The 12 Best Bridges In NYC

How many New York City bridges can you name? If you include crossings for cars, trains, pedestrians, the city's bridge count is up in the thousands. A rep for the DOT told us there are a whopping 789 bridges under their jurisdiction alone (while the MTA was uncertain of how many bridges were under their own jurisdiction).

This area got its first bridge in 1693 with the King's Bridge (over Spuyten Duyvil Creek between Manhattan and the Bronx), and as decades passed more and more were erected. By 1883 we got the beautiful behemoth of the Brooklyn Bridge, which set off a domino effect of bridge building along the East River—in the following decades the Manhattan, Williamsburg, and Queensboro bridges were all opening.

Below are some of our favorite bridges*, ranked for your pleasure.

#1. THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE

(Photo by Steven Kelley)

The Brooklyn Bridge— one of the oldest suspension bridges—is definitely the most iconic bridge in NYC, and possibly the world. It's a tourist magnet, an icon, a historic monument, a landmark, and a real beaut. Poems have been written about it. Love locks attached to it. Entire books penned around its fascinating history. It's an impossible bridge to blurb, but we'll give it a shot.

Construction on the bridge began in 1869, initially designed by German immigrant John Augustus Roebling, who was injured while conducting surveys for it, and died soon after. He left his 32-year-old son Washington Roebling in charge of the project, but when he fell ill and was left bedridden, it was his wife Emily Roebling who saw the bridge through to completion, becoming the "first woman field engineer."

The bridge opened with a big celebration in 1883, but some New Yorkers crossed it before opening day—by zipline, and by narrow wooden foot bridge. It eventually became sport to jump off it. And more recently has been the stage for political statements, "art," and selfies.

Who is allowed on this bridge: drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians. (NO TOURISTS.)

#2. QUEENSBORO BRIDGE (Now named for Ed Koch. We will also accept The 59th Street Bridge)

Sure, there are more beautiful photos of this bridge, but you probably couldn't handle it. (Photo via nvr lowdown's flickr)

"Over the great bridge, with the sunlight through the girders making a constant flicker upon the moving cars, with the city rising up across the river in white heaps and sugar lumps all built with a wish out of non-olfactory money. The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world. 'Anything can happen now that we’ve slid over this bridge,’ I thought; ‘anything at all.'" Are you going to argue with F. Scott Fitzgerald, who wrote this of the Queensboro Bridge in a little book called The Great Gatsby?

The Queensboro—created by Gustav Lindenthal in collaboration with Leffert L. Buck and Henry Hornbostel (designers of the Williamsburg Bridge)—is the beautiful shining star of Manhattan's East Side, and today it's celebrating 107 years! The two-level double cantilever bridge is constantly adjusting to our needs—over time it's featured an elevator that led to Roosevelt Island, a staircase (demolished in the 1950s), and trolley lanes. Today it's still the only NYC bridge that runs alongside a tram.

#3. MANHATTAN BRIDGE

(Photo by Tim Drivas)

Did you know the Manhattan Bridge has been known, to some, as the Rodney Dangerfield of our city's bridges since the 1980s? It gets no respect, man. It was riddled with problems since the beginning—one of the major engineering flaws was that the subway tracks were placed on the outside, not the middle of the bridge. This used to cause the bridge to drop four to six feet whenever a subway went over it. That drop has been lessened, but it still features a nice sway.

The bridge opened to traffic on the already celebratory day of December 31st, 1909. It was designed by Leon Moisseiff, and was "the first suspension bridge to employ Josef Melan's deflection theory for the stiffening of its deck, it is considered to be the forerunner of modern suspension bridges."

It's in tough competition, with the Brooklyn Bridge within swimming distance, but our own Scott Heins argues that "with its sleek and sturdy cobalt beams, it makes the Williamsburg Bridge look like an Erector set and the Brooklyn Bridge look like a flabby gargoyle. The Manhattan Bridge is the best of them all. The longer you live here, the clearer it becomes."

Who is allowed on this bridge: drivers, straphangers, cyclists, and pedestrians.

