Third Avenue Bridge (New York City)

Third Avenue Bridge
From the south
Coordinates40°48′27″N 73°55′57″W / 40.8076°N 73.9325°W / 40.8076; -73.9325
Carries5 lanes of Third Avenue
CrossesHarlem River
LocaleManhattan and the Bronx,
New York City
Other name(s)3rd Avenue Bridge
OwnerCity of New York
Maintained byNYCDOT[1]
Preceded byMadison Avenue Bridge
Followed byWillis Avenue Bridge
Characteristics
DesignSwing bridge
Total length2,800 feet (853.44 m)[1]
Longest span300 feet (91.44 m)[1]
History
Construction cost$119 million[1]
OpenedAugust 1, 1898 (1898-08-01)[1]
RebuiltDecember 6, 2004 (2004-12-06)
Statistics
Daily traffic55,096 (2016)[2]
Location
Map

The Third Avenue Bridge is a swing bridge that carries southbound road traffic on Third Avenue over the Harlem River, connecting the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx in New York City. It once carried southbound New York State Route 1A. On the Manhattan side, the bridge funnels traffic into three locations: East 128th Street; the intersection of East 129th Street and Lexington Avenue; or FDR Drive in Manhattan.

The bridge was formerly bidirectional, but converted to one-way operation southbound on August 5, 1941 on the same day the Willis Avenue Bridge was similarly converted to one-way northbound.[3] In 1955, the original multi-truss bridge constructed in 1898 was removed and sold.[4] A rebuilt bridge reopened in December 1956.[5]

  1. ^ a b c d e Michael R. Bloomberg, City of New York (January 23, 2004). "New York City's Harlem River Bridges: The Reauthorization of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century" (PDF). Retrieved December 2, 2017.
  2. ^ "New York City Bridge Traffic Volumes" (PDF). New York City Department of Transportation. 2016. p. 9. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  3. ^ "One-way Bridges to Ease Traffic". The New York Times. August 5, 1941. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  4. ^ "Third Avenue Bridge Wallflower at Auction". The New York Times. September 16, 1955. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  5. ^ "Third Ave. Bridge Reopens Today With an Extra Lane". The New York Times. December 3, 1956. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 28, 2020.