Triborough Bridge
The Triborough Bridge, officially renamed the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge in 2008, is a vital transportation link in New York City, connecting the boroughs of Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx. Its construction emerged from the need to alleviate growing vehicular congestion and provide a more efficient means of crossing the East and Harlem Rivers, replacing the slow and often hazardous ferry services. Ground was broken for the bridge in 1929, but progress was halted due to financial constraints exacerbated by the Great Depression. In 1932, with the help of influential political figures like Parks Commissioner Robert Moses and Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, funding was secured from the Public Works Administration, allowing construction to recommence. The bridge opened to traffic on July 11, 1936, symbolizing a significant achievement in infrastructure during the New Deal era. Its construction also had a broader economic impact, sourcing materials from across the country and serving as a model for future public works projects. The Triborough Bridge not only facilitates transportation but also stands as a testament to the resilience and innovation during challenging times in American history.
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Triborough Bridge
The Event Construction of bridges, roads, viaducts, and toll plazas connecting three boroughs in New York City
Dates Begun on October 25, 1929; opened on July 11, 1936
Place New York, New York
The building of the Triborough Bridge created thousands of jobs and continued employment for a variety of workers in the years since, while generating many millions in tax revenues and facilitating transportation and commerce.
The development of an adequate transportation system in New York City was a tremendous challenge largely because of the many islands, marshes, and disconnected neighborhoods and business sections that it contains. Nonetheless, an adequate bridge system was needed in view of growing vehicular congestion, and crossing rivers, such as the East and Harlem, by ferry was slow and often dangerous. The idea for such a mammoth undertaking dated to the World War I era; however, no funding was made available until 1925, and the allocation was far too small to complete the projected work.
Ground was broken for the bridge on October 25, 1929, one day after the great stock market crash. The original allocation was soon spent, and all work ground to a halt. When President Herbert Hoover created the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, Senator Robert F. Wagner applied for sufficient funding to complete the bridges. Incredibly, the application was canceled by local officials who did not want to publicly acknowledge the city was bankrupt, which might have led to some embarrassing investigations. The project lay dormant until 1932 when Parks Commissioner Robert Moses and Mayor Fiorello Henry La Guardia managed to secure a loan of thirty-seven million dollars from the Public Works Administration (PWA) to complete the bridge system. Cost-cutting revisions were made, and Moses and La Guardia supervised spending closely to keep corruption at a minimum. The system was opened to the public as a toll bridge on July 11, 1936. In 2008, the official name of the bridge was changed to the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge.
Impact
The benefits of this infrastructure were not enjoyed by city residents and visitors alone. Materials for its construction came from around the nation. Also, the methods used to finance its construction were emulated elsewhere, and the bridge served as a tangible and visible success story for the early New Deal and particularly for the PWA.
Bibliography
Rastofer, Darl. Six Bridges, the Legacy of Othmar H. Ammann. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2000.
Reier, Sharon. The Bridges of New York. Mineola, N.Y.: Dover, 2000.
Triborough Bridge Authority. The Triborough Bridge: A Modern Metropolitan Traffic Artery. New York: Moore Press, 1936.