Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge
   HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge
OR:
Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

The Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge (originally Cross Bay Bridge or Cross Bay Parkway Bridge) is a
toll bridge A toll bridge is a bridge where a monetary charge (or '' toll'') is required to pass over. Generally the private or public owner, builder and maintainer of the bridge uses the toll to recoup their investment, in much the same way as a toll road ...
that carries
Cross Bay Boulevard Woodhaven Boulevard and Cross Bay Boulevard (formerly Jamaica Bay Boulevard) are two parts of a major boulevard in the New York City borough of Queens. Woodhaven Boulevard runs roughly north–south in the central portion of Queens. South o ...
across
Jamaica Bay Jamaica Bay is an estuary on the southern portion of the western tip of Long Island, in the U.S. state of New York. The estuary is partially man-made, and partially natural. The bay connects with Lower New York Bay to the west, through Rockaw ...
in
Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
,
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, between Broad Channel and the
Rockaway Peninsula The Rockaway Peninsula, commonly referred to as The Rockaways or Rockaway, is a peninsula at the southern edge of the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, New York. Relatively isolated from Manhattan and other more urban parts of the ...
.


Description and history

Planning for a bridge across Jamaica Bay, connecting Howard Beach with Rockaway Beach via Beach Channel, had begun by 1917. Construction began in 1923. The bridge was intended to save travel time for people in Manhattan traveling to the Rockaways. The bridge was designed by the engineering firm of
Madigan-Hyland Madigan-Hyland was an American engineering firm active in the New York City area, named for founders Michael J. ("Jack") Madigan and Richard V. Hyland. Their offices were located in Long Island City. The firm's work in New York City was closely a ...
. Contractor J. Rich Steers, Inc., built the bridge for the New York City Parkway Authority, which was later merged into the
Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA), doing business as MTA Bridges and Tunnels, is an affiliate agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority that operates seven toll bridges and two tunnels in New York City. In terms of traf ...
. The bridge was a part of a program to develop Jamaica Bay as a recreational area instead of an industrial port. The bridge opened in 1925, at a cost of $7million (equivalent to $million in ). The original bridge was intended to sufficiently handle traffic for many years to come, but by 1929 it was already becoming overly congested. The bridge was replaced with a newer, low-level
bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- o ...
in the same location that was opened on June 3, 1939, at a cost of $33million (equivalent to $million in ). It consisted of a widened version of the previous drawbridge, and a grade-separated interchange complex feeding into
Beach Channel Drive Beach Channel Drive is the main thoroughfare of the Rockaway Peninsula in the New York City borough of Queens. It extends from the Nassau County border at Inwood westward, to the Marine Parkway–Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge at the end of Jacob ...
and the Cross Bay Parkway. The Cross Bay Parkway was extended south along Beach 94th Street and Beach 95th Street to the Shore Front Parkway along Rockaway Beach. Following its completion, Harry Taylor, head of the New York City Parkway Authority, said it had "transformed the old-time beach resort of blighted shacks, cheap amusements and limited play space into a modern playground of the type and character of Jones Beach." The bridge was reconstructed at a cost of $26million (equivalent to $million in ) and opened to traffic on May 28, 1970. The current bridge is a high-level fixed bridge carrying six traffic lanes and a sidewalk on the west side. The bridge was built high in order to allow boats pass under without the delays caused by the previous drawbridge. The bridge is operated by the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, an affiliate agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.


Tolls

As of April 11, 2021, drivers pay $5.09 per car or $4.28 per motorcycle for tolls by mail/non-NYCSC E-Z Pass. E ZPass users with transponders issued by the New York E ZPass Customer Service Center pay $2.45 per car or $2.05 per motorcycle. Mid-Tier NYCSC E-Z Pass users pay $3.77 per car or $3.17 per motorcycle. Until 2010, residents of the Rockaways and Broad Channel 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 The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the New York City metropolitan area of the U.S. state of New York. The MTA is the largest public transit authority in th ...
budget cuts. Open-road cashless tolling began on April 30, 2017. The tollbooths were dismantled, and drivers are no longer able to pay with cash or tokens at the bridge. Instead, there are cameras mounted onto new overhead gantries manufactured by
TransCore Roper Technologies, Inc. (formerly Roper Industries, Inc.) is an American diversified industrial company that produces engineered products for global niche markets. The company is headquartered in Sarasota, Florida. Roper provides a wide range ...
near where the booths were located. A vehicle without E-ZPass has a picture taken of its license plate and a bill for the toll is mailed to its owner. For E-ZPass users, sensors detect their transponders wirelessly. Residents with leftover bridge tokens were eligible to redeem their tokens for a refund through the E-ZPass Customer Service prior to April 29, 2017.


See also

*
List of reference routes in New York A reference route is an unsigned highway assigned by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) to roads that possess a signed name (mainly parkways), that NYSDOT has determined are too minor to have a signed touring route number, o ...


References


External links

*
Cross Bay Bridge @ NYCROADS.com
* {{crossings navbox , structure = Crossings , place =
Jamaica Bay Jamaica Bay is an estuary on the southern portion of the western tip of Long Island, in the U.S. state of New York. The estuary is partially man-made, and partially natural. The bay connects with Lower New York Bay to the west, through Rockaw ...
, bridge = Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge , bridge signs = , upstream = Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge , upstream signs = , downstream = Atlantic Beach Bridge , downstream signs = Bridges completed in 1939 Bascule bridges in the United States Toll bridges in New York City Bridges completed in 1970 Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority Transportation in Rockaway, Queens Bridges in Queens, New York Monuments and memorials in New York City Road bridges in New York City 1939 establishments in New York City Pedestrian bridges in New York City Concrete bridges in the United States Bridge light displays