Opening of the third subway span of Broadway Bridge on 26 December 1960
Photo: Arnoldius
The Broadway Bridge is a vertical-lift bridge across the Harlem River Ship Canal in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The bridge consists of two decks. The lower deck carries Broadway, which is designated as U.S. Route 9 at this location. The upper deck carries the New York City Subway’s IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line.
Photo: © Nicolas Janberg / Structurae
The current bridge was constructed between 1957 and 1962 to replace the second span. It measures 170m long and contains a navigable channel of 93 m width. The bridge provides 41 m of vertical clearance when it is in the open position and 7.6 m of vertical clearance in the closed position.
Photo: © Nicolas Janberg / Structurae
The bridge is composed of two Warren trusses. The lift span is supported by the lift towers at each end, which rise 49 m above mean water. The lift span is suspended by two sets of 12 wire ropes at each corner.
Photo: © Nicolas Janberg / Structurae
Each rope is wrapped around counterweights on each end: at the top of each tower and on the span. The span can be lifted by one electrical drive in each tower. The tops of the lift towers were tapered to be flush with the top of the lift span.
Photo: © Nicolas Janberg / Structurae
About the Author:
Bruno Dursin – Managing Director at Believe in Steel. Bruno has more than 30 years of experience in promoting steel & steel solutions. His clients benefit from his extensive network within the building industry.
