Bronx Whitestone Bridge

From Free net encyclopedia

(Redirected from Bronx-Whitestone Bridge)

{{Infobox_Bridge |bridge_name= Bronx Whitestone Bridge |image= Bronx Whitestone Bridge 2.jpg |caption=© 2004 Metropolitan Transportation Authority |official_name= |also_known_as= Whitestone Bridge |carries= 6 lanes of I-678 |crosses= East River |locale= Queens, New York Bronx, New York |maint= Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority |id= |design= Suspension bridge |mainspan= 701.04 meters (2,300 feet) |length= 1,149.10 meters (3,770 feet) |width= |clearance= 14 feet 6 inches |below= |traffic= |open= April 29, 1939 |closed= |toll= $4.50 (both directions) (EZ-Pass) |map_cue= |map_image= |map_text= |map_width= |lat=40.800913 |long=-73.829048 }}

Image:Bronx Whitestone Bridge.jpg Image:Aerial View of the Whitestone Bridge.jpg The Bronx Whitestone Bridge, colloquially referred to as the "Whitestone Bridge", is a suspension bridge that crosses the East River and connects the boroughs of Queens and The Bronx. The bridge was opened to traffic with four lanes on April 29, 1939. Its roadways were widened so as to carry six traffic lanes commencing in 1946. The nearby Throgs Neck Bridge was added in 1961 to relieve traffic.

Opened in 1939 to provide access to the 1939 New York World's Fair that was held in Flushing Meadows, the Bronx Whitestone Bridge was the first direct physical link between Long Island and the mainland without going through another island. This suspension bridge connects Ferry Point Park in the Bronx with Whitestone in Queens. Its span is 2300 feet (701 meters), and its total length is 3770 feet (1149 meters).

The bridge was designed similarly to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Tacoma, Washington, which collapsed during a windstorm in 1940. After that disaster the Bronx Whitestone Bridge was refitted with eight stayed cables on each tower. The bridge was closed for a very short time in November 1968 after a windstorm swayed the bridge more than 10 inches (25 centimeters) vertically.

Originally built to connect the Hutchinson River Parkway to the Whitestone Parkway, it was redesignated Interstate 678 in the early 1960's. The approaches to the bridge were soon after converted to Interstate standards. The Whitestone Parkway became an expressway, and part of the Hutchinson was also converted to an expressway. They now share the I-678 designation with the bridge itself.

From March 13, 2005, the crossing charge for a two-axle passenger vehicle is $4.50 charged in each direction, with a $.50 discount for E-ZPass users.

The Bronx Whitestone Bridge is owned by the City of New York and operated by the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, an affiliate agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York).

[edit]