:Washington Bridge (Harlem River)

{{Infobox bridge

| bridge_name = Washington Bridge

| image = Wash Br Harlem water jeh.JPG

| image_size = 300px

| caption = Main arch over Harlem River; secondary arch over Metro-North Railroad and Major Deegan Expressway in the Bronx

| official_name =

| also_known_as =

| carries = 6 lanes of roadway; two sidewalks

| crosses = Harlem River

| locale = Manhattan and the Bronx, New York City

| maint = New York City Department of Transportation

| id =

| design = Arch bridge

| mainspan = {{Convert|510|ft|m}}

| length = {{Convert|2375|ft|m}}

| width =

| clearance =

| below = {{Convert|134|ft|m}}

|traffic = 57,647 (2016){{sfn|New York City Department of Transportation|2016|p=9 (PDF p. 23)}}

| open = {{start date and age|December 1, 1888}}

| closed =

| toll =

| map_image =

| map_width =

|coordinates = {{coord|40|50|48|N|73|55|40|W|type:landmark_region:US-NY|display=inline,title}}

| embedded = {{Infobox NRHP

| embed = yes

| name = Washington Bridge

| nrhp_type =

| image =

| caption =

| location = Between Amsterdam and Undercliff Aves., New York, New York

| coordinates = {{coord|40|50|42|N|73|55|29|W|region:US_type:landmark|name=Washington Bridge|display=inline}}

| locmapin =

| built = {{Start date|1886}}

| architect = Charles C. Schneider and Wilhelm Hildenbrand

| architecture =

| added = September 22, 1983

| area = {{convert|2.5|acre}}

| refnum = 83001645

| designated_other1 = New York State Register of Historic Places

| designated_other1_abbr = NYSRHP

| designated_other1_date = August 18, 1983{{cite web|title=Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS)|publisher=New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation|date=November 7, 2014|url=https://cris.parks.ny.gov/|access-date=July 20, 2023|archive-date=April 4, 2019|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20190404141934/https://cris.parks.ny.gov/|url-status=live}}

| designated_other1_number = 06101.001643

| designated_other1_num_position = bottom

| designated_other2_name = New York City Landmark

| designated_other2_date = September 14, 1982

| designated_other2_abbr = NYCL

| designated_other2_link = New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission

| designated_other2_number = 1222

| designated_other2_color = #ffe978

}}

The Washington Bridge is a {{convert|2375|ft|m|abbr=|adj=on}}-long arch bridge over the Harlem River in New York City between the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. The crossing, opened in 1888, connects 181st Street and Amsterdam Avenue in Washington Heights, Manhattan, with University Avenue in Morris Heights, Bronx. It carries six lanes of traffic, as well as sidewalks on both sides. Ramps at either end of the bridge connect to the Trans-Manhattan Expressway and the Cross Bronx Expressway, and serves as a connector/highway to the highway itself.

The two-hinged arch bridge was designed by Charles C. Schneider and Wilhelm Hildenbrand, with modifications to the design made by the Union Bridge Company, William J. McAlpine, Theodore Cooper, and DeLemos & Cordes, with Edward H. Kendall as consulting architect. The bridge features steel-arch construction with two {{Convert|510|ft||abbr=|adj=on}} main arches and masonry approaches. The bridge is operated and maintained by the New York City Department of Transportation. It once carried U.S. Route 1, which since 1963 has traveled over the Alexander Hamilton Bridge. The Washington Bridge is designated as a city landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Washington Bridge had been planned since the 1860s, but progress was delayed for two decades due to various disputes. The final plan was chosen and modified after an architectural design competition in 1885, and work began in July 1886. Pedestrians with passes could use the bridge by December 1888, and the Washington Bridge was being used for regular travel by the next year, though an official opening ceremony never took place. At the Washington Bridge's completion, it was widely praised as an architectural accomplishment of New York City. Automobiles were able to use the bridge after 1906. After the George Washington Bridge across the Hudson River, connecting to New Jersey in the west, was completed in 1931, the Harlem River crossing served as a connector for traffic between New Jersey and the Bronx. The Alexander Hamilton Bridge was completed in 1963, diverting traffic from the Washington Bridge. After a period of deterioration, the Washington Bridge underwent reconstruction from 1989 to 1993.

