University Heights Bridge, Steel swing bridge across Harlem River, New York
The University Heights Bridge is a steel swing bridge over the Harlem River, linking West 207th Street in Manhattan to West Fordham Road in the Bronx. It carries four lanes of traffic and has sidewalks on both sides of the roadway.
The bridge was originally built as the Broadway Bridge at a different location on the Harlem River, then dismantled and reassembled at its current site between 1907 and 1908. Moving an entire steel bridge rather than building a new one was an unusual choice for its time.
Walking across the bridge gives a clear view of the Harlem River below and the low-rise neighborhoods on both banks, a perspective that most people who cross by bus or car never notice. The crossing itself feels like a boundary between two very different sides of the city.
The bridge sits in a dense residential area of northern Manhattan and can be reached on foot from the surrounding streets. Pedestrians have their own sidewalks on the bridge, but vehicle traffic moves continuously alongside them.
The swing mechanism at the center of the bridge can rotate the middle span to open a channel for boats, but this movement is rarely triggered today. If the mechanism does activate during a visit, it is one of the few places in New York where you can watch a bridge open from close range.
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