The University Heights Bridge is a steel-truss revolving

swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that can be rotated horizontally around a vertical axis. It has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravit ...

across the

Harlem River The Harlem River is an tidal strait in New York City, flowing between the Hudson River and the East River and separating the island of Manhattan from the Bronx on the United States mainland. The northern stretch, also called the Spuyten Duyvi ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. It connects West 207th Street in the Inwood neighborhood of

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

with West Fordham Road in the University Heights neighborhood of

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

. The bridge is operated and maintained by the

New York City Department of Transportation The New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) is the agency of the government of New York City responsible for the management of much of New York City's transportation infrastructure. Ydanis Rodriguez is the Commissioner of the Departm ...

. The bridge carries two lanes of traffic in each direction, along with a sidewalk on its southern side. The bridge has three masonry

piers Piers may refer to: * Pier, a raised structure over a body of water * Pier (architecture), an architectural support * Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name) * Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...

supporting the steel approach spans. The sidewalk features four shelters with cast-iron supports while the bridge deck has decorative iron railings and two stone pavilions. The bridge structure was originally installed further to the north, carrying

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

across the

Harlem River Ship Canal Spuyten Duyvil Creek () is a short tidal estuary in New York City connecting the Hudson River to the Harlem River Ship Canal and then on to the Harlem River. The confluence of the three water bodies separate the island of Manhattan from t ...

. It opened in 1895 as the

Harlem Ship Canal Bridge The Broadway Bridge is a vertical-lift bridge across the Harlem River Ship Canal in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It connects the neighborhoods of Inwood on Manhattan Island and Marble Hill on the mainland. The bridge consists o ...

and was relocated southward to University Heights in 1908. Over the following decades, the University Heights Bridge carried streetcar and bus service. By the late 20th century it was in disrepair. The

New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the Government of New York City, New York City agency charged with administering the city's Historic preservation, Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting Ne ...

designated the University Heights Bridge as a city landmark in 1984, and it was completely rebuilt between 1989 and 1992.

Description

The University Heights Bridge, a

over the

, connects West 207th Street in

Inwood, Manhattan Inwood is a neighborhood in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan, at the northern tip of Manhattan Island, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is bounded by the Hudson River to the west, Spuyten Duyvil ...

, with West

Fordham Road Fordham Road is a major thoroughfare in the Bronx, New York City, that runs west-east from the Harlem River to Bronx Park. Fordham Road houses the borough's largest and most diverse shopping district. It geographically separates the geopoli ...

University Heights, Bronx University Heights is a neighborhood of the West Bronx in New York City. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are: West Fordham Road to the north, Jerome Avenue to the east, West Burnside Avenue to the south and the Har ...

. The movable central span pivots around a small masonry island in the middle of the river. The movable section is designed as a metal

truss bridge A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements, typically straight, may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...

composed of numerous

Howe truss A Howe truss is a truss bridge consisting of chords, verticals, and diagonals whose vertical members are in tension and whose diagonal members are in compression. The Howe truss was invented by William Howe in 1840, and was widely used as a brid ...

es and

Warren truss In structural engineering, a Warren truss or equilateral truss is a type of truss employing a weight-saving design based upon Triangle, equilateral triangles. It is named after the British engineer James Warren (engineer), James Warren, who pat ...

es. The University Heights Bridge carries the Bx12 local and

Select Bus Service Select Bus Service (SBS; stylized as +busservice) is a service provided by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)'s Regional Bus Operations for limited-stop bus routes with some bus rapid transit features in New York City. The first SB ...

bus routes operated by

MTA New York City Transit The New York City Transit Authority (also known as NYCTA, the TA, or simply Transit, and branded as MTA New York City Transit) is a New York state public-benefit corporations, public-benefit corporation in the U.S. state of New York (state), New ...

. Between 2000 and 2014, the bridge opened for vessels 114 times. The bridge was designed by consulting engineer

William Hubert Burr William Hubert Burr C.E. (July 14, 1851 – December 13, 1934) was an American civil engineer Biography William Hubert Burr was born at Watertown, Connecticut on July 14, 1851. who later became consulting engineer at several other bridge and tunnel projects, mostly in the New York City area. Burr was posthumously described as "one of the engineers who helped to raise the level of American building technology to the status of exact science". Burr also gave credit to

Alfred Pancoast Boller Alfred Pancoast Boller (February 23, 1840 – December 9, 1912) was a civil engineer and bridge designer. He was the chief engineer on several bridge building projects during the late 1800 and early 1900s. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in th ...

