The Williamsburg Bridge is a

suspension bridge A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck (bridge), deck is hung below suspension wire rope, cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridg ...

in New York City across the

East River The East River is a saltwater tidal estuary in New York City. The waterway, which is actually not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates the borough of Queens ...

connecting the

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally an im ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

Delancey Street __NOTOC__ Delancey Street is one of the main thoroughfares of New York City's Lower East Side in Manhattan, running from the street's western terminus at the Bowery to its eastern end at FDR Drive, connecting to the Williamsburg Bridge and Broo ...

with the Williamsburg neighborhood of

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

near the

Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Interstate 278 (I-278) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in New Jersey and New York in the United States. The road runs from US Route 1/9 (US 1/9) in Linden, New Jersey, northeast to the Bruckner Interchange in the New York ...

(

Interstate 278 Interstate 278 (I-278) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in New Jersey and New York in the United States. The road runs from US Route 1/9 (US 1/9) in Linden, New Jersey, northeast to the Bruckner Interchange in the New Yor ...

). Completed in 1903, it was the longest suspension bridge span in the world until 1924. The bridge is one of four toll-free vehicular bridges connecting Manhattan Island and

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

. The others are the

Queensboro Bridge The Queensboro Bridge, officially named the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, is a cantilever bridge over the East River in New York City. Completed in 1909, it connects the neighborhood of Long Island City in the borough of Queens with the Upper East ...

to the north, and the

and

Brooklyn Bridge The Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid cable-stayed/ suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East River ...

s to the south. The Williamsburg Bridge once carried

New York State Route 27A New York State Route 27A (NY 27A) is a state highway extending from Massapequa in Nassau County to Oakdale in Suffolk County on Long Island, New York, in the United States. Its two most prominent components are Merrick Road and Monta ...

and was planned to carry

Interstate 78 Interstate 78 (I-78) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Northeastern United States, running from I-81 northeast of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, through Allentown to western and northern New Jersey and terminating at the Holland T ...

, though the planned I-78 designation was aborted by the cancellation of the

Lower Manhattan Expressway Interstate 78 (I-78) is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs from Union Township, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, to New York City. In the US state of New York, I-78 extends . The entirety of I-78 consists of the Holland Tunne ...

and

Bushwick Expressway Interstate 78 (I-78) is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs from Union Township, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, to New York City. In the US state of New York, I-78 extends . The entirety of I-78 consists of the Holland Tunn ...

History

Construction

Construction on what was then known as the "East River Bridge", the second to span it, began in 1896 after approval by the Governor of New York on May 27, 1895. The new bridge was to be built north of the

Grand Street Ferry The Grand Street Ferry was a ferry route connecting Manhattan and Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City, joining Grand Street (Manhattan) and Grand Street (Brooklyn) across the East River The East River is a saltwater tidal estuary in New Y ...

, terminating at Delancey and Clinton Streets on the Manhattan side and at South Fifth Street and Driggs Avenue on the Brooklyn side. Leffert L. Buck was the chief engineer,

Henry Hornbostel Henry Hornbostel (August 15, 1867 – December 13, 1961) was an American architect and educator. Hornbostel designed more than 225 buildings, bridges, and monuments in the United States. Twenty-two of his designs are listed on the National Regis ...

was the architect, and Holton D. Robinson was the assistant engineer. Engineers first constructed caissons on either side to support the future bridge. The caisson on the Manhattan side was completed in May 1897, upon which time the caisson on the Brooklyn side was launched. The caissons were manufactured in a shipyard in Williamsburg. In January 1898, Mayor

Robert Anderson Van Wyck Robert Anderson Van Wyck ( ;Paumgarten, Nick"The Van Wyck Question" ''The New Yorker'', June 11, 2001. Accessed September 12, 2008. July 20, 1849November 14, 1918) was the first mayor of New York City after the consolidation of the five boroughs ...

removed the members of the East River Bridge Commission due to "charges of extravagance". A commission of six people appointed by the state was proposed, but the bill was rejected. As part of the Williamsburg Bridge's construction, the section of Delancey Street between the bridge's western end and the

Bowery The Bowery () is a street and neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City. The street runs from Chatham Square at Park Row, Worth Street, and Mott Street in the south to Cooper Square at 4th Street in the north.Jackson, Kenneth L. "B ...

