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| Image by Patrick Nouhailler /Flickr |
Verrazzano Bridge | Verrazzano Narrows Bridge
The Verrazzano Narrows Bridge, designed by urban architect Robert Moses and engineer Othmar Ammann, spans The Narrows, connecting Staten Island and Brooklyn.
At the time of its inauguration, in 1964, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. And although it no longer is, it is still the longest in the United States, at 1,298 meters in length.
The bridge runs from Fort Hamilton (Brooklyn) to Fort Wadsworth (Staten Island), two old bastions that defended New York Bay.
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History of the bridge
It was conceived as a necessity and, at the same time, a symbol of the entrance to the "New World".
Ten thousand people worked to build the bridge, which cost about $ 2.5 trillion today. A minimal amount, compared to what an equal work would cost today.
It was named Verrazzano in honor of the navigator Giovanni Da Verrazzano, who is believed to have been the first European to reach Hudson Bay (and yes, the bridge's name was missing a "z").
Characteristics and figures
The two huge towers are more than 200 meters high each and are almost 1,300 meters from each other. This distance made it necessary to compensate for the curvature of the earth. That is, the top of each tower is angled slightly inward so they look straight.
The second level was added in 1969. Both levels are for cars or buses only.
Each of the four suspension cables, 914 mm in diameter, is made up of 26,108 cables, which, placed one after the other, would exceed 230 thousand kilometer in length.
Around one and a half million vehicles cross the bridge each week.
Due to its location and length, the climate affects the Verrazzano-Narrows more than other bridges: in summer the carriageways drop by about 3 and a half meters, due to the expansion of the steel cables.
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