cope with the increased traffic.
The planning of today's new bridge began in 1903 and was headed by Alfred P. Boller, who had already planned the first bridge. It has the same dimensions as the old bridge except for the widened carriageway and sidewalks. Reinforced concrete bridges were planned for the driveways in place of the earth dams.
The construction of the new bridge began on October 8, 1907. Because the old bridge had to be removed first, the traffic next to the construction site was diverted via a temporary swing bridge made of steel and wood. This structure alone cost $ 195,000 and was in operation for more than two and a half years.
The new bridge was opened to traffic on July 18, 1910. It was no longer used by the tram because the operating company the fees for the use of the bridge in the amount of 5% of the total income generated were too high.
Building
The Madison Avenue Bridge is 577 meters long with access ramps. The middle section over the Harlem River is a 91 m long swing bridge, the steel truss girder of which is supported by a masonry base in the middle of the river. The base is protected against the impact of ships by wooden posts. The two passages for the ships have a clear width of 37 m and a clear height of 7.6 m. The roadway is 8.2 m wide with two 2.7 m wide sidewalks on both sides. The access ramps are on reinforced concrete bridges.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Madison Avenue Bridge. In: NYC Roads . Retrieved June 21, 2013 .