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{{Use American English|date=June 2024}}
{{Good article}}
{{About|the bridge in New York City|the bridge in New Westminster, British Columbia|Queensborough Bridge}}
▲{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox bridge
| name = Queensboro Bridge
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| caption = Eastward view from [[Manhattan]] in 2010
| official_name = Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge
| also_known_as = 59th Street Bridge<br />Blackwell Island Bridge
| carries = {{unbulleted list|9 lanes (4 upper, 5 lower) of {{jct|state=NY|NY|25}}|1 lane for pedestrians/bicycles}}
| crosses = [[East River]]
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| engineering = [[Leffert L. Buck]]
| design = Double-decked [[cantilever bridge]]
| mainspan = {{
| number_spans = 5
| length = {{
| width = {{
| height = {{
| clearance_above = {{convert|12|ft|m|1
| clearance_below = {{
| traffic = 160,111 (2019)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/about/datafeeds.shtml#trafficcounts |title=NYC DOT – Data
| open = {{start date and age|1909|March|30}}
| closed =
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| extra = {{Infobox NRHP
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The '''Queensboro Bridge''', officially
The Queensboro Bridge carries [[New York State Route 25]] (NY 25), which terminates at the bridge's western end in Manhattan. The bridge has two levels: an upper level with a pair of two-lane roadways, and a lower level with five vehicular lanes and a walkway/bike lane. The western leg of the Queensboro Bridge is flanked on its northern side by the [[Roosevelt Island Tramway]]. The Queensboro Bridge is the northernmost of four toll-free vehicular bridges connecting Manhattan Island to [[Long Island]], along with the [[Williamsburg Bridge|Williamsburg]], [[Manhattan Bridge|Manhattan]], and [[Brooklyn Bridge|Brooklyn]] bridges to the south. It lies along the courses of the [[New York City Marathon]] and the [[Five Boro Bike Tour]].
Serious proposals for a bridge linking Manhattan to Long Island City were first made as early as 1838, but various 19th-century plans to erect such a bridge, including two proposals by Queens doctor Thomas Rainey, never came to fruition. After the creation of the [[City of Greater New York]] in 1898, plans for a city-operated bridge were finalized in 1901. The bridge opened for public use on March 30, 1909, and was initially used by pedestrians, horse-drawn and motor vehicles, elevated trains, and trolleys. Elevated service ceased in 1942, followed by trolley service in 1957. The upper-level roadways were built in the early 1930s and the late 1950s. Designated as a [[New York City designated landmark|New York City landmark]] in 1973, the bridge was renovated extensively from the late 1970s to the 1990s. The bridge was officially renamed in 2011 in honor of former New York City mayor [[Ed Koch]]
== Name ==
The Queensboro Bridge was originally named for the borough of [[Queens]] and was the third bridge across the [[East River]] to be named after a [[Boroughs of New York City|New York City borough]], after the [[Brooklyn Bridge]] and the [[Manhattan Bridge]].<ref name="n133320926">{{Cite news |date=December 8, 1980 |title=A Bridge by Any Other Name |pages=277 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251 |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-a-bridge-by-any-other-name/133320926/ |access-date=October 12, 2023 |archive-date=October 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231019200353/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-a-bridge-by-any-other-name/133320926/ |url-status=live
