Infrastructure

(Queensboro Bridge) Also known as the 59th Street Bridge - and officially named the Ed Koch Bridge, is a cantilever bridge over the East River. Built in 1909, it was the fourth largest bridge in the world at the time. This infrastructure has changed use a handful of times since inception. The upper level originally contained two pedestrian walks and two elevated rail tracks. Then three lanes of roadways were installed to replace the pedestrian walkway. The lower deck hosted four motor traffic lanes and two trolley lanes. There was even an elevator to transport cars and passengers down to Roosevelt Island! Eventually the trolley lanes and elevated railways were replaced with a total of 11 lanes of automobile traffic. The bridge, as seen from anywhere in the city, is a way finding landmark and a connection to life outside Manhattan. The island is connected to the rest of the world through 21 bridges and 15 tunnels. These all range in complexity and grandeur. A constant for all this infrastructure is that it covers hundreds of years of technology and social change.