Description

The Washington Bridge is an arch bridge over the Harlem River

composed two large steel arches flanked at either end by masonry viaducts.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1982|p=5}}; {{harvnb|National Park Service|1983|p=2}}. Its total length, including approaches, is {{convert|2375|ft|m}}.{{sfn|Reier|2000|p=78}}{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1982|ps=.|p=5}} It connects West 181st Street in Washington Heights, Manhattan, with University Avenue in Morris Heights, Bronx.{{cite web |title=NYCityMap|url=http://maps.nyc.gov/doitt/nycitymap/|access-date=February 13, 2020|website=NYC.gov |publisher=New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications|archive-date=February 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200208152639/http://maps.nyc.gov/doitt/nycitymap/|url-status=live}}{{cite aia5|page=859}}{{cite NY1880|page=121}} Within the bridge's vicinity, the Harlem River is in a valley between Manhattan to the west and the Bronx to the east;{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=14}}{{harvnb|National Park Service|1983|ps=.|p=2}} the terrain on the Manhattan side is steeper than on the Bronx side.

The bridge was designed by Charles C. Schneider and Wilhelm Hildenbrand, with Edward H. Kendall as consulting architect.{{cite nycland|page=213}}{{cite aia5|page=570}} Modifications to the design were made by the Union Bridge Company, chief engineer William J. McAlpine, consulting engineer Theodore Cooper, and cornice architect DeLemos & Cordes. Alfred Noble and John Bogart served as resident engineers while Frank A. Leers was engineer for the construction contractors.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|pp=36–37}} The construction of the bridge was subcontracted to steel contractor Passaic Rolling Mill Company and masonry contractor Myles Tierney. Work was subcontracted to Anderson and Barr for caissons, John Peirce for granite, Barber Asphalt Paving Company for the roadway, and Spang Steel Works and Union Mills for the steel production. The granite was from Maine, while the light gray gneiss ashlar was from Connecticut. Gneiss from nearby quarries and excavations was also used, as was Rosendale cement.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|pp=17–18}} Over {{Convert|8000|ST|LT t|abbr=}} of steel was used for the bridge's arches.{{Cite news|date=March 3, 1889 |title=The Last New Bridge|pages=17|work=The Sun|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/68690522/the-last-new-bridge/|access-date=January 27, 2021 |via=newspapers.com {{open access}}|archive-date=February 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207104111/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/68690522/the-last-new-bridge/|url-status=live}}

The bridge carries six lanes of traffic and a sidewalk on each side.{{cite web|title=Washington (Heights) Bridge|url=http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/washington-heights/|access-date=January 25, 2021|website=New York Area Roads, Crossings and Exits|archive-date=March 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323230805/http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/washington-heights/|url-status=live}} The roadway was originally made of granite, subsequently repaved in asphalt, while the sidewalks were made of bluestone.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|pp=26–27}} As built, the bridge deck was {{Convert|80|ft||abbr=}} wide, with a roadway of {{Convert|50|ft||abbr=}} and sidewalks of {{Convert|15|ft||abbr=}}.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=14}}{{sfn|Reier|2000|p=80}}{{Cite news|date=January 13, 1889 |title=The City's New Bridge.; an Imposing Structure Now Spanning the Harlem River|page=14|work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1889/01/13/106335176.pdf|access-date=January 27, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807173402/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1889/01/13/106335176.pdf|url-status=live}} The modern crossing contains sidewalks of {{Convert|6|ft||abbr=}}, as well as two {{convert|30|ft|m|adj=mid|-wide}} roadways separated by a median.{{Cite news|date=June 10, 1949 |title=Widening to Start on Harlem Bridge; $736,996 Contract Let by State for Washington Span, Link in Cross Bronx Expressway|page=29|work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1949/06/10/84215606.pdf|access-date=January 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=January 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230118221255/http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1949/06/10/84215606.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}} The Washington Bridge carries the {{NYC bus link|Bx3|Bx11|Bx13|Bx35|Bx36|prose=y}} bus routes, operated by New York City Bus.{{Cite NYC bus map|Bx}} In 2016, the New York City Department of Transportation, which operates and maintains the bridge, reported an average daily traffic volume in both directions of 57,647.{{sfn|New York City Department of Transportation|2016|p=9 (PDF p. 23)}} The peak ADT over the Washington Bridge was 68,075 vehicles in 2000.{{sfn|New York City Department of Transportation|2016|p=75 (PDF p. 89)}}