was widened. The portion of

Spring Street Spring Street may refer to: * Spring Street (Los Angeles), USA * Spring Street (Manhattan), New York City, USA * Spring Street, Melbourne, Australia * Spring Street, Singapore * Spring St (website), a US based lifestyle website Subway and trolle ...

between the Bowery and

Lafayette Street Lafayette Street is a major north-south street in New York City's Lower Manhattan. It originates at the intersection of Reade Street and Centre Street, one block north of Chambers Street. The one-way street then successively runs through Chi ...

was also expanded. This was the third plan for the bridge's western approaches that was publicly announced. Public opposition had caused the cancellation of previous proposals, which included a wide street extending from the end of the bridge to either

Cooper Square __NOTOC__ Cooper Square is a junction of streets in Lower Manhattan in New York City located at the confluence of the neighborhoods of Bowery to the south, NoHo to the west and southwest, Greenwich Village to the west and northwest, the East V ...

or the intersection of

Houston Street Houston Street ( ) is a major east–west thoroughfare in Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs the full width of the island of Manhattan, from FDR Drive along the East River in the east to the West Side Highway along the Hudson River i ...

and Second Avenue. To accommodate the bridge's approaches, 600 houses were demolished in total, including 330 on the Manhattan side and 270 on the Brooklyn side. More than 10,000 people were evicted from these houses during construction. The bridge's supporting wires were manufactured by the Roebling Company in

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784. The pair were fully strung by April 16, and work on the bridge's pedestrian deck begun soon afterward. The pedestrian path on the East River Bridge was completed in June 1901. Afterward, construction progressed at a fast pace, owing to the ease of manufacturing the steel. Ornamental lights were also placed on the bridge. The East River Bridge was renamed the "Williamsburg Bridge", after its Brooklyn terminus, in 1902. Williamsburg Bridge nach Brand

There were several deaths during construction, including a worker who fell from the Manhattan approach in May 1900; the main steelwork engineer, who fell from the Brooklyn approach in September 1900; and a foreman who drowned in March 1902. Additionally, a fire occurred on the Brooklyn side's tower in November 1902, which nearly severed the bridge's cables. The bridge opened on December 20, 1903, at a cost of $24.2 million ($624 million in 2016). At the time it was the longest suspension bridge span in the world, and remained so until the opening of the

Bear Mountain Bridge The Bear Mountain Bridge, ceremonially named the Purple Heart Veterans Memorial Bridge, is a toll suspension bridge in New York State. It carries US 6 and US 202 across the Hudson River between Bear Mountain State Park in Orange Co ...

in 1924.

20th century

Originally, the Williamsburg Bridge was used mainly by trolley lines and railways (see ). In January 1932, it was agreed to convert a pair of abandoned trolley tracks on the south side of the bridge that had been deemed unsafe to an roadway. Three more concrete roadways were added in 1941 as part of a

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

project.

Rehabilitation

Decades of deferred maintenance caused the Williamsburg Bridge to deteriorate significantly. This was worsened by a design flaw during construction: instead of

galvanizing Galvanization or galvanizing ( also spelled galvanisation or galvanising) is the process of applying a protective zinc coating to steel or iron, to prevent rusting. The most common method is hot-dip galvanizing, in which the parts are submerged ...

the main cables to prevent their

corrosion Corrosion is a natural process that converts a refined metal into a more chemically stable oxide. It is the gradual deterioration of materials (usually a metal) by chemical or electrochemical reaction with their environment. Corrosion engine ...

, workers placed a mixture of "slushing oil" as a cost-saving measure. By 1912, some of the smaller cables in the bridge's anchorages had already snapped. In 1922, a galvanized sheath was placed around each of the main cables. However, damage still occurred, and in 1934, water in the main cables caused the wires to rust. In 1944 and again in 1963, workers poured oil treatments onto the cables in attempts to prevent the corrosion. Workers later added several support towers on either side of the main span to supplement the suspension towers. In 1969, inspectors found varying degrees of corrosion under the bridge's outer roadways. A 1978 study of the Williamsburg Bridge, as well as of five other bridges in New York City, found that there were varying degrees of corrosion on the main cables' individual strands. Cracks were also found in the bridge structure itself. Out of the six bridges examined in 1978, the Williamsburg Bridge was the only crossing that was found to have corroded suspension cables. A subsequent study concluded that the bridge needed either new cables or a replacement. It was decided to replace the cables because that cost less than a wholesale replacement. However, engineers also considered the option of replacing the bridge if the cable replacement project became too expensive. The cable replacement was also complex, since the process had to occur while the bridge was still in operation. The bridge continued to decay: in May 1987, two support bars fell from the outer roadway. By January 1988, it was determined that the four main suspension cables were only two-thirds as strong as they were supposed to be. Without any maintenance, the main cables would only be able to hold up the span until 1995. The

