- Hell Gate Bridge
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Hell Gate Bridge 
Hell Gate BridgeCarries Amtrak Northeast Corridor rail line (2 tracks); CSX Transportation/Canadian Pacific (Delaware & Hudson) freight rail line (1 track) Crosses Hell Gate of the East River Locale Queens and the Bronx in New York City via Randall's and Wards Islands Maintained by Amtrak Design Through arch bridge Total length 17,000 feet (3.2 mi; 5.2 km) Width 100 feet (30.5 m) Longest span 1,017 feet (310 m) Clearance below 135 feet (41.1 m)) Opened September 30, 1916 Coordinates 40°46′58″N 73°55′19″W / 40.782652°N 73.921937°WCoordinates: 40°46′58″N 73°55′19″W / 40.782652°N 73.921937°W 
The Hell Gate Bridge or Hell's Gate Bridge (originally the New York Connecting Railroad Bridge[1] or The East River Arch Bridge[2]) is a 1,017-foot (310 m) steel through arch railroad bridge between Astoria in the borough of Queens and Randall's and Wards Islands (which are now joined into one island and are politically part of Manhattan) in New York City, over a portion of the East River known as Hell Gate.
The Hell Gate Bridge runs parallel to the Queens span of the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, which connects Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan, and drivers can see the length of the bridge just east of the roadway.
The great arch bridge is the largest of three bridges, along with more than 17,000 feet (3.2 mi; 5.2 km) long of approach spans and viaducts, that form the Hell Gate complex. An inverted bowstring truss bridge with four 300-foot (91.4 m) spans crosses the Little Hell Gate (now filled in); and a 350-foot (106.7 m) fixed truss bridge crosses the Bronx Kill (now narrowed by fill).
This bridge was the inspiration for the design of Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia.[3]
Contents
History
The bridge was conceived in the early 1900s as a way to link New York and the Pennsylvania Railroad with New England and the New Haven Railroad.
Hell Gate Bridge, ca. 1917
Hell Gate bridge under construction circa 1915Construction was overseen by Gustav Lindenthal, whose original design left a gap of 15 feet (4.6 m) between the steel arch and the masonry towers. Fearing that the public assumed that the towers were structurally integral to the bridge, Lindenthal added aesthetic girders between the upper chord of the arch and the towers to make the structure appear more robust.[4] The original plans for the piers on the long approach ramps called for a steel lattice structure. The design was changed to smooth concrete to soothe concerns that asylum inmates on Wards and Randall's islands would climb the piers to escape.[4]
The engineering was so precise that when the last section of the main span was lifted into place, the final adjustment needed to join everything together was 1⁄2 inches (12.7 mm). The bridge was completed on September 30, 1916.
It was the world's longest steel arch bridge until the Bayonne Bridge was opened in 1931, and was surpassed again by the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932.
In 1996, the bridge received a facelift, including its first comprehensive paint job in 80 years. It was painted "Hell Gate Red," a dark, natural red. The bridge would be the last New York City bridge to collapse if humans disappeared, taking at least a millennium to do so, according to the February 2005 issue of Discover magazine. Most other bridges would fall in about 300 years. [5]
Truss bridge over Bronx Kill
The approach to Hell Gate bridge under construction circa 1915.
This photograph appears to have been taken from the top of the north tower of the Hell Gate Bridge itself. The view looks north toward the construction site of the bridge over Little Hell Gate (location: [1], 2007 photo: [2]), which forms part of the northern approach to the Hell Gate Bridge proper.Usage
Past
The bridge originally carried four tracks, two each for passenger and freight, but one freight track was abandoned in the mid-1970s. At one time, all tracks were electrified with the NH-PRR standard 11 kV 25 Hz overhead catenary; the passenger tracks since 1917, and the freight tracks from 1927 to 1969.
Current
The bridge is used by Amtrak and by some CSX, Canadian Pacific, Providence & Worcester Railroad, and New York and Atlantic freight trains. The Metro-North Railroad's Train to the Game services (Operated by New Jersey Transit, from main stations on the New Haven Line to Secaucus Junction) also use the bridge since September, 2009 on every Sunday 1pm NFL game.[6] The bridge and structure are owned by Amtrak, part of its Washington, D.C. to Boston electrified main line known as the Northeast Corridor. The bridge is also part of the New York Connecting Railroad, a rail line that links New York City and Long Island to the North American mainland.
Proposed
In September 2009, the Metro-North Commuter Railroad revived its planning efforts aimed at using the Hell Gate Bridge to connect its New Haven Line to Penn Station.[7] Such a service would terminate at Penn Station on platforms freed up by the planned completion of the Long Island Rail Road's East Side Access project scheduled for completion in 2016. The environmental assessment and a Penn Station operations study are planned for completion in 2011.[7]
See also
- New York Connecting Railroad
- Oak Point Link
- Sydney Harbour Bridge – Designed by Ralph Freeman c.1924 and believed to have been influenced by the Hell Gate Bridge.
References
- ^ Schneider, Daniel B. (March 19, 2000). "F.Y.I.". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/19/nyregion/fyi-304220.html. Retrieved 2011-01-23.
- ^ Gruson, Lindsey (November 30, 1991). "Long Unlucky, Rail Bridge Hits $55 Million Repair Jackpot". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/30/nyregion/long-unlucky-rail-bridge-hits-55-million-repair-jackpot.html. Retrieved 2011-01-23.
- ^ "Sydney Harbour Bridge repainting" (PDF). NSW Roads and Traffic Authority. http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadprojects/resources/documents/permanent_panels/sydney_harbour_bridge.pdf. Retrieved 2011-10-03.
- ^ a b Anderson, Steve. "Hell Gate Bridge". NYCRoads. http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/hell-gate/. Retrieved 2010-04-13.
- ^ Weisman, Alan (February 2005). "Earth Without People: What would happen to our planet if the mighty hand of humanity simply disappeared?". Discover. http://discovermagazine.com/2005/feb/earth-without-people/. Retrieved 2006-11-06.
- ^ Silberstein, Judy (September 24, 2009). "Football Fans Take New Train to the Game". Larchmont Gazette. http://www.larchmontgazette.com/news/football-fans-take-new-train-to-the-game/. Retrieved 2011-07-03.
- ^ a b "Penn Station Access Study". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2009. http://www.mta.info/mta/planning/psas/overview.html. Retrieved 2008-04-12.
- Cook, Richard J. (1987). The Beauty of Railroad Bridges in North America – Then and Now. San Marino, California (USA): Golden West Books. ISBN 0-87095-097-5.
- Hell Gate Bridge at Structurae
External links
- [3] Photo on Flickr.com
- additional information
Categories:- Bridges in New York City
- Railroad bridges in New York
- Bridges completed in 1916
- Through arch bridges
- East River
- Pennsylvania Railroad bridges and tunnels
- Tied arch bridges
- Amtrak
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