== Description ==
The Queensboro Bridge is a two-level double [[cantilever bridge]], with separate cantilevered spans over channels on each side of [[Roosevelt Island]] joined by a fixed central truss.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=HAKS Corporation |title=Project Page:2000 Biennial Bridge Inspection of the Queensboro Bridge over the East River |url=http://www.haks.net/projects.php?id=67 |access-date=June 15, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625231345/http://www.haks.net/projects.php?id=67 |archive-date=June 25, 2008
=== Spans ===
The lengths of the steel spans are as follows, from the westernmost span to the easternmost:<ref name="ER p. 98" /><ref name="The New York Times 1908 p752" /><ref name="p126873067">{{Cite magazine |date=April 1, 1905 |title=The New Blackwell's Island Bridge |magazine=Scientific American |volume=XCII |issue=13 |page=265 |id={{ProQuest|126873067}}}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>
* Manhattan anchorage to Manhattan pier: {{convert|469.5|ft|m|abbr=on}}▼
{| class="wikitable"
* Manhattan pier to Roosevelt Island western pier (cantilever above the East River's west channel): {{convert|1182|ft|m|abbr=on}}▼
|+ Spans of the Queensboro Bridge<ref name="ER p. 98" /><ref name="The New York Times 1908 p752" /><ref name="p126873067"/>
* Roosevelt Island western pier to Roosevelt Island eastern pier: {{convert|630|ft|m|abbr=on}}▼
|-
* Roosevelt Island eastern pier to Queens pier (cantilever above the East River's east channel): {{convert|984|ft|m|abbr=on}}▼
! West end !! East end !! Crosses !! Length
* Queens pier to Queens anchorage: {{convert|459|ft|m|abbr=on}}▼
|-
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The bridge was intended to carry a [[dead load]] of {{convert|32200|lb/ft}}.<ref name="The New York Times 1908 p752" /> Each span includes two parallel lines of trusses, one each on the north and south sides of the bridge; the centers of these trusses are spaced {{Convert|60|ft}} apart.<ref name="p126851307">{{Cite magazine |date=March 28, 1908 |title=Joining of Last Span of Blackwell's Island Bridge. |magazine=Scientific American |volume=XCVIII |issue=13 |page=223 |id={{ProQuest|126851307}}}}</ref> The bottom chord of each set of trusses is composed of [[box girder]]s, while the top chord is composed of [[eyebar]]s measuring {{convert|8|to|12|in}} deep.<ref name="p126873067" /> The trusses range in height from {{convert|45|to|118|ft}} between the bottom and top chords; the steel towers atop each pier measure {{convert|185|ft}} tall.<ref name="The New York Times 1908 p752" /> Unlike other large bridges, the trusses are not suspended; instead, the spans are directly connected to each other.<ref name="NPS p. 2">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1978|ps=.|p=2}}</ref> In addition, there are transverse floor beams, which protrude {{convert|13|ft}} from the trusses on either side of the deck.<ref name="SA p. 101">{{harvnb|Scientific American|1907|ps=.|p=101}}</ref> Atop the bridge's topmost chords were originally galvanized steel ropes, which acted as handrails for bridge painters. Five hand-operated scaffolds were also placed on the bridge.<ref name="ER p. 99">{{harvnb|Engineering Record|1913|ps=.|p=99}}</ref>
The spans are cantilevered from steel towers that rise above four central [[Pier (architecture)|piers]].<ref name="p126851307" /><ref name="NPS p. 2" /> Each cantilevered section measures {{convert|808|to|1061|ft}} long. The two spans above the East River's
The steel spans between the anchorages weigh a total of {{Convert|52000|ST|LT t}}<ref name="SA p.