= Over-river span =

The two main steel arches of the bridge are each {{convert|510|ft|m}} long.{{sfn|Reier|2000|p=78}}{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=14}}{{Cite news |last=Dunlap|first=David W.|date=August 16, 1985|title=It's Time to Cross Some Bridges: a Guide to 4 Prominent Promenades|page=C1 |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1985/08/16/194641.pdf|access-date=January 26, 2021|work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}} The western arch traverses the Harlem River as well as Bridge Park on the Bronx shore. The eastern arch crosses the Metro-North Railroad's Hudson Line and the Major Deegan Expressway (carrying Interstate 87).{{sfn|Reier|2000|p=78}} The arches provide {{convert|134|ft|m}} of vertical clearance at mean high water.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=14}}

== Arches ==

File:Wash Br square truss jeh.JPG

Each of the arches consists of six large girders made of riveted steel beams, with heavy chords at the top and bottom.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=28}} The ribs are {{Convert|13|ft||abbr=}} thick, with minor variations because of the varying thicknesses of the plates that were used in the beams.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=28}} The ribs run parallel to each other and are spaced {{Convert|14|ft||abbr=}} apart.{{Cite news|date=March 26, 1886|title=To Bridge the Harlem; Plans for the New Structure Completed. It Is to Reach From Tenth to Aqueduct Avenue, and to Be Built of Masonry and Metal|page=3|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1886/03/26/103955694.pdf|access-date=January 26, 2021|archive-date=August 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807173658/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1886/03/26/103955694.pdf|url-status=live}} The ribs are riveted together with both diagonal and perpendicular bracing.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=28}} This made the Washington Bridge the first in the United States where the ribs of the arch were made of plate girders.{{sfn|Reier|2000|p=80}}{{cite book |last=Plowden |first=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0jTfAQAACAAJ |title=Bridges: The Spans of North America|publisher=Viking Press |year=1974|isbn=978-0-670-18987-8|series=Studio book|page=170}} Because the ribs were riveted, the bridge was classified by architectural writer Carl W. Condit as a two-hinged arch bridge.{{sfn|Condit|1960|p=193}}

Unusually for arch bridges of the time, the deck lacks diagonal bracing, instead being supported by beams running horizontally and vertically.{{sfn|Condit|1960|p=194}} The beams, spaced about {{Convert|15|ft||abbr=}} apart, are built of plates and angles. Posts extend from the extrados of the ribs, supporting the floor beams. The posts are rigidly attached to the ribs' flanges and the horizontal and vertical beams; they are connected and braced transversely.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=29}}

The sides of the deck are flanked by cornices with denticulation and modillions. There are shield and branch motifs below the cornice, as well as decorative balustrade poles with shell and seahorse motifs above each shield. The balustrade contains egg-and-dart motifs on their top rails, as well as alternating Ionic columns and decorative torch-and-scroll medallions between each decorative pole.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|pp=33–34}} Chain-link fences run atop the original barricades.

