Robert F. Kennedy Bridge (Triborough Bridge) | |
|---|---|
 Randalls and Wards Islands looking south, showing the RFK Bridge road complex, with the Hell Gate railroad bridge to the northeast (lower left) | |
| Coordinates | 40°46′50″N 73°55′39″W / 40.78056°N 73.92750°W |
| Carries | 8 lanes of   I-278 Toll (Bronx and Queens spans)6 lanes of NY 900G (Manhattan span) |
| Crosses | East River, Harlem River and Bronx Kill |
| Locale | New York City, United States |
| Official name | Robert F. Kennedy Bridge |
| Other name(s) | RFK Triborough Bridge, Triboro Bridge, RFK Bridge |
| Maintained by | MTA Bridges and Tunnels |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Suspension bridge, lift bridge, truss bridge |
| Total length | 2,780 ft (850 m) (Queens span) 770 ft (230 m) (Manhattan span) 1,600 ft (490 m) (Bronx span) |
| Width | 98 ft (30 m) (Queens span) |
| Longest span | 1,380 ft (420 m) (Queens span) 310 ft (94 m) (Manhattan span) 383 ft (117 m) (Bronx span) |
| Clearance above | 14 ft 6 in (4.42 m) (Queens/Bronx spans) 13 ft 10 in (4.22 m) (Manhattan span) |
| Clearance below | 143 ft (44 m) (Queens span) 135 ft (41 m) (Manhattan span when raised) 55 ft (17 m) (Bronx span) |
| History | |
| Construction cost | $60,300,000[1] |
| Opened | July 11, 1936 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 95,552 (Queens–Manhattan and Bronx–Manhattan, 2016)[2] 83,053 (Queens–Bronx, 2016)[2] |
| Toll | As of August 6, 2023, $11.19 (Tolls By Mail and non-New York E-ZPass); $6.94 (New York E-ZPass); $9.11 (Mid-Tier NYCSC E-Z Pass) |
| Location | |
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The Robert F. Kennedy Bridge (RFK Bridge; also known by its previous name, the Triborough Bridge) is a complex of bridges and elevated expressway viaducts[3] in New York City. The bridges link the boroughs of Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx. The viaducts cross Randalls and Wards Islands, previously two islands and now joined by landfill.
The RFK Bridge, a toll bridge, carries Interstate 278 (I-278) as well as the unsigned highway New York State Route 900G. It connects with the FDR Drive and the Harlem River Drive in Manhattan, the Bruckner Expressway (I-278) and the Major Deegan Expressway (Interstate 87) in the Bronx, and the Grand Central Parkway (I-278) and Astoria Boulevard in Queens. The three primary bridges of the RFK Bridge complex are:[3]
- The vertical-lift bridge over the Harlem River, the largest in the world, connecting Manhattan Island to Randalls Island (all within Manhattan)
- The truss bridge over Bronx Kill, connecting Randalls Island to the Bronx
- The suspension bridge over Hell Gate (a strait of the East River), connecting Wards Island to Astoria in Queens
These three bridges are connected by an elevated highway viaduct across Randalls and Wards Islands and 14 miles (23 km) of support roads. The viaduct includes a smaller span across the former site of Little Hell Gate, which separated Randalls and Wards Islands.[3][4] Also part of the complex is a grade-separated T-interchange on Randalls Island, which sorted out traffic in a way that ensured that drivers paid a toll at only one bank of tollbooths.[5] The tollbooths have since been removed, and all tolls are collected electronically at the approaches to each bridge.
The bridge complex was designed by Allston Dana with the collaboration of Othmar Ammann and architect Aymar Embury II,[6] and has been called "not a bridge so much as a traffic machine, the largest ever built".[5] The American Society of Civil Engineers designated the Triborough Bridge Project as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1986.[7] The bridge is owned and operated by MTA Bridges and Tunnels (formally the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, or TBTA), an affiliate of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
- ^ Feuer, Alan (June 26, 2009). "Shepherding Millions Across the Rivers and Through the Tolls". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on November 5, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
- ^ a b "New York City Bridge Traffic Volumes" (PDF). New York City Department of Transportation. 2016. p. 11. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 11, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Robert F. Kennedy Bridge". Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
The Robert F. Kennedy Bridge (formerly the Triborough Bridge), the authority's flagship facility, opened in 1936. It is actually three bridges, a viaduct, and 14 miles of approach roads connecting Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx.
- ^ See:
- "Triboro Plaza Highlights : NYC Parks". New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
- "Triborough Bridge Playground B Highlights : NYC Parks". New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
- ^ a b Caro 1974, pp. 366–395.
- ^ Shanor, Rebecca Read. "Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge [Triborough Bridge]" in Jackson, Kenneth T., ed. (2010). The Encyclopedia of New York City (2nd ed.). New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 1110. ISBN 978-0-300-11465-2.
- ^ "Triborough Bridge Project". ASCE Metropolitan Section. Archived from the original on November 13, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2016.