William Hubert Burr C.E. (1851–1934) was an American civil engineer, born at

Watertown, Connecticut Watertown is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 22,105 at the 2020 census. The ZIP codes for Watertown are 06795 (for most of the town) and 06779 (for the Oakville section). It is a suburb of Waterbury. ...

. He received his education at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Over several decades, he worked at various places. In 1884 he became assistant engineer to the

Phoenix Bridge Company The Phoenix Iron Works (1855: Phoenix Iron Company; 1949: Phoenix Iron & Steel Company; 1955: Phoenix Steel Corporation), located in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, was a manufacturer of iron and related products during the 19th century and early 20th ...

. After 1893 he was consulting engineer to New York departments, especially in connection with the Catskill Aqueduct work. In 1892–1893 he had been Professor at Harvard University and 1893–1916 Professor for Civil Engineering at Columbia University. In 1904 he was appointed a member of the

Isthmian Canal Commission The Isthmian Canal Commission (often known as the ICC) was an American administration commission set up to oversee the construction of the Panama Canal in the early years of American involvement. Established on February 26, 1904, it was given cont ...

. As a consulting engineer, Burr was also involved with the design of several bridges, tunnels, and infrastructure projects. In the

New York metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban landmass, at , and one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. The vast metropolitan area ...

, these included the University Heights (former Harlem Ship Canal) Bridge, Harlem River Speedway, the original

City Island Bridge The City Island Bridge is a bridge in the New York City borough of the Bronx, connecting City Island with Rodman's Neck on the mainland. The original bridge, which carried vehicles from 1901 to 2015, was replaced by the current bridge (also calle ...

, the original

145th Street Bridge The 145th Street Bridge is a four-lane swing bridge across the Harlem River in New York City, connecting 145th Street and Lenox Avenue in Manhattan with 149th Street and River Avenue in the Bronx. The bridge is operated and maintained by the N ...

, the

Holland Tunnel The Holland Tunnel is a vehicular tunnel under the Hudson River that connects the New York City neighborhood of Hudson Square in Lower Manhattan to the east with Jersey City in New Jersey to the west. The tunnel is operated by the Port Author ...

, the

Lincoln Tunnel The Lincoln Tunnel is an approximately tunnel under the Hudson River, connecting Weehawken, New Jersey, to the west with Midtown Manhattan in New York City to the east. It carries New Jersey Route 495 on the New Jersey side and unsigned Ne ...

, and the

George Washington Bridge The George Washington Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River, connecting Fort Lee, New Jersey, with Manhattan in New York City. The bridge is named after George Washington, the first president of the United S ...

. Burr was also involved with projects such as the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...

; a design for the

Arlington Memorial Bridge The Arlington Memorial Bridge is a Neoclassical masonry, steel, and stone arch bridge with a central bascule (or drawbridge) that crosses the Potomac River at Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. First proposed in 1886, the brid ...

; and the

New York State Barge Canal New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

. His published works are: * ''Stresses in Bridge and Roof Trusses'' (1879) * ''Ancient and Modern Engineering and the Isthmian Canal'' (1902) * ''The Elasticity and Resistance of the Materials of Engineering'' (1883, third edition, 1912) * ''The Graphic Method in Influence Lines for Bridge and Roof Computation'' (1905, with M. S. Falk)

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Burr, William Hubert 1851 births 1934 deaths American civil engineers 20th-century American engineers American engineering writers Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni People from Watertown, Connecticut