== Piers ==

The arches sit between three main piers: one on either end, adjacent to the masonry approach viaducts, as well as one between the arches on the eastern bank of the Harlem River. At the skewbacks, from which the arches rise, the main piers are {{Convert|40|ft||abbr=}} wide and {{Convert|98|ft||abbr=}} long. The sections of piers above each skewback are made of vertical "cells" and rise nearly {{Convert|100|ft||abbr=}} to the bottom of the bridge deck.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=14}} The interiors of the piers are made of rubble masonry, although the center and eastern piers also contain concrete.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=24}} The sections of piers below each skewback are solid, made of concrete, and clad with ashlar.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=14}}

A balustrade of solid granite sits atop each of the piers, surrounding balconies that protrude from either sidewalk.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=15}} The balconies atop each pier once supported illuminated seating areas with lampposts made of cast bronze.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|pp=34–35}}

= Approaches =

File:Washington Bridge NYC.jpg

The masonry approach viaducts at either end both contain three semicircular concrete arches, clad in granite and gneiss ashlar. There is a seventh, elliptical arch over Undercliff Avenue on the Bronx side of the bridge.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=26}} The centers for all seven arches were all erected simultaneously to provide structural stability.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=26}} There are voussoirs running along the tops of these arches, with keystones at the center of each arch.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=24}} Each of the semicircular arches are {{Convert|60|ft||abbr=}} wide{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=24}} and are carried by piers that are {{Convert|13|ft||abbr=}} thick.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=14}} The tops of the viaducts contain granite balustrades with circular openings, which rest atop short granite cornices with brackets. When the bridge opened, the circular openings of these balustrades included fleur-de-lis ornaments made in bronze. The approach viaducts also originally contained lampposts made of cast bronze.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|pp=34–35}}

At the western end of the Washington Bridge, there are ramps to and from the Trans-Manhattan Expressway, carrying Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 9. The approach viaduct crosses Harlem River Drive, which runs along the western shore of the Harlem River. The bridge's main roadway continues west to the intersection of 181st Street and Amsterdam Avenue (formerly Tenth Avenue), adjacent to Highbridge Park. The distance between the end of the masonry approach and the intersection with Amsterdam Avenue is {{Convert|200|ft||abbr=}}. The intersection is {{Convert|27|ft||abbr=}} higher than the bridge deck, necessitating a 3.5 percent upward slope.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=14}} The entrance to the northern sidewalk is in McNally Plaza, slightly northeast of the intersection of 181st Street and Amsterdam Avenue.{{cite web|title=Historical Sign Listings|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/about/history/historical-signs/listings?id=8263|access-date=January 26, 2021 |publisher=New York City Department of Parks and Recreation|archive-date=February 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202092030/https://www.nycgovparks.org/about/history/historical-signs/listings?id=8263|url-status=live}} The entrance to the southern sidewalk is from the southeastern corner of the intersection.

The Bronx approach viaduct contains three semicircular arches, as well as an elliptical arch with a width of {{Convert|56|ft||abbr=}}. Along this approach, a grass median strip once separated the westbound and eastbound lanes.{{cite web|title=Bridge Playground|publisher=New York City Department of Parks and Recreation |url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/bridge-playground/history|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207074519/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/bridge-playground/history|archive-date=February 7, 2021|access-date=February 3, 2021|url-status=live}} In the original design, there was a granite staircase with bluestone steps, which led to Boscobel Place just south of the bridge.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=25}} At the eastern end of the bridge, the westbound and eastbound lanes diverge from each other and merge with the Cross Bronx Expressway (I-95 and US 1). A pair of entrance and exit ramps lead to an interchange with University Avenue; the eastbound exit also provides access to Edward L. Grant Highway, which diverges from University Avenue to the south.{{efn|The section of University Avenue north of the bridge is a major road and is continuous with Edward L. Grant Highway. South of the bridge, University Avenue is a minor street. The bridge exit contains a ramp to the southern section of University Avenue, as well as another ramp to Edward L. Grant Highway and the northern section of University Avenue. The bridge entrance is accessible from Edward L. Grant Highway and University Avenue's northern section, but not from University Avenue's southern section.}} The entrance and exit ramps to University Avenue also carry the northern and southern sidewalks; the southern sidewalk abuts Bridge Playground. There was a 3.5 percent downward slope from the deck to the original bridge terminus at Aqueduct Avenue.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=14}} The distance between the end of the masonry approach and the intersection with Aqueduct Avenue was {{Convert|300|ft||abbr=}}.{{efn|Maps indicate that the section of Aqueduct Avenue at the end of the Washington Bridge was near present-day University Avenue.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|loc=plate III}}}}