====Levels====
The lower
==== Piers ====
The five spans are supported by six piers; the westernmost and easternmost piers act as anchorages.<ref name="p899683487" /><ref name="The New York Times 2002 j597" /> Each of the piers consists of two columns supported by an [[elliptical arch]] measuring {{Convert|50|ft}} wide.<ref name="p899683487" /> The piers each measure {{convert|130|by|40|ft}} across at their bases (including the arched openings).<ref name="p571537619">{{cite news |date=April 20, 1904 |title=Structural Work to Begin Soon: Six Stone Piers of Blackwell's Island Bridge Completed |page=6 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|571537619}}}}</ref> They range from {{Convert|100|to|125|ft}} tall, with the piers on Roosevelt Island being the tallest.<ref name="n134969352">{{Cite news |date=May 27, 1904 |title=Completing Piers for East River Bridge No. 4 |pages=9 |work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-completing-pier/134969352/ |access-date=November 10, 2023 |archive-date=November 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231110214238/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-completing-pier/134969352/ |url-status=live
The piers are faced with Maine granite and are attached to a backing made of concrete and Mohawk Valley limestone.<ref name="p571537619" /> In total, workers used {{convert|14000|yd3}} of limestone, {{convert|17000|yd3}} of concrete, and {{convert|22800|yd3}} of granite to build the bridges.<ref name="p899683487" /> Above the piers rise the bridge's towers, which contain domed decorations and [[Art Nouveau]]-inspired spires.<ref name="The New York Times 2002 j597">{{cite web |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=November 24, 2002 |title=Streetscapes/The Queensboro Bridge; Spanning the East River, With a Sense of Drama |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/24/realestate/streetscapes-the-queensboro-bridge-spanning-the-east-river-with-a-sense-of-drama.html |access-date=October 19, 2023 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=October 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231022014709/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/24/realestate/streetscapes-the-queensboro-bridge-spanning-the-east-river-with-a-sense-of-drama.html |url-status=live
The two anchorages, one each at the Manhattan and Queens ends, are about {{convert|500|ft}} inland of the shore.<ref name="n134961972" /> Each anchorage was built with spiral staircases and elevators.<ref name="n134969352" /><ref name="n134961972">{{Cite news |date=May 23, 1903 |title=Blackwell's Island Bridge's Progress |pages=19 |work=Times Union |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-blackwells-island-bridges/134961972/ |access-date=November 10, 2023 |archive-date=November 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231110202610/https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-blackwells-island-bridges/134961972/ |url-status=live
===Approaches===
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==== Manhattan approach ====
The Manhattan approach to the bridge is supported on a series of [[Guastavino tile]] vaults.<ref name="Dunlap 1999">{{cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |author-link=David W. Dunlap |date=March 7, 1999 |title=Bridgemarket Emerging, After 22 Years |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/07/realestate/bridgemarket-emerging-after-22-years.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101112140901/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/07/realestate/bridgemarket-emerging-after-22-years.html |archive-date=November 12, 2010 |access-date=February 20, 2010 |newspaper=
Originally, the vaults were intended as storage space.<ref name="ER p. 99" /> From the bridge's 1909 opening, the space under the Manhattan approach was used as a food market.<ref name="p277896828" /> The food market was renovated in 1933
There is a massive bronze lamppost at the end of the Manhattan approach, near the intersection of Second Avenue and 59th Street.<ref name="Zimmer 2012 s486" /><ref name="CBS New York 2012 y283" /> Formerly, there was a second lamppost near 60th Street. Both lampposts consisted of thick piers, which were topped by four [[stanchion]]s (each with a globe-shaped lamp) and a larger spherical lamp in the center.<ref name="The New York Times 2001 w416">{{cite web |last=Lippincott |first=E. E. |date=July 8, 2001 |title=Neighborhood Report: Queensboro Bridge – Neighborhood Mystery; A Historic Lamp Is Lost. Fingers Are Pointed Everywhere |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/08/nyregion/neighborhood-report-queensboro-bridge-neighborhood-mystery-historic-lamp-lost.html |access-date=October 19, 2023 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=October 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231022014709/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/08/nyregion/neighborhood-report-queensboro-bridge-neighborhood-mystery-historic-lamp-lost.html |url-status=live
<gallery mode="packed" heights="220px">
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Bridgemarket north side jeh.jpg|Bridgemarket on Manhattan side
</gallery>
=== Use during races ===
The Queensboro Bridge has been part of the [[New York City Marathon]] course since [[1976 New York City Marathon|1976]], when the marathon course traversed all five boroughs for the first time.<ref
== Development<span class="anchor" id="History"></span> ==
=== Planning ===
Prior to the construction of the Queensboro Bridge, two ferries connected modern-day Manhattan and Queens, neither of which were near the modern-day bridge. One such ferry connected Borden Avenue in [[Hunters Point, Queens]], to [[34th Street (Manhattan)|34th Street]] in [[Kips Bay, Manhattan]], while the other ferry connected [[Astoria Boulevard]] in [[Astoria, Queens]], with 92nd Street on Manhattan's [[Upper East Side]].<ref name="n133321693">{{Cite news |last=Dallas |first=Gus |date=September 27, 1981 |title=Bridge Spans Time, Sentiment |pages=254 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251 |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-bridge-spans-time-sentiment/133321693/ |access-date=October 12, 2023 |archive-date=October 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231019200353/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-bridge-spans-time-sentiment/133321693/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Benjamin Henry Latrobe]] first proposed a masonry bridge between Manhattan and Queens in 1804.<ref name="STRUCTURE magazine 2015 d973">{{cite web |last=Griggs |first=Frank Jr |date=October 11, 2015 |title=Queensboro Cantilever Bridge |url=https://www.structuremag.org/?p=9206 |access-date=October 19, 2023 |website=Structure |archive-date=October 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231022014710/https://www.structuremag.org/?p=9206 |url-status=live }}</ref> ''The Family Magazine'' published an article in 1833, suggesting a bridge between Manhattan and Queens over Roosevelt Island (which then was known as Blackwell's Island).<ref
==== First Rainey attempt ====
An attempt to finance a fixed East River crossing was made in 1867 by wealthy Long Island City residents, who established the ''New-York and Long Island Bridge Company'' to erect the crossing.<ref name="Society Society 2008 p.
