Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge | |
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Coordinates | 40°35′29″N 73°49′11″W / 40.591497°N 73.819614°WCoordinates: 40°35′29″N 73°49′11″W / 40.591497°N 73.819614°W |
Carries | Cross Bay Boulevard |
Crosses | Jamaica Bay |
Locale | Broad Channel and Rockaway Peninsula, in New York City |
Maintained by | MTA Bridges and Tunnels |
Characteristics | |
Total length | 3,000 feet (910 m) |
Longest span | 275 feet (84 m) |
Clearance below | 55 feet (17 m) |
History | |
Opened | May 28, 1970 |
Statistics | |
Daily traffic | 21,240 (2010) |
Toll | $4.00 (cash); $2.08 (New York State E-ZPass) |
The Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge (originally Cross Bay Bridge or Cross Bay Parkway Bridge) in New York City is a toll bridge that carries Cross Bay Boulevard from Broad Channel in Jamaica Bay to the Rockaway Peninsula, and is located in Queens.
Opened on June 3, 1939, the original bridge in this location was designed by engineering firm Madigan-Hyland and built on behalf of the New York City Parkway Authority by contractor J. Rich Steers, Inc., before the authority was merged into the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority. The bridge was a part of a program to develop Jamaica Bay as a recreational area instead of an industrial port. The 1939 bridge was a low-level bascule bridge.
Reconstructed and opened to traffic on May 28, 1970, the new bridge is a high level fixed bridge carrying six traffic lanes and a sidewalk on the west side. This let boats pass under without delays to lift the drawbridge. The bridge is owned by New York Cityand operated by the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, an affiliate agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Registered Rockaway and Broad Channel residents with E-ZPass receive toll rebates on this bridge. Until 2010, Rockaways and Broad Channel residents could cross the bridge for free. Residents of Broad Channel and the Rockaways who have an E-ZPass pay $1.19 per crossing if they cross up to twice per day, but are not charged if they cross more than twice in 24 hours. The new toll for area residents was part of a series of Metropolitan Transportation Authority budget cuts.
Starting on March 22, 2015, the cash tolls $4.00 per car or $3.25 per motorcycle. E‑ZPass users with transponders issued by the New York E‑ZPass Customer Service Center pay $2.08 per car or $1.73 per motorcycle.