Unspecified/General

When it opened in May 1883 after fourteen years of work, the Brooklyn Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world and the first to be built with steel-wire cables, a span so ambitious that it earned the nickname the eighth wonder of the world. It crosses the East River to join Manhattan and Brooklyn, and its pair of Gothic-arched granite towers remains one of the most recognisable images of New York. The bridge nearly broke the family that built it. The designer, John A. Roebling, died of an injury sustained while surveying the site before construction began; his son Washington Roebling took over as chief engineer but was left partly paralysed by decompression sickness contracted in the pressurised caissons sunk to bedrock. His wife, Emily Roebling, then learned the engineering herself and effectively managed the project to completion, relaying instructions and inspecting the work. At least twenty people died during construction. The opening was a civic event: schools and businesses closed, President Chester Arthur led a procession across, and Emily Roebling took the first ride with a rooster on her lap as a symbol of victory. Within a day, well over a hundred thousand people had walked the elevated promenade that Roebling deliberately placed above the roadway for the pleasure of pedestrians, a feature that still defines the experience. That walkway is why most visitors come today. The roughly mile-long crossing offers sweeping views of Lower Manhattan, the harbour and the Statue of Liberty, and it is free and open around the clock; early morning and late evening avoid the heaviest crowds and the friction between walkers and cyclists. Many people start from the Brooklyn side so the Manhattan skyline rises ahead of them as they cross. Named a National Historic Landmark, it still carries traffic well into its second century. Information panels along the deck explain the engineering and the human cost of the build, and the bridge features in films, photographs and New Year celebrations alike. Walkers should note that the lanes are shared with a steady stream of cyclists, so keeping to the marked pedestrian side avoids most of the friction at busy times.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: Brooklyn Bridge, New York City, NY, United States

Opening Date: 24/05/1883