Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge, Vertical-lift road bridge in Brooklyn, United States
The Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge is a vertical-lift road bridge that crosses Rockaway Inlet to connect Brooklyn with the Rockaway Peninsula. It has four traffic lanes and a steel lift span designed to open for boat traffic when needed.
Construction began in 1936 under designer David Steinman and the bridge opened in 1937. The project required extensive preparation including relocating residents from Barren Island to make room for the bridge's foundation.
The bridge received its current name in 1978 to honor Gil Hodges, marking it as one of the first transportation structures named after a baseball figure.
Drivers should expect potential delays when the lift span opens to allow boats to pass underneath. The best time to cross is usually outside peak traffic hours when traffic flows more smoothly.
When it first opened, this bridge held the record for the world's longest vehicle lift span, demonstrating its importance right away through heavy traffic. Millions of vehicles crossed it in the first year, showing how essential the connection became for the area.
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