History

= Planning =

== Early plans ==

Planning for a bridge carrying pedestrians and transit between the West Bronx and Washington Heights, in Upper Manhattan, dates to the 1860s.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1982|p=1}}; {{harvnb|National Park Service|1983|p=4}}. The nearby High Bridge, which had been completed in the 1840s, carried the Croton Aqueduct.{{sfn|Reier|2000|pp=74–75}}{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1982|ps=.|p=1}} A crossing slightly north of the High Bridge was first proposed by Andrew Haswell Green, a member of Central Park's board of commissioners.{{sfn|Reier|2000|p=78}} The board had been tasked, in 1868, with laying out streets in Upper Manhattan.{{Cite news|date=February 15, 1869|title=New-York of the Future.: Important Report to the Commissioners of Central Park. Suggestions for Laying Out the North End of the Island.|page=1|work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1869/02/15/79385655.pdf|access-date=January 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807173758/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1869/02/15/79385655.pdf|url-status=live}} Green had suggested constructing bridges and tunnels across the Harlem River between Manhattan and the Bronx, the latter of which was then in Westchester County.{{sfn|Reier|2000|p=78}}{{sfn|Hutton|1889|pp=9–10}}{{cite news|date=February 15, 1869|title=Improvements for Harlem River: Navigation and Bridges—Communication From Mr. A. H. Green to the Central Park Commissioners|page=2|work=New-York Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/68539812/|access-date=January 1, 2021|via=newspapers.com {{open access}}|archive-date=March 2, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302185044/https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-tribune-improvements-for-harlem/68539812/ |url-status=live}} He specifically desired a suspension bridge to be built about {{Convert|1/4|mi||abbr=}} north of the High Bridge, with a deck slightly higher than the High Bridge's.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|pp=9–10}} That crossing was authorized by the New York State Legislature in 1869,{{Cite news|date=September 5, 1872 |title=City Improvements; The New Works in the Northern Part of the Island. The Tunnel Under Harlem River The New Suspension Bridge-Riverside and Morningside Parks|page=2|work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1872/09/05/82403625.pdf|access-date=January 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210707104338/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1872/09/05/82403625.pdf|url-status=live}} and the New York City Department of Public Parks received authority to plan and build bridges across the Harlem River the next year.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=10}} No further progress was made for several years. The city contemplated widening the High Bridge so that horse-drawn carriages could use that bridge, but ultimately decided against it.{{sfn|Reier|2000|p=78}}