#4. GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE

(Photo by Steven Kelley)

It took 100 years for planners and engineers to figure out how to create a bridge between New York and New Jersey, and it was ultimately engineer Othmar Ammann and Cass Gilbert (designer of the Woolworth Building) who came up with the right design. Construction started in 1927 and ended in 1931, and, with a span of 3,500 feet, the bridge was twice as long as any other suspension bridge at the time.

Originally it was going to be covered in granite and concrete, but that was too expensive. Plus it looked really good as is: French architect Le Corbusier called it "the most beautiful bridge in the world. Made of cables and steel beams, it gleams in the sky like a reversed arch. It is blessed. It is the only seat of grace in the disordered city."

The George Washington Bridge is the world's only 14 (!) lane bridge. It's also the inspiration of a wonderful children's book, The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge and the downfall of NJ Governor Chris Christie's hopes of higher office. — Jen Chung

#5. WILLIAMSBURG BRIDGE

(Photo by Adam Chang)

Originally referred to as "the New East River Bridge," this 1,600-foot span opened in 1903, a suspension bridge connecting the Lower East Side of Manhattan to the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn.

In the 1980s, the Williamsburg Bridge was nearly given a makeover in the style of Donald Trump, who wanted to remake the bridge as a "spectacular landmark," according to Trump Tower architect Der Scutt, who was assigned to the project. The plan included a two-story restaurant on one of the towers, as well as a nice metallic sheen. This never happened, and we kind of like it that way. While it maintains a no frills aesthetic and industrial vibe, it also has that burst of pink to brighten things up. The cyclist and pedestrian paths are also the most pleasant of all the East River bridges (the Brooklyn Bridge is too crowded!).

Who is allowed on this bridge: drivers, straphangers, cyclists, and pedestrians.

#6. VERRAZANO-NARROWS BRIDGE

(Photo by Steven Kelley)

The Verrazano Narrows is a sleek double-decker suspension bridge, and one of the city's most beautiful structures. It links Brooklyn and Staten Island, and is relatively young in bridge years—it didn't open until 1964.

The bridge was named in honor of Florentine explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano—and yes, that's one more "z" than you see in the bridge name—they misspelled it on the bridge [womp womp]. It's also partially named for the body of water it goes over, The Narrows. The bridge can be seen from all five boroughs.

Fun fact: Since 1976, the New York City Marathon has started on the Staten Island end of the bridge.

Who is allowed on this bridge: drivers only.

#7. HELL GATE BRIDGE

(Photo by Sam Yee)

The Hell Gate has ties to a Nazi attack, phantom trains, Serpico, and Australia. You can't say that about any other bridge in NYC. Still, it's been referred to as the "unwanted stepchild," and when it turns 100 this year, there will likely be little fanfare. But it's as sturdy as it is beautiful, all 1,017-feet of it. The bridge, which opened in 1916, crosses the Hell Gate—a strait of the East River—between Astoria in Queens and Randall's and Wards Islands in Manhattan. It's also a bridge muse, being the main inspiration for the design of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia.

Who is allowed on this bridge: trains (but the Hell Gate Pathway running through the arcade is for pedestrians and cyclists)

#8. CARROLL STREET BRIDGE

(Photo via galvarez51's flickr)

The Carroll Street Bridge over the Gowanus is the best bridge in the city, or at least the best bridge proportional to its size. It was first opened in 1889, has a wooden deck, and the best old sign in the city, which reads "Any Person Driving over this Bridge Faster than a Walk will be Subject to a Penalty of Five Dollars For Each Offense." It opens by sliding back toward the shore at an angle, which is unusual—there are only 3 similar bridges in the United States. It is far superior to the other New York bridges, because you can often stand there alone, unharried by tourists, and enjoy the peaceful tranquility and unusual smells of the Gowanus Canal. — Jake Dobkin

Who is allowed on this bridge: drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians.

#9. WARDS ISLAND BRIDGE

(Photo by Joe Schumacher)

I first encountered this slender pedestrian bridge a couple of summers ago when I decided to bike to concerts and art fairs on Randalls Island. You'll find access to it along the East River Esplanade at 103rd Street; if you're approaching from the south, you may think it appears magically out of nowhere, just when you've begun to doubt you'll never make it to Randall's Island in time for the first set, there it is, quietly loping over the Harlem River to connect Manhattan to the serene parkland at Wards and Randalls Island. There are no cars, no tolls, no hassles; just low-carbon global citizens, strolling or walking their bikes leisurely toward a Good Time.

