Marine Parkway–Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge

Coordinates: 40°34′24.4″N 73°53′5.8″W / 40.573444°N 73.884944°W / 40.573444; -73.884944
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Marine Parkway–Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge
Clearance above
13 ft (4.0 m)
Clearance below55 ft (17 m) at mean high water; 150 ft (46 m) in raised position
History
OpenedJuly 3, 1937; 86 years ago (July 3, 1937)[1]
Statistics
Daily traffic21,990 (2016)[2]
TollAs of August 6, 2023, $5.60 (Tolls By Mail and non-New York E-ZPass); $2.60 (New York E-ZPass); $4.11 (Mid-Tier NYCSC E-Z Pass)
Location
Map

The Marine Parkway–Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge (originally and often referred to as the Marine Parkway Bridge) is a

reference route.[3]

The center span is 540 feet (160 m) long and is normally 55 feet (17 m) above the water but can be lifted to a height of 150 feet (46 m) above water level. With its distinctive twin towers (which house the vertical-lift machinery), the bridge has become an iconic landmark and symbol of the Rockaways.[4]

The bridge is owned by the City of New York and operated by the

National Park System's Gateway National Recreation Area.[5]

History

Construction and opening

In February 1934, the

Marine Park in Brooklyn and Jacob Riis Park in Queens, two of the parks that he was developing.[6] The assembly authorized the creation of the Marine Parkway Authority, which was tasked with developing the bridge, in March.[7] Moses was named as the only member of the authority.[6] The next month, New York Governor Herbert H. Lehman approved the Assembly bill.[8]

The Marine Parkway Bridge was to be constructed using

Triborough Bridge, Henry Hudson Parkway, Belt Parkway, and Grand Central Parkway.[11] It would also be a part of a new greenbelt of parks that included Jacob Riis Park.[12]

The bridge was to be built near Barren Island, an island on the Brooklyn side that housed 90 people from the former Barren Island community. In April 1936. The community was evicted so that the Marine Parkway Authority could place 2,000,000 cubic feet (57,000 m3) of landfill to build a landing for the bridge,[13] The Marine Parkway Authority opened a bidding competition for the construction of the Marine Parkway Bridge in June 1936.[14] Eight bids had been submitted by the time the bidding process was completed in October 1936.[15] The crossing's principal designer was David B. Steinman,[16][17]: 84  with Richard S. M. Lee[18] and Shortridge Hardesty as assistant designers,[19] and Emil Praeger as Chief Engineer.[20][21] The American Bridge Company ultimately ended up constructing the bridge[21] since it had submitted the lowest bid, at just over $2.1 million.[22]

The Marine Parkway Bridge was supposed to be completed in two years,

Flatbush on the day of the bridge's opening.[29] The bridge's opening spurred a wave of real-estate sales in Flatbush.[30] However, it also increased the amount of vehicular traffic to the Rockaways, which already had a severe traffic congestion problem.[31]

Later years

Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, the operation of the bridge fell to the latter.[17]: 66 [33] On the bridge's 20th anniversary, The Wave of Long Island noted that 80 million vehicles had crossed the bridge since opening.[23]

On April 4, 1978,[34] the bridge connecting Brooklyn and Queens was renamed for Gil Hodges, the former championship-winning first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers who later won a World Series as the manager of the Queens-based New York Mets.[33] It was believed to be the first bridge to be named for a major sports figure.[35]

From 1999 to 2001, the bridge received a renovation. The four lanes were widened by placing the pedestrian walkway on the outside of the superstructure. The existing steel-grated roadway deck on the lift span was replaced with a new steel grating. A Jersey barrier was also installed to separate opposing traffic flows.[36] In addition, the elevators and electrical systems in the two towers were replaced, and new variable message signs and traffic control devices were installed on the bridge, approach roadways, and toll plaza.[37] The walkway on the bridge was closed temporarily so the roadway could be widened.[38]

Part of the crash of American Airlines Flight 587 in 2001 was filmed from a tollbooth camera on this bridge.[39]

Description

From Riis Landing
Aerial view in 2021

The Marine Parkway Bridge carries four motor traffic lanes, bicycle paths on the west side of the bridge, and a footpath on the western edge. Originally, the bridge only had two lanes, or one in each direction.[36] The entirety of the bridge, including approaches, is 4,022 feet (1,226 m) long.[17]: 65  The main part of the Marine Parkway Bridge consists of three spans with an aggregate length of 1,500 feet (460 m).[28] The center span is 540 feet long,[28] weighs 3,600 tons,[25] and is located 55 feet (17 m) above water level in the bridge's "closed" position. When the Marine Parkway Bridge is "open", the center span can be raised to a height of 140 feet (43 m) to allow vessels to pass beneath the roadway.[23] The bridge was raised 157 times in 2006.[5] The curled tops of the towers were designed to give the bridge a whimsical aspect.[33]

Tolls

As of August 6, 2023, drivers pay $5.60 per car or $4.71 per motorcycle for tolls by mail/non-NYCSC E-Z Pass. E-ZPass users with transponders issued by the New York E‑ZPass Customer Service Center pay $2.60 per car or $2.17 per motorcycle. Mid-Tier NYCSC E-Z Pass users pay $4.11 per car or $3.46 per motorcycle. All E-ZPass users with transponders not issued by the New York E-ZPass CSC will be required to pay Toll-by-mail rates.[40]