The New York Supreme Court appointed a group of commissioners in February 1876 to acquire land for the bridge.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=10}}{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1982|ps=.|p=2}}{{Cite news |date=February 20, 1876|title=Decisions |pages=10|work=New York Daily Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/68608663/decisions/|access-date=January 26, 2021|via=newspapers.com {{open access}}|archive-date=February 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201021229/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/68608663/decisions/|url-status=live}} The commissioners condemned a strip of land {{Convert|100|ft||abbr=}} wide between Tenth Avenue in Manhattan and Aqueduct Avenue in Westchester.{{cite news|date=July 7, 1885|title=The Harlem River Bridge: Effect of the Recent Legislation What the Mayor and Controller Say of the Plan—Money to Be Raised by Taxation|page=3|work=New-York Tribune|id={{ProQuest|573209414}}}} Two years later, several prominent men signed a memorial urging the construction of a suspension bridge slightly north of the High Bridge, which if built would help alleviate the growing traffic between Manhattan and Westchester.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=10}}{{Cite news |date=December 12, 1878|title=Another Bridge Wanted.: Upper New-York's Great Need.|page=3|work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1878/12/12/112629015.pdf|access-date=January 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807174635/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1878/12/12/112629015.pdf|url-status=live}} In February 1881, Department of Public Parks chief engineer William J. McAlpine presented four alternative bridge designs: a suspension bridge with half-suspension approaches, a suspension bridge with masonry approaches, an iron cantilever bridge, and a masonry-arch viaduct.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|pp=10–11}} In each of these plans, the deck was to be {{Convert|50|ft||abbr=}} wide, with two sidewalks flanking a {{Convert|35|ft||-wide|abbr=|adj=mid}} carriageway. The masonry-arch design was recommended as more monumental and durable, but no further progress was made on that plan.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=11}} The Parks Department received other plans for cantilever and arch bridges in 1883.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=11}}{{Cite news|date=April 3, 1884|title=Plans for a New Harlem Bridge|pages=8|work=New-York Tribune|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/68612805/plans-for-a-new-harlem-bridge/|access-date=January 27, 2021|via=newspapers.com {{open access}}|archive-date=February 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204192128/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/68612805/plans-for-a-new-harlem-bridge/|url-status=live}}

== Bridge commission and design competition ==

As the Parks Department had made no progress on the Harlem River bridge in fifteen years, Andrew Green requested that another agency be tasked with the bridge's construction.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=11}} The New York State Legislature finally transferred authority to a new Harlem River Bridge Commission in June 1885 under Chapter 487 of the Laws of 1885.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4QwAAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA37 |title=Journal of Proceedings|year=1889|page=37|access-date=January 27, 2021|archive-date=March 2, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302185151/https://books.google.com/books?id=4QwAAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA37#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|date=July 8, 1885|title=The Harlem River Bridge|page=4|work=The New York Times|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1885/07/08/109310720.pdf|access-date=January 27, 2021 |issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807173554/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1885/07/08/109310720.pdf|url-status=live}} The bill called for the appointment of three commissioners, although mayor William Russell Grace delayed the selection of these commissioners for a month, believing the bridge's cost to be excessive. Vernon H. Brown, Jacob Lorillard, and David James King were named as the commissioners in July,{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=12}} while McAlpine was named as the chief engineer that September.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=12}}

The commissioners decided to host an architectural design competition for the new bridge, which they hoped would rival the then-new Brooklyn Bridge in stature.{{sfn|Reier|2000|p=80}}{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1982|p=2}}; {{harvnb|National Park Service|1983|ps=.|p=4}} The competition was advertised in October 1885.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=12}} The submissions were required to include an over-river crossing at least {{Convert|400|ft||abbr=}} long, a metal superstructure, masonry piers, and an {{Convert|80|ft||-wide|abbr=|adj=mid}} deck. In December 1885, the commissioners received 17 designs, selecting four for further examination.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1982|p=3}}; {{harvnb|National Park Service|1983|ps=.|p=4}}{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=12}} The Union Bridge Company presented plans for a bridge with three granite-faced arches, each {{Convert|208|ft||abbr=}} long.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=12}} The Commission had wished to accept the proposal, but the company withdrew it when the Commission questioned the legality under the provisions of the 1885 legislation of using "artificial stone" for the bridge's structural elements. The Commission nonetheless believed it would be satisfactory, but neither side wished to undertake the expense and delay of a formal legal determination.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=12}}{{cite news|date=February 19, 1886|title=The Harlem Bridge Report: No Contract for the Work Yet Made Why the Union Bridge Company's Proposal Was Rejected|page=2|work=New-York Tribune|id={{ProQuest|573250698}}}}{{Cite news|date=February 19, 1886|title=General Telegraph News; the Harlem River Bridge. No Contract for Construction Made by the Commission |page=3|work=The New York Times|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1886/02/19/103097092.pdf|access-date=January 27, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807173557/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1886/02/19/103097092.pdf|url-status=live}} The commissioners also rejected the idea of an all-masonry bridge, instead choosing a metal and stone hybrid.{{cite book|author=New York (State). Legislature. Assembly|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Tg5RjuAPMDEC|title=Documents of the Assembly of the State of New York|publisher=E. Croswell|date=February 18, 1886|page=3|issue=70|access-date=January 28, 2021|archive-date=March 2, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302185209/https://books.google.com/books?id=Tg5RjuAPMDEC|url-status=live}}