New York State Department of Transportation The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) is the department of the New York state government responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports, waterways and aviation facilities in ...

applied for funding to rebuild the bridge, which was projected to cost $250 million and take ten years. Every third rope in the suspension had already been replaced in 1985. However, more than 200 cables in the suspension had snapped, and pieces of concrete were falling from the bridge. The bridge's structural integrity was rated as 1.6 out of a scale of 1 to 7. Inspectors were appointed to monitor the bridge's status and make temporary bridge closures based on the amount of stress placed on the bridge. The bridge was closed to motor vehicle traffic and subway trains on April 11, 1988, after a painter noticed a large hole in a

girder A girder () is a support beam used in construction. It is the main horizontal support of a structure which supports smaller beams. Girders often have an I-beam cross section composed of two load-bearing ''flanges'' separated by a stabilizing ' ...

; upon further review, inspectors also discovered severe corrosion in a floor beam. An inspection in May 1988 found 290 "flag conditions" where the steelwork of the bridge could malfunction, potentially causing the bridge to collapse. Most of these "flags" were limited to the approaches, but one flag condition was found in the elevated subway structure within the suspension span. The Williamsburg Bridge was partially reopened at the end of May, in time for the

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...

holiday. Mayor

Ed Koch Edward Irving Koch ( ; December 12, 1924February 1, 2013) was an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, film critic, and television personality. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was may ...

decided that it would cost less to rebuild the bridge than to replace it. To alleviate the loads on the bridge, it was reopened in three phases: first to cars, then to subways, and finally to trucks. The bridge was rebuilt through much of the 1990s and 2000s. The cast iron stairway on the Manhattan side, and the steep ramp from Driggs Avenue on the Williamsburg side, were replaced to allow handicapped access per the

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 19 ...

. A decrepit walkway on the Williamsburg Bridge was closed in June 1991, and it reopened as a bike path in March 1992. Since the new bike path opened, the bridge has become the most heavily bicycled span in North America. Cable replacement started in April 1992. The subway tracks along the bridge were closed in April 1999 to allow the reconstruction of the subway structure. The tracks reopened in September of that year. Also in 1999, Gandhi Engineering designed and rebuilt the other pedestrian pathway along the Williamsburg Bridge. The rebuilt walkways carried both pedestrian and bike traffic because the pathways were only wide, and were too narrow to carry segregated traffic. The final two vehicular lanes on the renovated span were reopened in 2002.

21st century

A celebration was held on June 22, 2003, to mark the bridge's 100th anniversary. The area surrounding Continental Army Plaza was filled with musical performers, history exhibits, and street vendors. Dignitaries marched across the bridge carrying the 45-star American flag used in a game of

capture the flag Capture the flag (CTF) is a traditional outdoor sport where two or more teams each have a flag (or other markers) and the objective is to capture the other team's flag, located at the team's "base", and bring it safely back to their own base. ...

played by workers after the placement of the final cable in June 1902. A truck-sized birthday cake was specially made for the event by

Domino Sugar Domino Foods, Inc. (also known as DFI and formerly known as W. & F.C. Havemeyer Company, Havemeyer, Townsend & Co. Refinery, and Domino Sugar) is a privately held sugar marketing and sales company based in Yonkers, New York, United States, that ...

, which had a factory on the East River waterfront near the bridge. The ornamental lights on the bridge were re-lighted in November of that year after being turned off for eight months due to a lack of funds. The bridge was designated as a

National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark __NOTOC__ The following is a list of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks as designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers since it began the program in 1964. The designation is granted to projects, structures, and sites in the United State ...

by the

American Society of Civil Engineers American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

in 2009. In 2016, a local resident launched a campaign to rename the bridge for jazz musician

Sonny Rollins Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, he has recorded over sixty albums as a ...

