The Third Avenue Bridge is a swing bridge that carries southbound road traffic on Third Avenue over the Harlem River, connecting the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx in New York City. It once carried southbound New York State Route 1A. On the Manhattan side, the bridge funnels traffic into three locations: East 128th Street; the intersection of East 129th Street and Lexington Avenue; or FDR Drive in Manhattan.
Third Avenue Bridge | |
|---|---|
 From the south | |
| Coordinates | 40°48′27″N 73°55′57″W / 40.8076°N 73.9325°W |
| Carries | 5 lanes of Third Avenue |
| Crosses | Harlem River |
| Locale | Manhattan and the Bronx, New York City |
| Other name(s) | 3rd Avenue Bridge |
| Owner | City of New York |
| Maintained by | NYCDOT[1] |
| Preceded by | Madison Avenue Bridge |
| Followed by | Willis Avenue Bridge |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Swing bridge |
| Total length | 2,800 feet (853.44 m)[1] |
| Longest span | 300 feet (91.44 m)[1] |
| History | |
| Construction cost | $119 million[1] |
| Opened | August 1, 1898[1] |
| Rebuilt | December 6, 2004 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 55,096 (2016)[2] |
| Location | |
 | |
The bridge was formerly bidirectional, but converted to one-way operation southbound on August 5, 1941 on the same day the Willis Avenue Bridge was similarly converted to one-way northbound.[3] In 1955, the original multi-truss bridge constructed in 1898 was removed and sold.[4] A rebuilt bridge reopened in December 1956.[5]
Reconstruction
edit
As part of a major NYCDOT reconstruction project from 2001-2005, a new swing span was floated into place on October 29, 2004. Two lanes of Manhattan-bound traffic opened on December 6, 2004, and the remaining three lanes opened in 2005. In addition to replacing the swing span and its machinery, the project included redesigned approach ramps to the bridge on the Bronx side and off the bridge in Manhattan. As reconstructed, the Third Avenue Bridge carries five lanes of Manhattan-bound traffic from the Bronx, which split to three ramps in Manhattan: to East 128th Street and Second Avenue; to Lexington Avenue and East 129th Street; and to FDR Drive.
For 2011, the New York City Department of Transportation, which operates and maintains the bridge, reported an average daily traffic volume of 59,603; the bridge reached a peak ADT of 73,121 in 2000.[6] Between 2000 and 2014, the bridge opened for vessels 93 times, including 60 times in 2007.[7]
On July 8, 2024, during the 2024 North America heat waves, the bridge suffered from heat expansion and got stuck in the open position, so vehicles could not cross it. The New York City Fire Department sprayed water onto the bridge to cool it down.[8]
Public transportation
editThe Third Avenue Bridge carries the M125 bus route operated by MTA New York City Transit. The route's average weekday ridership is 19,951.[9]
TV documentary
editDiscovery Channel contracted Barner-Alper Productions of Toronto to produce an episode of Mega-Builders, titled "Spanning the Harlem", about the work leading up to the float-in of the swing span.[10] It first aired in 2005 in Canada on Discovery Canada.[10]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Michael R. Bloomberg, City of New York (January 23, 2004). "New York City's Harlem River Bridges: The Reauthorization of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century" (PDF). Retrieved December 2, 2017.
- ^ "New York City Bridge Traffic Volumes" (PDF). New York City Department of Transportation. 2016. p. 9. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
- ^ "One-way Bridges to Ease Traffic". The New York Times. August 5, 1941. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
- ^ "Third Avenue Bridge Wallflower at Auction". The New York Times. September 16, 1955. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
- ^ "Third Ave. Bridge Reopens Today With an Extra Lane". The New York Times. December 3, 1956. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
- ^ "New York City Bridge Traffic Volumes 2008" (PDF). New York City Department of Transportation. March 2010. p. 74. Retrieved June 27, 2010.
- ^ "Bridges and Tunnels Annual Condition Report" (PDF). New York City Department of Transportation. 2014. p. 147. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
- ^ Staff • •, NBC New York (July 8, 2024). "It's so hot that an NYC bridge literally stopped working". NBC New York. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
- ^ "Average Weekday NYC Transit Bus Ridership". MTA New York City Transit. 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
- ^ a b ""Megabuilders (2005)" - 1x01 - Spanning the Harlem". EPisodeWorld. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