The bridge, designed by Swiss immigrant Othmar Hermann Ammann and built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, opened to the public in 1951. (Its middle section can be raised for passing ships.) Access was severely limited in the '80s, and for three decades remained off limits for five months out of the year, much to the consternation of local residents. The DOT spent about $15 million renovating it between 2010 and 2012, and it finally reopened in 2012, year-round and 24/7. So get out and enjoy it this summer at one of the many festivals on Randalls Island.

"In bridge designing, the aesthetics are quite as important as engineering details," Ammann once wrote. "It is a crime to build an ugly bridge." The producers of The Wiz agreed—it was partially covered in yellow vinyl for a yellow brick road cameo in Sidney Lumet's 1978 musical starring Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. — John Del Signore

Who is allowed on this bridge: pedestrians only (you're supposed to walk your bike).

#11. HIGH BRIDGE

(Photo by Tod Seelie/Gothamist)

The High Bridge is the city's oldest standing bridge (since the aforementioned King's Bridge was demolished in 1917). It had been closed for 45 years before reopening in 2015, which it did to much fanfare. The bridge spans the Harlem River and connects the area around West 170th Street in the Bronx to the area around West 173rd Street in Manhattan. It's a little over 2,000 feet in length, and 140-feet high, and meant for pedestrians and cyclists only.

During its first life, the bridge opened in 1848, and was originally part of the Old Croton Aqueduct, which brought NYC its clean water. Today, it will not only serve to connect the boroughs, but the surrounding area now includes more than 125 acres of green space with baseball fields and basketball courts.

Fun fact: There's an old stone building at the Manhattan entrance, and on the Bronx side there's a wall that we were told was built by the crew that originally built the bridge.

Who is allowed on this bridge: pedestrians and cyclists only.

#12. KOSCIUSZKO BRIDGE

(Photo by Chris Gold)

Opened in 1939, the Kosciuszko Bridge replaced the Penny Bridge as a Brooklyn-Queens connector crossing Newtown Creek. The lofty, car-only span is named for Thaddeus Kosciusko, a Polish volunteer in the American Revolution whose last name lives on mostly as a subject of idle debate among New Yorkers who pronounce it differently (for the record, Kah-SHOO-Sko is the only correct way). "Enjoy" being stuck in BQE traffic on the span while you can, as the rusty, workaday behemoth is slated to be torn down next year and, by 2020, replaced by two three-lane spans going in either direction, one of which will include a bike and pedestrian path. Progress! — Nathan Tempey

Who is allowed on this bridge: drivers, though a bike lane is planned for the future.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Throggs Neck, Triborough, Bronx Whitestone, and the Marine Parkway. (via Wikipedia)

The Triborough (RFK) Bridge: Construction began on Black Friday in 1929, giving the project a bleak outlook. Revisions were made that cut off millions from the final price tag, and those measures, along with some New Deal money, brought the project back to reality in the early 1930s. It opened in 1936, and by the end cost more than the Hoover Dam (thanks Robert Moses).

The Bronx Whitestone Bridge: Robert Moses really wanted this bridge so he could directly link the mainland to the 1939 New York World's Fair and LaGuardia Airport. Running on a tight construction schedule, it opened one day before the Fair began.

The Throgs Neck Bridge: Did you call this the Frogs Neck as a kid? You weren't totally wrong—in 1776, George Washington's headquarters called the area that when writing of a potential British landing—"Frogs Neck and Point is a kind of Island, there are two passages at the Main which are fordable at low Water at both of which we have thrown up Works, which will give some Annoyance should they attempt to come off by either of these Ways... The grounds leading from Frogs Point towards our Post at Kingsbridge are as defensible as they can be wished."

The Marine Parkway - Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge: This vertical lift bridge looks different from our other bridges, featuring two bulky towers (containing the lift machinery). It opened in 1937 and remains a symbol of the Rockaways today. You can walk across its narrow pedestrian path, but we've seen cops ticketing cyclists who flout the no-cycling rule in summer time.

*This list does not include our favorite bridges found within the city's parks.