, who was responsible for the bridge's aesthetics, and George W. Birdsall, chief engineer of the Department of Public Works. Boller had been involved in the design of several other Harlem River bridges, including the

Madison Avenue Bridge __NOTOC__ The Madison Avenue Bridge is a four-lane swing bridge crossing the Harlem River in New York City, carrying East 138th Street between the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. It was designed by Alfred P. Boller and built in 1910, doubl ...

and the

Macombs Dam Bridge The Macombs Dam Bridge ( ; also Macomb's Dam Bridge) is a swing bridge across the Harlem River in New York City, connecting the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. The bridge is operated and maintained by the New York City Department of Tran ...

, and was also a consulting engineer or designer for numerous other bridges across the world. He had stated in 1877 that, by including ornamental detail in bridge designs, "the appearance of a roadway-bridge having sidewalks is very much enhanced, and at a very small cost." Birdsall appears to have been given ''ex officio'' credit, by virtue of his position as Public Works chief engineer.

Original site

From 1895 to 1905, the bridge structure was situated on the

further north, during which time it was known as the Harlem Ship Canal Bridge. It carried

between the Inwood and

Marble Hill Marble Hill is the name of: Australia *Marble Hill, South Australia, the vice-regal residence in the Adelaide Hills Ireland * Marble Hill, County Donegal, a village in County Donegal United Kingdom *Marble Hill House, a villa on the banks ...

neighborhoods of Manhattan. Prior to the construction of the Harlem River Ship Canal, Marble Hill was part of Manhattan Island, and the Spuyten Duyvil Creek made a tight curve around the northern shore of Marble Hill, connecting the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

on the west shore of Manhattan Island with

on the east shore. Marble Hill was separated from Manhattan Island when the canal opened in 1895. The Harlem Ship Canal Bridge measured from end to end, or excluding stone abutments. It was constructed with four sections supported by three masonry

. The two central sections comprised the swing span, which pivoted around a small masonry island in the middle of the canal. On either side of the masonry island were navigable openings that measured wide at mean high water. The swing span was approached by two approach structures, as well as stone abutments. The bridge had a total width of , with a roadway of and two sidewalks of . The bridge weighed , with the machinery comprising one-sixth of the weight.

Current site

2014 University Heights Bridge sidewalk shelters 3

The University Heights Bridge is composed of five sections. The easternmost section and the two westernmost sections are fixed-deck Warren trusses, while the central sections comprise the swing span above the Harlem River. The westernmost approach span was made for the 207th Street location, while the other spans were carried over from their original Broadway location. According to the

(NYCDOT), which maintains the bridge, its total length is , including its approach spans. The bridge carries four lanes for vehicular traffic and a sidewalk on the southern side for pedestrians. The deck previously had two sidewalks, each wide. The northern sidewalk was eliminated during the 1989–1992 renovation and the southern sidewalk widened to . The swing span is variously cited as being or long. The swing span's trusswork consists of concave

chords Chord or chords may refer to: Art and music * Chord (music), an aggregate of musical pitches sounded simultaneously ** Guitar chord, a chord played on a guitar, which has a particular tuning * The Chords (British band), 1970s British mod ...

running along the top. The chords taper up toward a square section in the center of the span, which is topped by four

finial A finial () or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a dome, spire, tower, roo ...

s. The swing span can be rotated around a tower below the center of the deck, which in turn is on the small masonry island. The rotating tower is about in diameter and is anchored into the bedrock beneath the Harlem River. The swing span is supported by three piers, one in the center of the river and one on each bank; these piers are made of concrete and faced with

ashlar Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...

. At either end of the bridge's approach spans are concrete ramps with walls made of granite ashlar. The western end of the bridge is at 207th Street's intersection with Ninth Avenue. At the eastern end of the bridge, an overpass crosses the

Metro-North Railroad The Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company , also branded as MTA Metro-North Railroad and commonly called simply Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a New York State publ ...

's Hudson Line, and an entrance to the line's

University Heights station University Heights station (also known as the University Heights–West 207th Street station) is a commuter rail stop on the Metro-North Railroad's Hudson Line (Metro-North), Hudson Line, serving the University Heights, Bronx, University Height ...

leads from the sidewalk. The overpass continues as Fordham Road, which intersects with the on- and off-ramps of Interstate 87 (I-87), the Major Deegan Expressway. On either bank of the river is an iron, copper, and stone shelter house with a red tile roof. The shelter house on the east bank is north of the roadway, while that on the west bank is south of the roadway. There are drawbridge gates near these end piers, blocking off access to the swing span when it is open for maritime traffic. Many of the original railings have been replaced. The bridge's sidewalk contains four

pergola A pergola is most commonly used as an outdoor garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway, or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support crossbeams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are t ...

s or shelters, two on each bank of the river. The pergolas each consist of six cast-iron columns with elliptical wrought-iron arches, as well as

hip roof A hip roof, hip-roof or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downward to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope, with variants including Tented roof, tented roofs and others. Thus, a hipped roof has no gables or other ve ...

s with copper shingles.

