Carroll Street Bridge, Retractable road bridge in Gowanus, Brooklyn, US
Carroll Street Bridge crosses the Gowanus Canal with a wooden deck, a single eastbound traffic lane, and two pedestrian walkways on its sides. The structure features an integrated lifting mechanism that allows the roadway to retract upward and create a passage for water vessels.
Construction was completed in 1889 under engineer Robert Van Buren and it remains one of only four still-operating retractable bridges in the United States. The design was created to support the Gowanus Canal as an active waterway for commercial shipping traffic.
The bridge stands as a key piece of Brooklyn's industrial past and received official landmark status from New York City in 1987. It represents an era when the Gowanus Canal was a busy commercial waterway and such structures were essential to the neighborhood.
Vehicles taller than 3.8 meters (12 feet) or heavier than 9 tons cannot cross the bridge and must find alternate routes. Visitors should note that the bridge is actively used daily and pedestrians should expect vehicle traffic while walking.
The lifting mechanism slides diagonally along three steel rails, creating roughly an 11-meter opening for water traffic on the canal. This unusual sliding and lifting system is rare among American bridges and makes the mechanics of this structure notably distinctive.
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