University Heights Bridge
| University Heights Bridge | |
|---|---|
from the University Heights Metro-North station (2014)
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| Coordinates | Coordinates: 40°51′46″N 73°54′54″W / 40.86278°N 73.91500°W |
| Carries | 207th Street / Fordham Road |
| Crosses | Harlem River |
| Locale | Manhattan and the Bronx, New York City |
| Other name(s) | 207th Street Bridge |
| Maintained by | New York City Department of Transportation |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Swing |
| Total length | 268 feet (82 m) |
| Longest span | 227 feet (69 m) |
| History | |
| Opened | January 8, 1908 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 39,641 (2012) |
The University Heights Bridge crosses the Harlem River, connecting West 207th Street in the Inwood neighborhood of Manhattan to West Fordham Road in the University Heights section of the Bronx. The steel-truss revolving swing bridge is operated and maintained by the New York City Department of Transportation and carries two lanes of traffic in each direction, along with a sidewalk on the south side of the bridge. It may have once carried the now-decommissioned New York State Route 9X.
The bridge has three masonry piers, and the approach spans are made of steel. The sidewalk features four shelters with cast-iron piers, while the bridge itself has a "graceful" profile with "ornate" iron railings and two stone pavilions.
The bridge was designed by consulting engineer William H. Burr with Alfred Pancoast Boller, who was particularly responsible for its aesthetics, and Paul W. Birdsall, and was constructed in 1893-95 at its original location as the Harlem Ship Canal Bridge between Upper Manhattan and Marble Hill. The bridge was to be replaced by a new double-level bridge that would accommodate the extension of the IRT Broadway - Seventh Avenue Line, so in 1905-08 it was disconnected and floated down the Harlem River (June 1906) to its current location, where it was placed on a central pier and an additional span was added to it on the western approach, all under the supervision of chief engineer Othniel F. Nichols. The bridge opened to traffic on January 8, 1908.
On September 11, 1984, the bridge was designated a New York City Landmark by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
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Wikipedia