When the bridge opened, passenger automobiles were charged a toll of 15 cents. When the Cross Bay Bridge was opened in 1939, the toll for passenger cars and motorcycles was lowered to 10 cents to match that of the Cross Bay Bridge. Tolls for all other vehicle classes remained as before.[41] Since 1993, residents of the Rockaways have received discounts on tolls for the Marine Parkway Bridge and Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge.[42] The tollbooths for the Marine Parkway Bridge were configured to collect tolls electronically from E-ZPass transponders in 1996.[43]

TransCore[44] near where the booths were located.[45][46] A vehicle without E-ZPass has a picture taken of its license plate and a bill for the toll is mailed to its owner.[47] For E-ZPass users, sensors detect their transponders wirelessly.[45][46][47] Residents with leftover bridge tokens will be eligible to redeem their tokens for a refund.[45][46]

Incidents

NTSB, was recorded by a toll-booth camera located on the bridge.

One person was killed in a three-car accident on the bridge on June 3, 1951.[48] Another fatal accident on the bridge on July 14, 1963, killed two and injured seven.[49]

On April 10, 1957, a gate for the Marine Parkway Bridge's drawbridge span was being lowered when it hit a bus, injuring four passengers.[50]

On November 24, 2014, the bridge experienced a power failure while it was raised to let a boat pass. It remained stuck in the raised position for about six hours before technicians were able to lower it.[51]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge at Structurae. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
  2. ^ "New York City Bridge Traffic Volumes" (PDF). New York City Department of Transportation. 2016. p. 11. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  3. ^ Perry, N.W. "NYS Reference Routes, Regions 10 and 11". Empire State Roads. Retrieved November 8, 2007.
  4. ^ "The Wave". The Rockaway Wave. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d Chan, Sewell (July 3, 2007). "Marine Parkway Bridge Celebrates Its 70th Birthday". City Room. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  6. ^
    ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  7. . Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  8. . Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  9. . Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  10. . Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  11. . Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  12. . Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  13. . Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  14. . Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  15. . Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  16. ^ Weingardt, Richard G. (October 2005). "David Steinman: America's Greatest Native Son Bridge Builder of the 20th Century" (PDF). Structure: 49.
  17. ^ a b c d Mead & Hunt; Allee King Rosen & Fleming, Inc (November 1999). "Contextual Study of New York State's Pre-1961 Bridges" (PDF). New York State Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 10, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  19. . Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  20. .
  21. ^ a b "Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge Turns 75". www.mta.info. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  22. Newspapers.com
    .
  23. ^ a b c "Marine Parkway Bridge Has Twentieth Birthday" (PDF). The Wave of Long Island. July 4, 1957. p. 25. Retrieved December 10, 2017 – via Fultonhistory.com.
  24. ^ "City Seeks to Speed Work On Marine Parkway Bridge" (PDF). April 5, 1937. p. 3. Retrieved December 10, 2017 – via Fultonhistory.com.
  25. ^
    ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  26. . Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  27. Newspapers.com
    . July 3, 1937. pp. 1–2. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  28. ^ . Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  29. . Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  30. Newspapers.com
    .
  31. ^ "TRAFFIC JAMS INCREASED BY BRIDGE" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. July 12, 1937. p. 2. Retrieved December 10, 2017 – via Fultonhistory.com.
  32. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  33. ^
    MTA Bridges & Tunnels
    . Retrieved July 10, 2010.
  34. ^ "It's Gil Hodges Bridge Now" (PDF). The Wave of Long Island. April 8, 1978. p. 1. Retrieved December 10, 2017 – via Fultonhistory.com.
  35. ^ Abdo, Mike (March 18, 1978). "California City Would Like To Run Joggers Out Of Town" (PDF). Olean Times-Herald. p. 17. Retrieved December 10, 2017 – via Fultonhistory.com.
  36. ^
    ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  37. ^ "National Award (Reconstructed): Marine Parkway Bridge, NEW YORK CITY" (PDF). National Steel Bridge Alliance. 2003. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  38. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  39. ^ "Animations and Videos from Board Meeting". NTSB. Archived from the original on June 22, 2011.
  40. ^ "Car Toll Rates". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Footnote 3. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  41. ^ "NY & NJ Toll Scrip, Toll Tokens and other Toll Ephemera".
  42. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  43. . Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  44. ^ "Project Profile Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), New York". TransCore. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  45. ^ a b c Siff, Andrew (October 5, 2016). "Automatic Tolls to Replace Gates at 9 NYC Spans: Cuomo". NBC New York. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
  46. ^ a b c "MTA rolls out cashless toll schedule for bridges, tunnels". ABC7 New York. December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
  47. ^ a b "What Is Cashless Tolling?". MTA Bridges & Tunnels. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  48. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  49. . Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  50. . Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  51. ^ Honan, Katie (November 24, 2014). "Marine Parkway Bridge Stuck in 'Up' Position". DNAinfo. Archived from the original on November 27, 2014.

External links