After half of the Blackwell's Island Bridge's $5 million cost had been raised, media sources reported in May 1881 that work was to commence shortly;<ref
==== Second Rainey attempt ====
[[File:Queensboro Bridge 1908 LOC 3c00105u.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|Bridge seen from Manhattan, c. 1908]]By the 1890s, [[Long Island Rail Road]] (LIRR) president [[Austin Corbin]] had merged
A [[groundbreaking ceremony]] for the bridge was held at 64th Street in Manhattan on August 19, 1894.<ref name="n134814941">{{Cite news |date=September 9, 1894 |title=The Blackwell's Island Bridge |pages=20 |work=The Sun |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-the-blackwells-island-bridge/134814941/ |access-date=November 8, 2023 |archive-date=November 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231108021338/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-the-blackwells-island-bridge/134814941/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref
==== Post-unification approval ====
A New York state senator introduced legislation in early 1897 to permit the development of a
In early 1899, R. S. Buck published plans for an asymmetrical cantilever bridge connecting Queens with Manhattan;<ref name="p278774250" /> the early plans called for a utilitarian design.<ref name="The New York Times 2002 j597" /> The New York City Bridge Department's chief engineer finalized plans for the bridge in October 1899
=== Construction ===
==== Pier construction and proposed modifications ====
R. S. Buck and his assistants were directed to prepare plans for the sites of the bridge's piers, anchorages, and [[Foundation (evidence)|foundations]].<ref name="n134908111" /><ref name="p910589327" /> The Department of Bridges received bids for the foundations in June 1901, with Ryan & Parker as the low bidder.<ref
In June 1902, a subcommittee of the [[New York City Board of Estimate]] requested another $5 million for construction.<ref
Low appointed a group of engineering experts that November to review Lindenthal's revised plans.<ref
==== Initial work on superstructure ====
The [[Pennsylvania Steel Company]] submitted a bid to construct the bridge's superstructure for $5.3 million in September 1903; Lindenthal rejected the bid, suspecting that the company was engaging in collusion.<ref>
The Pennsylvania Steel Company was obligated to complete the superstructure by the beginning of 1907,<ref name="n135219221" /> and it submitted drawings for the construction of the superstructure in mid-1904.<ref name="n134969352" /> Later that year, Best postponed construction of the bridge's elevators and power houses,<ref
Work on the superstructure began later in 1905.<ref
==== Progress on superstructure and approaches ====
The city's Bridge Commission received bids for the construction of a steel approach viaduct in Queens in December 1906, and the Buckley Realty Construction Company submitted a low bid of $798,000.<ref
After the collapse of the similarly-designed
==== Completion ====
[[File:Blackwell's Island Bridge, ca. 1907.jpg|upright=1.2|thumb|Constructing the upper level in 1907]]
The Manhattan and Blackwell's Island sections of the bridge were riveted together on March 13, 1908,<ref name="The New York Times 1908 c100" /> and the Blackwell's Island and Queens sections were linked on March 18.<ref name="p895736043">{{Cite magazine |date=March 20, 1908 |title=Blackwell's Island Bridge |magazine=Railroad Gazette |volume=44 |issue=12 |page=423 |id={{ProQuest|895736043}}}}</ref><ref
Businessmen proposed renaming the crossing as the Queensboro Bridge in September 1908, saying the Blackwell Island name was too closely associated with the island's hospitals and asylums.<ref
== Operational history<span class="anchor" id="Operation"></span> ==
=== Opening and 1910s ===
During late 1909, the Williams Engineering and Contracting Company sued the city for damages relating to the unbuilt elevators on Blackwell's Island,<ref
In mid-1914, engineers devised plans to add two subway tracks to the lower level and replace the existing roadway with a pair of {{convert|26|ft|m|-wide|adj=mid}} roadways on the upper and lower levels.<ref