, who practiced on the bridge almost every day from 1959 to 1961, while he was living on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. His 1962 album '' The Bridge'', produced on his return from his 3-year sabbatical, was named in its honor. In 2017, it was announced that between April 2019 and June 2020, during the 14th Street Tunnel shutdown, traffic restrictions would be implemented on the Williamsburg Bridge during the daytime. The restrictions would take place seven days a week between 5 a.m. and 10 pm. The bridge would be restricted to buses, trucks, and vehicles with more than 3 passengers during these times. The peak-hour

high-occupancy vehicle A high-occupancy vehicle lane (also known as an HOV lane, carpool lane, diamond lane, 2+ lane, and transit lane or T2 or T3 lanes) is a restricted traffic lane reserved for the exclusive use of vehicles with a driver and one or more passengers, i ...

restriction would allow the Williamsburg Bridge to accommodate three

Select Bus Service Select Bus Service (SBS; stylized as +busservice) is a brand used by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)'s Regional Bus Operations for limited-stop bus routes with some bus rapid transit features in New York City. The first SBS route ...

bus rapid transit Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...

routes between Brooklyn and Manhattan. It was projected that during the shutdown, 70 buses in each direction would travel across the Williamsburg Bridge every hour. This was later revised upward to 80 buses per hour. However, in January 2019, it was announced that the 14th Street Tunnel would not completely shut down. As a result,

New York City Transit Authority The New York City Transit Authority (also known as NYCTA, the TA, or simply Transit, and branded as MTA New York City Transit) is a public-benefit corporation in the U.S. state of New York that operates public transportation in New York City. P ...

head

Andy Byford Andy Byford (born 1965) is a British transport executive who has held several management-level positions in transport authorities around the world, such as the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authori ...

stated that the Williamsburg Bridge's HOV lanes were no longer needed. The

New York City Department of Transportation The New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) is the agency of the government of New York City responsible for the management of much of New York City's transportation infrastructure. Ydanis Rodriguez is the Commissioner of the Departm ...

(NYCDOT) contracted

Skanska Skanska AB () is a multinational construction and development company based in Sweden. Skanska is the fifth-largest construction company in the world according to ''Construction Global'' magazine. Notable Skanska projects include renovation of t ...

to renovate the bridge in November 2022. The project, budgeted at $167 million, was partially funded by the

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and originally in the House as the INVEST in America ActH.R. 3684, is a United States federal statute enacted by the 117th United States Congress ...

. Work began in late 2022 and is expected to be complete in 2025.

Description

The bridge, including approaches, is long, its main span is , and its deck is wide. Measured from high water, the height at the center of the bridge is above the river and each tower is tall. The structure is unconventional among suspension bridges in having its main span hanging from cables in the usual manner but its side spans being supported entirely by their trusswork. The Brooklyn landing is between Grand Street and Broadway, which both had ferries prior to the bridge's construction. The five ferry routes operated from the landings went out of business by 1908. The bridge once carried

. Had the

been built, the Williamsburg Bridge would have been designated Interstate 78. In reference to the area's large

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

-speaking population, a sign on the westbound approach to the bridge reads, "Leaving Brooklyn:

Oy Vey ''Oy vey'' ( yi, אױ װײ) is a Yiddish phrase expressing dismay or exasperation. Also spelled ''oy vay, oy veh'', or ''oi vey'', and often abbreviated to ''oy'', the expression may be translated as "oh, woe!" or "woe is me!" Its Hebrew equival ...

!" Another sign says "Leaving Brooklyn, Fuhgeddaboudit!" The two signs were proposed by former Brooklyn borough president

Marty Markowitz Martin Markowitz (born February 14, 1945) is an American politician who served as the borough president of Brooklyn, New York City. He was first elected in 2001 after serving 23 years as a New York State Senator. His third and final term end ...

in the early 2000s. Williamsburg Bridge from Gowanus Bay jeh

Rail tracks

The Williamsburg and Manhattan bridges are the only suspension bridges in New York City that still carry both automobile and rail traffic. The Williamsburg once held four trolley tracks in addition to the two subway tracks currently on the bridge that connect the

New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, an affiliate agency of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Opened on October 2 ...