History

As a result of the River and Harbor Act, passed by the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

in 1890, bridges on the Harlem River with low vertical clearance were to be replaced with those with at least of clearance during

mean high water springs A chart datum is the water surface serving as origin (or coordinate surface) of depths displayed on a nautical chart and for reporting and predicting tide heights. A chart datum is generally derived from some tidal phase, in which case it is ...

. Drawbridges and swing spans were determined to be most suitable for this purpose. In 1891, a wooden pedestrian drawbridge was constructed between 207th Street in Manhattan and Fordham Road in the Bronx. To the north, the New York City Department of Public Works was commissioned in 1892 to build the

between Inwood and Marble Hill, carrying

over the new canal. This bridge was designed by Burr, Boller, and Birdsall, and constructed by A. McMullen & Co. The bridge opened on January 1, 1895. At the time, it was one of several swing bridges that had been built on the Harlem River, and it was the second oldest major bridge in New York City behind the

Brooklyn Bridge The Brooklyn Bridge is a cable-stayed suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East River. It w ...

Relocation from Broadway

By the first decade of the 20th century, the city sold the Harlem Ship Canal Bridge to the

Interborough Rapid Transit Company The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) was the private operator of New York City's original underground subway line that opened in 1904, as well as earlier elevated railways and additional rapid transit lines in New York City. The IRT ...

(IRT), which was constructing the

New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system in New York City serving the New York City boroughs, boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. It is owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Tr ...

's first line. A branch of the line was to cross the Harlem Ship Canal above Broadway, which involved modifying or replacing the existing bridge. Ultimately, the IRT determined the existing structure could not support the elevated subway line, choosing instead to build the double-decker Broadway Bridge. The need to replace the bridge was further emphasized when, in 1903, the

New York State Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the Bicameralism, two houses that act as the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York: the New York State Senate and the New York State Assem ...

passed legislation allowing the realignment of the

New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected New York metropolitan area, gr ...

's Spuyten Duyvil Line (now the

's Hudson Line) along the Harlem River's eastern bank. The railroad wished to avoid a

grade crossing A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line or the road etc. crossing over or under using an overpass or tunnel. The t ...

with the

Metropolitan Street Railway The New York Railways Company operated street railways in Manhattan, New York City, between 1911 and 1925. The company went into receivership in 1919 and control was passed to the New York Railways Corporation in 1925 after which all of its rem ...

's streetcar tracks on the replacement Broadway Bridge. In 1903, bridge engineer

Gustav Lindenthal Gustav Lindenthal (May 21, 1850 – July 31, 1935) was a civil engineer who designed the Queensboro Bridge, Queensboro and Hell Gate Bridge, Hell Gate bridges in New York City, among other bridges. Lindenthal's work was greatly affected by h ...

suggested constructing a bridge from University Heights in the Bronx to Inwood in Manhattan. An early proposal called for a , bridge from 184th Street (now Fordham Road) in the Bronx to 210th Street in Manhattan. However, that span was reduced to long and wide to save money. The city suggested that the Harlem Ship Canal Bridge could be relocated for that purpose. Ultimately, the city made an agreement with the three railroads to relocate the first span down the Harlem River, only ten years after it had been constructed. The Board of Estimate authorized the Commissioner of Bridges to repurchase the bridge from the IRT. Accordingly, the spans of the old Harlem Ship Canal Bridge were replaced with the new double-decker spans in three phases. After the old spans were disconnected from their old location and moved aside, the corresponding sections of the new Broadway Bridge were floated into place. The southern approach at Broadway was replaced in October 1905, followed by the northern approach in November. At 207th Street, the Foundation and Contracting Company started constructing the pier at the center of the river in November 1903, completing it ten months later. The relocated bridge, initially slated to be known as the Fordham Heights Bridge, was formally renamed the University Heights Bridge in May 1904. The Snare & Triest Company was hired in 1905 to perform additional work on the relocated bridge's approaches, as well as construct an additional span for the western approach. The same year, the Department of Bridges issued $821,215 in capital stock to fund the relocation. The existing spans underwent major modifications before being installed at 207th Street. The Harlem Ship Canal Bridge's southern approach was towed by barges to 207th Street in May 1906 and reinstalled as the University Heights Bridge's western approach. The following month, the swing span was towed from its Broadway location and lifted onto the new pivot pier at 207th Street. In November 1907, the old northern approach was towed to Fordham Road and reinstalled as the University Heights Bridge's eastern approach. The relocation was conducted under the supervision of chief engineer Othniel F. Nichols. The bridge reopened to traffic on January 8, 1908.