=== 1920s to 1940s ===
By the early 1920s, one hundred thousand people a day used the span,<ref
==== 1920s modifications and new roadway ====
The Manhattan approach viaduct was repaired in 1920
In late 1926, Plant and Structure commissioner Albert Goldman proposed adding three vehicular lanes and removing the bridge's footpaths;<ref
Goldman publicized his plans for the southern upper roadway in April 1929,<ref
====1930s and 1940s modifications====
To reduce congestion, one civic group suggested a plaza at the bridge's Manhattan end in the early 1930s,<ref
The bridge's wooden pavement also posed a hazard during rainy weather<ref
By 1942, the city government was planning to shutter and dismantle the Second Avenue Elevated tracks across the Queensboro Bridge;<ref
=== 1950s and 1960s ===
Officials installed fences in 1951 to prevent [[jaywalking]] at the Manhattan approach,<ref
The Board of Estimate allocated $7.70 million in June 1955 for the construction of the northern upper roadway and approach ramps.<ref>{{Cite news |date=
In 1964, mayor [[Robert F. Wagner Jr.]] approved the demolition of several buildings for a proposed underpass connecting the bridge's westbound lanes with Second Avenue in Manhattan.<ref
=== 1970s to 1990s ===
==== Landmark status, toll plan, and deterioration ====
In 1970, the federal government enacted the [[Clean Air Act (United States)|Clean Air Act]], a series of federal air pollution regulations.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Within |first=Richard |date=April 15, 1973 |title=Shift on Emission May Cost Drivers |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/04/15/archives/shift-on-emission-may-cost-drivers-granted-2year-delay-compensation.html |url-status=live |access-date=August 29, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829081030/http://www.nytimes.com/1973/04/15/archives/shift-on-emission-may-cost-drivers-granted-2year-delay-compensation.html |archive-date=August 29, 2017
On November 23, 1973, the [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] (LPC) designated the Queensboro Bridge as a city landmark, preventing any modifications without the LPC's approval.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 24, 1973 |title=Landmark Status Given To Queensboro Bridge |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/11/24/archives/landmark-status-given-to-queensboro-bridge.html |access-date=March 29, 2022
By the mid-1970s, as the city government considered an open-air market under the bridge,<ref
==== 1970s and 1980s renovations ====
[[File:Queensboro Bridge from above.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|The bridge as seen from the 56th floor of the [[Citigroup Center]]]]
The state government started inspecting the Queensboro Bridge and five others in 1978,<ref
An extensive renovation commenced on February 25, 1981,
The Queensboro Bridge's pedestrian path reopened in July 1985;<ref
==== 1990s renovations ====
[[File:Queensboro Bridge from East River Greenway.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.2|Queensboro Bridge at dusk, as seen from [[East River Greenway]] in [[Manhattan]], 2020]]The [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] (MTA) proposed a rail link to [[LaGuardia Airport|LaGuardia]] and
The NYCDOT announced in 1995 that it would spend another $161 million to renovate the outer lower-level roadways starting the following year.<ref
In the late 1990s, the NYCDOT hired architect Walter Melvin to renovate the vaults under the Manhattan approach.<ref name="The New York Times 1996 i504" /> During the renovation of the main span, a scaffold collapsed in 1997, killing a worker.<ref
=== 2000s to present ===
[[File:EdKochBdge 20231017 094700.jpg|thumb|left|Southern lower roadway and Long Island City from the
Following the completion of additional renovations in September 2000, the northern upper roadway was converted back to a westbound road at all times. The northern lower roadway was converted into a bike and pedestrian path, while the southern lower roadway became an eastbound lane.<ref