BMT Nassau Street Line The BMT Nassau Street Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway system in Manhattan. It is a continuation of the BMT Jamaica Line in Brooklyn after crossing the Williamsburg Bridge into Manhattan; it continues to ...

and

BMT Jamaica Line The BMT Jamaica Line, also known as the Broadway - Brooklyn Line is an elevated rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway, in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, United States. It runs from the Williamsburg Bridge southeas ...

Two tracks on the south side carried

streetcar A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

s from the Brooklyn side: *

Williamsburg Bridge Local Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...

, 1904–1948 * Nostrand Avenue Line, 1904–1923 and 1931–1948 *

Ralph Avenue Line The B47 is a surface transit line on Ralph Avenue in Brooklyn, New York City. Once a streetcar line, it is now part of the B47 bus route, operated by the New York City Transit Authority, Prior to 1995, it was the B78 route; the northern part of ...

, 1905–1908; Ralph and Rockaway Avenues Line, 1908–1923 and 1931–1948 *

Tompkins Avenue Line The Graham Avenue Line and Tompkins Avenue Line were two public transit lines in Brooklyn, New York City with the Graham Avenue Line running mainly along Graham Avenue and Manhattan Avenue and the Tompkins Avenue Line running mainly along Tompk ...

, 1906–1923 and 1931–1947 *

Reid Avenue Line The B46 bus route constitutes a public transit corridor in Brooklyn, New York City. The route runs primarily along Utica Avenue north from the Kings Plaza shopping center through Eastern Brooklyn, with continued service west along Broadway (Bro ...

, 1904–1923 and 1931–1937 * Broadway Line, 1904–1923 * Franklin Avenue Line, 1904–1923 * Grand Street Line, 1904–1923 * Sumner Avenue Line, 1904–1923 * Wilson Avenue Line, 1904–1923 * Bushwick Avenue Line, 1904–1921 *

Nostrand-Culver Line The B44 is a public transit line in Brooklyn, New York City, running mostly along Nostrand Avenue, as well as northbound on Rogers Avenue or New York Avenue and Bedford Avenue (as part of a one-way pair), between Sheepshead Bay and Williamsburg. ...

and Nostrand-Prospect Line, 1906–1919 Two north-side tracks carried Manhattan streetcars: * Grand Street Line, 1904–1932 * Post Office Line, 1919–1932 *

Seventh Avenue-Brooklyn Line Seventh is the ordinal form of the number seven. Seventh may refer to: * Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution * A fraction (mathematics), , equal to one of seven equal parts Film and television *"The Seventh", a second-season epi ...

, 1911–1919 * 8th Street Crosstown Line, 1904–1911 *

14th Street-Williamsburg Bridge Line 14 (fourteen) is a natural number following 13 and preceding 15. In relation to the word "four" ( 4), 14 is spelled "fourteen". In mathematics * 14 is a composite number. * 14 is a square pyramidal number. * 14 is a stella octangula number ...

, 1904–1911 * Fourth Avenue and Williamsburg Bridge Line, 1904–1911 The

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...

tracks in the center of the bridge were initially used by the

Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company The Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) was a public transit holding company formed in 1896 to acquire and consolidate railway lines in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, United States. It was a prominent corporation and industry leader using ...

(BRT) elevated railroad. Today, the New York City Subway's , successors to the BRT/BMT lines, use these tracks at the following times: In 1995, a collision between a J train and an M train occurred on the bridge tracks, killing the J train's motorman. The crash led to widespread changes in the subway's signaling system.

Pedestrian and bicycle paths

From the Manhattan end the pathway begins in the median of Delancey Street at Clinton Street. On the western third of the bridge the pathway is shared by bicycles and pedestrians. This section of the path runs directly above the subway tracks. On the remaining two thirds of the bridge the pathway splits with the bicycle pathway running on the north side and the pedestrian path on the south side. The bicycle pathway ends on South 5th Street at Continental Army Plaza. The pedestrian pathway ends at Bedford Avenue.

