Brooklyn Bridge

General Information

Other name(s):	Great East River Bridge
Beginning of works:	1869
Completion:	24 May 1883
Status:	in use

Project Type

Structure:	Suspension bridge with cable-stays
Function / usage:	Road bridge Tramway, light or metro rail bridge Pedestrian bridge (footbridge)
Material:	Steel bridge

Location

Location:	Manhattan, New York, New York, USA Brooklyn, New York, New York, USA
Crosses:	East River
Next to:	Manhattan Bridge (1912)
Coordinates:	40° 42' 20.00" N 73° 59' 47.00" W

Technical Information

Dimensions

	main span	487 m
	total length	1 825 m
	number of lanes	1950: 2 x 3

Materials

cables	steel
deck	steel
towers	masonry

Chronology

1950	All rail traffic on the bridge is discontinued.
1950 - 1952	Strengthening of the bridge without altering its overall appearance based on a design by David B. Steinman.

Notes

John A. Roebling submitted designs for the Brooklyn Bridge, but died shortly before construction began while surveying the site. His foot was injured and he died of lockjaw (tetanus). His son Washington Roebling continued work on the design. He himself suffered an attack of the bends and was confined to an apartment overlooking the construction site. Emily Roebling, his wife, relayed his instructions to the workers and was practically chief engineer until the bridge was completed.

The Brooklyn bridge has an elevated pedestrian walkway.

Participants

Initial construction (1869-1883)

Design

John A. Roebling's Sons Company
- John A. Roebling (designer)

Construction

John A. Roebling's Sons Company
- Washington Roebling (chief engineer)
- Emily Warrren Roebling (assistant to chief engineer)
- Wilhelm Hildenbrand

Reconfiguration (1948)

Design

Robinson & Steinman
- David B. Steinman (designer)

Relevant Web Sites

Relevant Publications

Brooklyn Bridge in "Civil Engineering Magazine", May 1983, n. 5 v. 53
Barnes, Alfred C. The New York and Brooklyn Bridge, J.H. Fisher, New York (USA), 1883
Billington, David P. The Tower and the Bridge, Princeton University Press, Princeton (USA), ISBN 069102393X, 1983; pp. 72-82
Billington, David P. & Payá Zaforteza, Ignacio La torre y el puente, CINTER, Madrid (Spain), ISBN 8493930547
Billington, David P. & Schlaich, Jörg Der Turm und die Brücke, Wilhelm Ernst & Sohn Verlag für Architektur und technische Wissenschaften, Berlin (Germany), ISBN 3433030774, 2013
Blakstad, Lucy Bridge, Birkhäuser, Basel (Switzerland), ISBN 3764366435, 2002
Bory, Paul Les grandes entreprises modernes, Alfred Mame et Fils, éditeurs, Tours (France), 1890; pp. 331-345
Brooklyn Museum The Great East River Bridge 1883-1983 (2^nd edition), Harry Abrahams, New York (USA), 1983
Brown, Jeff L. Landmarks in American Civil Engineering History in "Civil Engineering Magazine", November - December 2002, n. 11-12 v. 72
Deswarte, Sylvie & Lemoine, Bertrand L'architecture et les ingénieurs, Moniteur, Paris (France), ISBN 2281190994, 1997; pp. 134
Dupré, Judith Les ponts, Könemann, Cologne (Germany), ISBN 3829004109; pp. 54-55
Dupré, Judith Bridges, Black Dog & Leventhal, New York (USA), ISBN 1884822754, 1997; pp. 54-55
Dupré, Judith Brücken, Könemann, Cologne (Germany), ISBN 3829004095, 1998; pp. 54-55
Ewert, Sven Hängebrücken - Vergangenheit, Gegenwart, Zukunft in "Stahlbau", May 2000, n. 5 v. 69
Graf, Bernhard Bridges that Changed the World, Prestel, Munich (Germany), ISBN 3791327011, 2002; pp. 72-73
Graf, Bernhard Brücken, die die Welt verbinden, Prestel, Munich (Germany), ISBN 3791327003, 2002; pp. 72-73
Herzog, M. 100 Jahre Blooklyn-Brücke in New York in "Stahlbau", December 1983, n. 12 v. 52
Herzog, Max Die Tragwirkung der Brooklyn-Brücke in New York in "Stahlbau", December 1997, n. 12 v. 66
Hildenbrand, Wilhelm Cable making for suspension bridges, D. Van Nostrand, New York (USA), 1877
Hoff, Robert Meisterwerke der Ingenieurbaukunst, Bundesanzeiger Verlag, Cologne (Germany), ISBN 3887848861, 1998; pp. 165-168
Jackson, Donald C. Great American Bridges and Dams, John Wiley & Sons, New York (USA), ISBN 0471143855, 1984; pp. 130-132
John A. Roebling's Sons Company Construction of Parallel Wire Cables for Suspension Bridges, John A. Roebling's Sons Company, Trenton (USA), 1925
Mayrbaurl, Ronald M. Cable anchorage repairs on New York City suspension bridges presented at Extending the Lifespan of Structures, IABSE Symposium, San Francisco, August 1995.
McCullough, David The Great Bridge, Touchstone/Simon & Schuster, New York (USA), ISBN 067145711X, 1982
New York Academy of Sciences Bridge to the Future, New York (USA), 1984
Petroski, Henry To Engineer Is Human (1^st edition), Vintage Books, New York (USA), ISBN 0679734163, 1985; pp. 158-163
Picon, Antoine L'art de l'ingénieur, Éditions du Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris (France), ISBN 2858509115, 1997; pp. 94-96
Prade, Marcel Les grands ponts du monde: Hors d'Europe, Brissaud, Poitiers (France), ISBN 2902170688, 1990; pp. 115-117
Reier, Sharon The Bridges of New York, Dover Publications Inc., Mineola (USA), ISBN 048641230X, 2000; pp. 10-27
Roebling, John A. New York Bridge Company, on the proposed East River bridge, Daily Eagle Print, New York (USA), 1867
Roebling, Washington A. Pneumatic tower foundations of the East River suspension bridge, Averell & Peckett, printers,, New York (USA), 1873
Roebling, Washington A. Report of the Chief Engineer of East River bridge, 1872
Russell, Lisa Sensors working overtime in "Bridge Design & Engineering", 2nd Quarter 2009, n. 55 v. 15
Serzan, Kenneth Rehabilitation of the Brooklyn Bridge in "Structural Engineering International", November 1995, n. 4 v. 5
Steinman, David B. The Builders of the Bridge (2^nd edition), Harcourt, Brace and Co., New York (USA), 1950
Trachtenberg, Alan Brooklyn Bridge: Fact and Symbol, Oxford University Press, New York (USA), 1965
Troitsky, M. S. Cable-Stayed Bridges, Crosby Lockwood Staples, London (United Kingdom), ISBN 0258970340, 1977
Werner, Heike New York City für Architekten, Heike Werner Verlag, Munich (Germany), ISBN 3980947106, 2004; pp. 260-261
Werner, Heike New York - 25 Bauwerke die man sehen muss, Heike Werner Verlag, Munich (Germany), ISBN 3980947122; pp. 34-39
Wittfoht, Hans Buiding bridges, Beton-Verlag, Düsseldorf (Germany), ISBN 3764001763, 1984
Ziga, Charles J. New York Landmarks, Dove Tail Books, ISBN 0963667300, 1999; pp. 12-13

About this
data sheet
Structure-ID
20000011
Date created
28/10/1998
Last Update
17/06/2016