Brooklyn Bridge, Cable-stayed suspension bridge in Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York, United States
This crossing extends nearly 1800 meters (around 6000 feet) over the East River, supported by two granite towers in a neo-Gothic design that stand 84 meters (276 feet) above the water. Four thick steel cables, each roughly 40 centimeters (16 inches) across, hold the roadway and elevated pedestrian level in place between the towers and the shore.
Work started in January 1870 under John Augustus Roebling, who died that year from an accident on site. His son Washington Roebling took over but fell ill with caisson disease in 1872, leaving his wife Emily Warren Roebling to oversee progress until the opening in May 1883.
Locals often jog or stroll across the walkway in early mornings or after work, while tourists regularly stop at midpoint to photograph each other against the Manhattan skyline. On weekends, street musicians and portrait artists frequently set up along the promenade, creating a lively urban gathering spot where people pause and linger.
The elevated walkway sits above car lanes and connects with City Hall Park on the Manhattan side or Cadman Plaza in Brooklyn. Mornings before nine and evenings after sunset tend to be quieter, and the crossing usually takes 30 to 40 minutes on foot while cyclists share the same path.
The four main cables were spun in place between February 1877 and October 1878, when spinning wheels carried more than 20,000 steel wires back and forth across the East River. A supplier's fraudulent substitution of inferior wire later led engineers to reappraise the span as only four times as strong as needed, not the six to eight times John Roebling had intended.
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