Plazas

At the foot of the bridge in Williamsburg between South 5th place and Havemeyer Street in Brooklyn are three public areas that, collectively, comprise the Williamsburg Bridge Plaza, also known as Washington Plaza or George Washington Monument Park. It contains Continental Army Plaza and LaGuardia Playground, both operated by the Parks Department, as well as the Williamsburg Bridge Plaza Bus Terminal, which serves numerous bus lines to Brooklyn and Queens. The plaza is named after the large statue of

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

in Continental Army Plaza erected in 1906.

In popular culture

* The 1928

Edward Hopper Edward Hopper (July 22, 1882 – May 15, 1967) was an American realist painter and printmaker. While he is widely known for his oil paintings, he was equally proficient as a watercolorist and printmaker in etching. Hopper created subdued drama ...

painting ''From Williamsburg Bridge'' depicts a building as seen from the bridge's walkway. The building has since been demolished, and the walkway has been reconstructed. * The bridge appears in both '' The Crew'' and its 2018 sequel as a driveable bridge. * The Williamsburg Bridge appears in the films '' Fighting Death'' (1914); a

lost film A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress. Conditions During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy o ...

, Retrieved February 24, 2016] ''

City for Conquest ''City for Conquest'' is a 1940 American epic drama film directed by Anatole Litvak and starring James Cagney, Ann Sheridan and Arthur Kennedy. The picture is based on the 1936 novel of the same name by Aben Kandel. The supporting cast features ...

'' (1940), '' A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'' (1945), ''

The Naked City ''The Naked City'' (aka ''Naked City'') is a 1948 American film noir directed by Jules Dassin, starring Barry Fitzgerald, Howard Duff, Dorothy Hart and Don Taylor. The film, shot almost entirely on location in New York City, depicts the poli ...

'' (1948), '' The French Connection'' (1971), ''

Serpico ''Serpico'' is a 1973 American neo-noir biographical crime drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Al Pacino in the title role. The screenplay was adapted by Waldo Salt and Norman Wexler from the book of the same name written by Peter ...

'' and '' Live and Let Die'' (both 1973), ''

Once Upon a Time in America ''Once Upon a Time in America'' ( it, C'era una volta in America) is a 1984 epic crime film co-written and directed by Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone and starring Robert De Niro and James Woods. The film is an Italian–American venture produce ...

'' (1984), ''

Johnny Suede ''Johnny Suede'' is a 1991 American film the directorial debut of Tom DiCillo, and stars Brad Pitt, Catherine Keener, Calvin Levels and Nick Cave. Synopsis Johnny Suede is a young man with an attitude and an immense pompadour, who aspires to be ...

'' (1991), '' Scent of a Woman'' (1992), '' American Gangster'' (2007), ''

The Siege ''The Siege'' is a 1998 American action thriller film directed by Edward Zwick. The film is about a fictional situation in which terrorist cells have made several attacks in New York City. The film stars Denzel Washington, Annette Bening, Tony Sh ...

'' (1998), ''

Léon Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fro ...

'' (1994), '' The Naked Brothers Band: The Movie'' (2005), and ''

The Dark Knight Rises ''The Dark Knight Rises'' is a 2012 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan, and the story with David S. Goyer. The film is based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is th ...

'' and ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' (both 2012). * The bridge is mentioned several times in the novel '' A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'' (1943) by

Betty Smith Betty Smith (born Elisabeth Lillian Wehner; December 15, 1896 – January 17, 1972) was an American playwright and novelist, who wrote the 1943 bestseller '' A Tree Grows in Brooklyn''. Early years Smith was born Elisabeth Lillian Wehner on Dec ...

. It is also referenced in the novels ''

The Alienist ''The Alienist'' is a crime novel by Caleb Carr first published in 1994 and is the first book in the Kreizler series. It takes place in New York City in 1896, and includes appearances by many famous figures of New York society in that era, inc ...

'' (1994) by Caleb Carr and '' City of Bones'', the first book of ''The Mortal Instruments''. A scene in the book ''

The Last Olympian ''The Last Olympian'' is a fantasy-adventure novel based on Greek mythology by Rick Riordan, published on May 5, 2009. It is the fifth and final novel of the ''Percy Jackson & the Olympians'' series and serves as the direct sequel to ''The Battle ...

'' takes place on the bridge. * It is mentioned in several songs as well.