Usage

2014 University Heights Bridge from north

The Union Railway Company planned to extend their Fordham Road streetcar line from the Bronx to Manhattan when the bridge was announced. By late 1908, after the opening of the bridge, the Union Railway applied for permission for a Manhattan extension. After the permission was granted, streetcar service across the bridge began in November 1910. The bridge was designated as part of U.S. Route 9X in December 1934, which was redesignated as New York State Route 9X shortly afterward. The highway designation was deleted in the 1940s. The Fordham Road streetcar service was replaced with the Bx19 bus, later the Bx12 bus, in 1948. The next year, the deck was replaced and the streetcar tracks were removed. A freestanding gantry for the streetcar's electric wires remained on the swing span's eastern end through the 1980s. Mayor

John Lindsay John Vliet Lindsay (; November 24, 1921 – December 19, 2000) was an American politician and lawyer. During his political career, Lindsay was a U.S. congressman, the mayor of New York City, and a candidate for U.S. president. He was also a regu ...

proposed enacting tolls along the University Heights Bridge, as well as all other free bridges across the

East East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that ea ...

and Harlem rivers, in 1971. The proposal failed in 1977 after the

moved to ban tolls on these bridges. The city and state were planning to restore or replace the bridge by the 1980s. A $1.25 billion bond issue, proposed in 1983, had provided $15 million for the bridge's rehabilitation. The

Landmarks Preservation Commission The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and c ...

held a hearing to designate the crossing as an official city landmark, which would mandate that any bridge replacement would have to conform with the original design. Manhattan Community Board 12 voted against the landmark designation and the city and state governments advised against designating the bridge as a landmark. Despite the opposition, on September 11, 1984, the bridge was designated a city landmark. The bridge's condition continued to deteriorate; in late 1987, vehicles weighing over were banned from crossing the bridge, and wheelchair-accessible buses were swapped with lighter, non-accessible buses. By 1988, the deck contained several holes and was supported by corroded steel beams. The NYCDOT estimated that it would cost $24 million to fix the corroded approach viaduct, and the

New York State Department of Transportation The New York State Department of Transportation'' (NYSDOT) is the department of the Government of New York (state), New York state government responsible for the development and operation of highways, Rail transport, railroads, mass transit sys ...

received a $34.3 million low bid for the bridge's reconstruction that year. The replacement of the deteriorated structure was a high priority for residents of University Heights. The bridge was entirely reconstructed starting in 1989, with a budgeted cost of $35 million. Because of the bridge's landmark status, the replacement latticework had to be built in the same design as in the old span. Mechanical and electrical equipment was also replaced, and the northern sidewalk was removed. Reconstruction was performed in three phases: the southern portions of the approach viaducts were renovated first, followed by the swing span and the northern portions of the approaches. The bridge reopened on February 18, 1992. The Fordham Road overpass was renovated starting the same year. The work was supposed to be finished in 1995 but was delayed by two years because of a lack of coordination with other government agencies, which were renovating the University Heights station and the I-87 exit and entrance ramps. On June 12, 2008, the New York City Bridge Centennial Commission organized a parade to mark the centennial of the bridge. The event was attended by Bronx Borough President

Adolfo Carrión, Jr. Adolfo may refer to: * Adolfo, São Paulo, a Brazilian municipality * Adolfo (designer) Adolfo Faustino Sardiña (February 15, 1923 – November 27, 2021), professionally known as Adolfo, was a Cuban-born American fashion designer who started out a ...

and Manhattan Borough President

Scott Stringer Scott M. Stringer (born April 29, 1960) is an American politician who served as the 44th New York City Comptroller. A Democrat, Stringer also previously served as a New York State Assemblyman, and as the 26th borough president of Manhattan. I ...

. The celebration was the commission's first such event.

Critical reception

Architectural critic

Montgomery Schuyler Montgomery Schuyler AIA, (August 19, 1843, Ithaca, New York – July 16, 1914, New Rochelle, New York) was a highly influential critic, journalist and editorial writer in New York City who wrote about and influenced art, literature, music ...

stated that the Macombs Dam and University Heights Bridges were "highly creditable works, in an artistic as well as in a scientific sense." The University Heights Bridge was also described by ''

Engineering Magazine Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve systems. Modern engineering comprises many subfiel ...

'' in 1909 as "probably the prettiest of the swing bridges".

References

Notes Sources * * * * *

External links

NYCDOT: West 207th Street/University Heights Bridge Over Harlem River

NYCRoads.com – University Heights Bridge
* {{Portal bar, New York City, Transport 1895 establishments in New York City 1908 establishments in New York City Bridges completed in 1895 Bridges in Manhattan Bridges in the Bronx Bridges over the Harlem River Historic American Engineering Record in New York City Inwood, Manhattan New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan New York City Designated Landmarks in the Bronx Pedestrian bridges in New York City Relocated buildings and structures in New York City Road bridges in New York City Steel bridges in the United States Swing bridges in the United States University Heights, Bronx