Alexander Hamilton Bridge

The Alexander Hamilton Bridge is an eight-lane steel arch bridge that carries traffic over the Harlem River between the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx in New York City. It connects the Trans-Manhattan Expressway in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan and the Cross-Bronx Expressway, as part of Interstate 95 and U.S. 1. The bridge opened to traffic on January 15, 1963, the same day that the Cross-Bronx Expressway was completed. For 2011, the New York City Department of Transportation, which operates and maintains the bridge, reported an average daily traffic volume in both directions of 182,174; having reached a peak ADT of 192,848 in 1990.[4]

Alexander Hamilton Bridge
From the south, showing truck traffic
Coordinates40.8456°N 73.9287°W / 40.8456; -73.9287
Carries8 lanes of I-95 / US 1
CrossesHarlem River
LocaleManhattan and the Bronx, in New York City
Maintained byNYSDOT
Characteristics
DesignOpen-spandrel deck arch bridge
Total length2,375 feet (724 m)
Width[1]
Longest span555 feet (169 m)
Clearance below103 feet (31 m)
History
OpenedApril 15, 1963[2]
Statistics
Daily traffic177,853 (2016)[3]
Tollnone
Location

Design
Looking west

The total length of the bridge, including approaches, is 2,375 feet (724 m). Its parallel main spans are 555 feet (169 m) long and provide 103 feet (31 m) of vertical clearance over the Harlem River at the center and 366 feet (112 m) of horizontal clearance.

The bridge design included a set of spiraling ramps (colloquially known as "The Corkscrew") to connect to and from the Major Deegan Expressway (completed in 1964) and a viaduct ramp connecting to the Harlem River Drive, both of which are over 100 feet (30 m) below the level of the bridge, and access to Amsterdam Avenue.

History

After the George Washington Bridge to New Jersey was completed in 1931, vehicles traveling between New Jersey and the Bronx would travel over the Washington Bridge, which crosses the Harlem River just north of the present Alexander Hamilton Bridge.[5] The Alexander Hamilton Bridge was planned in the mid-1950s to connect Robert Moses' proposed Trans-Manhattan and Cross-Bronx Expressways and to accommodate the additional traffic resulting from the addition of the six-lane lower level to the George Washington Bridge.[6] With the Interstate designation, 90% of the $21 million in construction costs were covered by the federal government. The bridge opened on April 14, 1963.[2]

Starting in 2009, the bridge underwent a full renovation at an estimated cost of $400 million.[7] While the traffic jams created from the construction had not been as bad as local officials had anticipated, inbound delays at the Hudson River crossings increased after the project began.[8] In July 2014, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the bridge renovation was complete.[9]

See also

References
  1. "2011 New York City Bridge Traffic Volumes" (PDF). New York City Department of Transportation. October 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
  2. "New Bridge Completes L.I.-to-Jersey Bypass" (PDF). The New York Times. April 14, 1963. p. 528. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  3. "New York City Bridge Traffic Volumes" (PDF). New York City Department of Transportation. 2016. p. 9. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  4. "2011 New York City Bridge Traffic Volumes" (PDF). New York City Department of Transportation. March 2010. p. 74. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
  5. "Cross-city Tunnel Opens Tomorrow; Manhattan's First East-West Drive Goes Under Heights From Washington Bridge" (PDF). The New York Times. June 26, 1940. p. 25. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  6. Ingraham, Joseph C. (August 26, 1962). "Double-deck Span; George Washington Bridge Expansion Is Keystone of Vast Road Project Double-deck Span" (PDF). The New York Times. p. 372. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  7. Schweber, Nate (July 15, 2012). "Bracing for Big Traffic Jam That Didn't Come on Day 1". The New York Times. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  8. Wander, Erik. "GWB Traffic Getting Worse, Analysis Shows". Patch Media. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  9. "Governor Cuomo Announces Completion of Alexander Hamilton Bridge Rehabilitation". Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. September 28, 2014. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
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