East Bay The East Bay is the eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area and includes cities along the eastern shores of the San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay. The region has grown to include inland communities in Alameda and Contra Costa countie ...

rockers Black Cat Music have a song titled "Williamsburg Bridge Song". The song "True Dreams of Wichita", by

Soul Coughing Soul Coughing was an American alternative rock band composed of vocalist/guitarist Mike Doughty (also known as M. Doughty), keyboardist/sampler Mark Degli Antoni, bassist Sebastian Steinberg, and drummer Yuval Gabay. Soul Coughing developed a d ...

, includes the lyric "And you can stand on the arms of the Williamsburg Bridge crying 'Hey man, well this is Babylon'" The area by the bridge was the location for

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting). Depeche ...

's 1990 single "

Policy Of Truth "Policy of Truth" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 7 May 1990 as the third single from their seventh studio album, '' Violator'' (1990). It is the only Depeche Mode single to chart higher on the US ''Billboar ...

". It was also used as cover art for their following song "

World in My Eyes "World in My Eyes" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was released on 17 September 1990 as the fourth and final single from their seventh studio album, '' Violator'' (1990). The song peaked at number two in Denmark and ...

". The Korean group

BIGBANG Big Bang (; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean boy band formed by YG Entertainment. The group consists of four members: G-Dragon, T.O.P, Taeyang, and Daesung. Originally a five-piece band, Seungri retired from the entertainment industry ...

filmed their "Bad Boy" music video on and around the bridge in 2012. Finally, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter

Susan McKeown Susan McKeown (born February 6, 1967) is an Irish folk singer, songwriter, arranger and producer. Early years Susan McKeown was born on February 6, 1967 in Terenure, Dublin, Ireland. She briefly attended the Municipal College of Music, Chatham ...

's 2012 album ''Belong'' opens with a duet with fellow Irish singer-songwriter

Declan O'Rourke Declan O'Rourke (born April 26, 1976) is a singer-songwriter from Dublin, Ireland. Career Early career to 2010 At the age of 13, when living in Australia with his family, O'Rourke was given his first guitar by a priest in Kyabram who recog ...

entitled "On The Bridge to Williamsburg". * From 1959 to 1961, during a sabbatical from performing, American jazz saxophonist

would go to the Williamsburg Bridge for practice sessions to spare a neighboring expectant mother the noise. His 1962 album '' The Bridge'', produced on his return from retirement, was titled after the bridge. * In 1996, artist Chris Doyle gilded the steps to the pedestrian walkway of the bridge. The project, known as "Commutable", was sponsored by the

Public Art Fund Public Art Fund is an independent, non-profit arts organization founded in 1977 by Doris C. Freedman. The organization presents contemporary art in New York City's public spaces through a series of highly visible artists' projects, new commissions, ...

, and transformed the decrepit and dangerous stairway into a monument to the thousands of everyday bicycle and walking commuters.Weber, Bruce (September 11, 1996
"Artist Transforms Bleak Bridge Walk Into Urban Dream"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''"Commutable"
on the

website * In

Alex Scarrow Alex Scarrow (born 14 February 1966) is a British author most known for his young adult science fiction series '' TimeRiders''. Early life Alex Scarrow used to be a rock guitarist in a band, spending ten years after college in the music bus ...

's popular sci-fi series, the

TimeRiders TimeRiders is a series of teen science fiction novels written by Alex Scarrow. The series has nine books and is currently published by Puffin Books. Summary The novels revolve around three teens who are recruited by an agency known as 'Th ...

, an archway under the bridge has been featured. * In N.K. Jemisin's novel, '' The City We Became'', the bridge is destroyed by the giant tentacle of an inter-dimensional entity attacking New York.

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

Williamsburg Bridge
info from NYCDOT * *
nycroads.com

NYCsubway.org – Williamsburg Bridge
{{Authority control 1903 establishments in New York City Articles containing video clips Bike paths in New York City Bridges completed in 1903 Bridges in Brooklyn Bridges on the Interstate Highway System Bridges over the East River Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation Grand Street (Manhattan) Henry Hornbostel buildings Historic American Engineering Record in New York City Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks Interstate 78 Metal bridges in the United States Pedestrian bridges in New York City Railroad bridges in New York City Rapid transit bridges Road bridges in New York City Road-rail bridges in the United States Suspension bridges in New York City Truss bridges in the United States Williamsburg, Brooklyn Double-decker bridges