As part of a $168 million project that began in 2004,<ref name="Bridge Report 2006">{{cite web |date=2006 |title=Innovations & Accomplishments |url=https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/bridgerpt06_2.pdf |access-date=October 19, 2023 |publisher=[[New York City Department of Transportation]]}}</ref>{{Rp|page=56}} workers repainted the bridge.<ref name="p279974075">{{cite news |last=Robin |first=Joshua |date=August 22, 2005 |title=The Fold: Queensboro Bridge Makeover, Restoration on the River |page=A22 |work=Newsday |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|279974075}}}}</ref><ref
The bridge was renamed after [[Ed Koch]] in 2011.<ref name="NYTimes-QboroRenaming-2011" /> After a series of fatal crashes in 2013, officials
== Public transportation ==
Line 240 ⟶ 251:
==== Rapid transit ====
The bridge was built with two elevated railway tracks on its upper level<ref name="n138184072" /> and had provisions for two more.<ref name="SA p. 101" /> A connection from the [[Interborough Rapid Transit Company]]'s
There were also plans to run a [[New York City Subway]] line across the bridge in September 1909;<ref>{{Cite news |date=
In 1990, the
==== Streetcars ====
The bridge had [[streetcar]] tracks occupying the northern and southern lower roadways.<ref
A streetcar stop was constructed at the middle of the bridge in 1919 to serve the [[Queensboro Bridge#Elevator to Roosevelt Island|elevator to Roosevelt Island]].<ref name="n138203161" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=January 3, 1918
{| class="wikitable"
Line 256 ⟶ 267:
! Line name !! Borough primarily served !! Start year !! End year
|-
| Queensboro Bridge Local || Queens || 1909<ref name="n138181867" /> || 1957<ref name="p1325116113" />
|-
| Astoria Line
|-
| Steinway Line
|-
| College Point Line
|-
| Corona Line
|-
| Queens Boulevard Line
|-
| 42nd Street Crosstown Line || Manhattan || 1912<ref name="NYERA-QnsboroBridgeTrolley-2009" /> || 1919<ref name="NYERA-QnsboroBridgeTrolley-2009" />
|}
On the Manhattan end of the Queensboro Bridge were originally five trolley kiosks, which contained stairs leading to a trolley terminal underground. Lindenthal and Hornbostel designed the structures, which had terracotta-paneled facades, cast-iron columns, and a copper roof with cast-iron [[Fascia (architecture)|fascias]]. There were arched, glazed-tile ceilings inside each of the kiosks.<ref name="The New York Times 1998 d767" /> The kiosks also had [[Greek key (art)|Greek key]] motifs; shields with garlands; and ornamental [[Bracket (architecture)|brackets]].<ref name="The New York Times 2003 d367">{{cite web |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=July 11, 2003 |title=Bell Tolls for Reminder of Trolleys Past; City Seeks to Dismantle the Last Kiosk Standing in Manhattan |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/11/nyregion/bell-tolls-for-reminder-trolleys-past-city-seeks-dismantle-last-kiosk-standing.html |access-date=October 19, 2023 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The locations of three kiosks are unknown.<ref name="The New York Times 2003 d367" /> Another kiosk was sent to the [[Brooklyn Children's Museum]] in 1974,<ref name="The New York Times 2001 w416" /> then was relocated to Roosevelt Island and renovated into a visitor center.<ref
=== Buses ===
[[File:Queensboro Bridge New York October 2016 003.jpg|upright=1.2|thumb|Queensboro Bridge at night]]
The bridge carries
=== Elevator to Roosevelt Island ===
An elevator from the bridge to Roosevelt Island (then known as Blackwell's Island) was proposed in October 1912.<ref
After the trolley lines across the bridge were largely replaced by buses in the 1930s, [[Steinway Transit]] retained one of the bridge's trolley tracks and established the Queensboro Bridge Railway, a shuttle streetcar route connecting with the elevator to Roosevelt Island.<ref name="Roberts 2020 c119" /> The elevator