A board of experts were appointed to select the competition's winners. The first prize was awarded in March 1886 to Charles Conrad Schneider and the second prize to Wilhelm Hildenbrand.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=12}}{{Cite news|date=March 17, 1886|title=In and Abuot [sic] the City: the New Harlem Bridge. The Structure Which Is to Span the River North of High Bridge.|page=3|work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1886/03/17/103952455.pdf|access-date=January 27, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807173343/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1886/03/17/103952455.pdf|url-status=live}} Schneider's plan was deemed too costly; the proposal, assessed at $3 million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|index=US|value=3|start_year=1886|fmt=c}} million in {{Inflation/year|index=US}}), brought criticism from the New-York Tribune.{{sfn|Reier|2000|p=80}} McAlpine requested Julius W. Adams to prepare a plan for a bridge of masonry, although it would fail to meet the terms of the competition. The Union Bridge Company presented a modified plan combining Schneider's and Hildenbrand's proposals, with steel ribs made of solid webs, although it was also rejected by the commission.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1982|ps=.|p=3}}{{sfn|Hutton|1889|pp=12–13}} The company then submitted a plan that used steel plate girders, which the commission accepted after McAlpine and Cooper modified it.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=13}}

=Construction=

File:Ernest Lawson - Spring Night, Harlem River - Google Art Project.jpg's painting Spring Night (1913).]]

In April 1886, the commissioners received bids for the masonry and metalwork.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=13}}{{cite news|date=April 23, 1886 |title=The Proposed Harlem Bridge: Opening Bids for the Structure How the Estimates Vary—An Offer to Build for $1,500,000|page=5|work=New-York Tribune|id={{ProQuest|573197184}}}} The commissioners wished for one contractor to oversee all work, so all the bids by specialist contractors were rejected.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=13}} On July 14, 1886, the commissioners awarded a general construction contract to steel contractor Passaic Rolling Mill Company and masonry contractor Myles Tierney.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=13}}{{Cite news|date=July 16, 1886 |title=To Build the Harlem Bridge|page=8|work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1886/07/16/103963465.pdf |access-date=January 27, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807174031/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1886/07/16/103963465.pdf|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|date=July 15, 1886 |title=Contract for the New Harlem Bridge|pages=4|work=New-York Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/68620134/contract-for-the-new-harlem-bridge/|access-date=January 27, 2021|archive-date=February 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203161817/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/68620134/contract-for-the-new-harlem-bridge/|url-status=live}} The same month construction began, McAlpine resigned as chief engineer and William Rich Hutton was appointed in his place. After work was begun, the plans were changed to include a cornice made by Jackson Architectural Iron Works, designed by DeLemos & Cordes. The project involved over 500 workers in total.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1982|p=4}}; {{harvnb|National Park Service|1983|ps=.|p=4}} During construction, the crossing was known as the Manhattan Bridge; it was also known during planning as the New Harlem Bridge or the Boscobel Bridge, the latter after a landowner on the Manhattan side.

The builders leased land on both banks of the Harlem River so material could be delivered and stored. Because the western bank of the river contains a sharp bluff, the materials for the western bank were delivered in small quantities or stored on the eastern bank. A wharf with derricks and tracks was built, and a single-track inclined plane was constructed from the wharf to the western end of the approach viaduct. A hoisting engine, at the top of the incline, lifted materials to the work site, where derricks moved material from the truck directly into place. Another wharf was built on the east bank of the river, and a {{Convert|12|ft|m|-deep|abbr=|adj=mid}} channel from both wharves was dredged {{Convert|1500|ft||abbr=}} south to the High Bridge. Material from the east wharf was initially hauled to its place by wagons. In early 1886, a trestle platform with tracks was installed between the eastern wharf and Sedgwick Avenue, which runs close to the coastline.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=15}}

