Borden Avenue Bridge, Retractable bridge in Long Island City, Queens, United States
The Borden Avenue Bridge is a retractable bridge spanning the Dutch Kills waterway in Long Island City, Queens. Its roadway slides horizontally on rails to allow vessels to pass underneath when needed.
The bridge was designed by engineer Edward Abraham Byrne and completed in 1908 during the industrial expansion of New York City. It represents an early approach to solving the challenge of combining road and water traffic in urban areas.
The bridge stands as one of only four remaining retractable bridges in the United States, demonstrating a specific engineering approach to urban water crossings.
The bridge carries regular vehicle traffic and serves as a key connector between different parts of the neighborhood. Pedestrians and cyclists should be aware that it is a busy road crossing.
The bridge's retraction mechanism remains functional, but it has not been operated for many years. Today it functions as a standard road crossing while carrying a piece of obsolete engineering hidden beneath its surface.
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