▲After the trolley lines across the bridge were largely replaced by buses in the 1930s, [[Steinway Transit]] retained one of the bridge's trolley tracks and established the Queensboro Bridge Railway, a shuttle streetcar route connecting with the elevator to Roosevelt Island.<ref name="Roberts 2020 c119" /> The elevator closed after the [[Roosevelt Island Bridge|Welfare Island Bridge]] from [[Queens]] opened in 1955, allowing automobile and truck access to Roosevelt Island without having to use the Queensboro Bridge.<ref name="nyt 19570407" /> It was demolished in 1970.<ref name="U.S. Government Printing Office 1998 p. 95">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.nl/books?id=7k4n-4_hcwMC&pg=PA95 |title=Governors Island: Options for Reuse After Federal Government Departure : Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Government Management, Information, and Technology of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, House of Representatives, One Hundred Fifth Congress, First Session, July 14, 1997 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-16-056314-0 |page=95}}</ref> A separate passenger elevator ran during weekdays<ref>{{cite news |last1=Petroff |first1=John |date=August 27, 1973 |title=Bridge Bits" (letter to the editor) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qOYCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA5 |access-date=March 7, 2015 |magazine=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] |page=5}}</ref> to Welfare Island, via a storehouse described as "clean but gloomy", until around August 1973.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Welch |first1=Mary Scott |date=July 2, 1973 |title=Walking the City's Bridges |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fx3Di4E5tj8C&pg=PA31 |access-date=March 7, 2015 |magazine=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] |page=31}}</ref>
== Impact ==
=== Reception ===
When plans for the bridge were being finalized in 1901, there was commentary on its cantilevered design; all of the other bridges across the East River at the time were
When the bridge was finished in 1908, ''[[The Christian Science Monitor
=== Impact on development ===
The ''New-York Tribune'' wrote in 1904 that the Queensboro Bridge's construction would cause Blackwell's Island to "lose at least a share of its sinister reputation".<ref
The opening of the bridge encouraged development of vacant land in Queens, where tracts were resold for residential and commercial use.<ref name="p278774250" /> Many industrial firms began operating in western Queens,<ref name="p278774250" /> including vehicle-manufacturing plants in Long Island City.<ref name="n133321693" /> By the early 1910s, numerous industrial structures and loft buildings had been built around the bridge's Queens end, particularly on
=== Media ===
Because of its design and location, the Queensboro Bridge has appeared in numerous media works, including films and TV shows, set in New York City.<ref name="n133321693" /> For example,
== See also ==
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== References ==
{{Notelist}}
{{
===Sources===
* {{cite concrete}}
* {{Cite magazine |date=August 10, 1907 |title=The Erection of the Blackwell's Island Bridge. |magazine=Scientific American |volume=XCVIII |pages=100–101 |id={{ProQuest|126851967}} |ref={{harvid|Scientific American|1907}} |number=6}}
* {{cite book |author=Greater Astoria Historical Society
* {{cite report |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/78001879.pdf |title=Historic Structures Report: Queensboro Bridge |date=
* {{cite book |last=Kunz |first=F.C. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2ExDAAAAYAAJ |title=Report on the Blackwell's Island Bridge (Queensboro Bridge) |publisher=Pennsylvania Steel Company |year=1909 |ref=none}}
* {{cite magazine |last1=Wingate |first1=C.F. |last2=Meyer |first2=H.C. |year=1913 |title=Maintenance of Great City Bridges |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AG5JAQAAMAAJ |magazine=Engineering Record |language=en |publisher=McGraw Publishing Company |volume=67 |ref={{harvid|Engineering Record|1913}}}}
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