The layer of bedrock under the Harlem River Manhattan Bridge's westernmost large pier was close to the ground, and it was ready for masonry by October 1886.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=19}} The foundation of the central pier was built upon a timber caisson, to be sunk by compressed air; work on the caisson began in September 1886.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=20}} The caisson was sunk to the underlying bedrock,{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=21}} which ranged between {{Convert|17|and|40|ft|abbr=}} beneath mean high water.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=21}} The caisson was sunk starting in November 1886 and had reached its final depth six months later, after which masonry work began. A similar caisson was sunk for the eastern pier, near Sedgwick Avenue, and masonry work on that pier began in October 1886.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|pp=22–23}} Work progressed with little interruption, other than a one-day work stoppage, as well as cold weather in early 1887 that delayed work on the superstructure.{{cite news|date=September 18, 1887|title=Work on the New Harlem Bridge: Progress Made During the Summer the Structure to-be Completed in June-- Harmony Between Employers and Workmen|page=14|work=New-York Tribune|id={{ProQuest|573408246}}}} By mid-1887, the piers were nearly completed and more than half the required steel had been cast.{{cite news|date=August 7, 1887 |title=A Handsome New Bridge: the Structure to Span the Harlem|page=12|work=New-York Tribune|id={{ProQuest|573417676}}}}

The arches were constructed on falsework. Construction on the frames of the masonry arches was commenced in September 1887 and they were all enclosed by early 1888.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=24}} The eastern metal arch across the railroad tracks was fabricated from September to December 1887,{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=31}} and installed in January 1888.{{cite news|date=January 8, 1888|title=Spanning the Harlem: One Mighty Arch Swung Into Place|page=16|work=New-York Tribune|id={{ProQuest|573419309}}}} This was followed two months later by the installation of the western arch above the river.{{cite news |date=March 31, 1888|title=The Last Arch in Place: a Great New Bridge Over the Harlem|page=1|work=New-York Tribune|id={{ProQuest|573354130}}}}{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=32}} On average, two hundred men were involved in the installation of the main arches between September 1887 and May 1888.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=32}} Both the main arches and the approaches required extensive scaffolding. The rubble-masonry interior walls of the approach viaducts were installed between April and July 1888.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=25}} By the beginning of that July, the deck was nearly completed.{{Cite news|date=July 3, 1888 |title=The New Manhattan Bridge.: Its Formal Opening Will Occur in a Few Days.|page=8|work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1888/07/03/103182906.pdf|access-date=January 27, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807174830/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1888/07/03/103182906.pdf|url-status=live}} The roadway and sidewalks were laid from August to November of the same year.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=27}} Overall, the bridge cost $2.85 million to construct, {{Inflation|index=US|value=2850000|start_year=1888|r=-3|fmt=eq}}.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=35}}

{{wide image|A history of real estate, building and architecture in New York City during the last quarter of a century (1898) (14771454094).jpg|1000px|alt=A sketch of an entrance to the Washington Bridge in 1898, depicting the bridge as seen from Manhattan|Entrance to the bridge from Manhattan, seen in 1898}}

= Opening and early years =

Work on the Harlem River Manhattan Bridge was substantially completed in December 1888, and pedestrians with special passes were allowed to informally use it.{{sfn|Hutton|1889|p=35}}{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1982|p=4}}; {{harvnb|National Park Service|1983|ps=.|p=6}}{{sfn|Reier|2000|pp=80–81}} The crossing was turned over to the Harlem River Bridge Commission, which voted to name it after president George Washington in February 1889 in honor of his birthday and the centennial of his inauguration. The Washington Bridge's new name also reflected the fact that the nearby Washington Heights and Fort Washington were also named after him.{{Cite news |date=January 30, 1889|title=It Is Washington Bridge|page=8|work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1889/01/30/106336272.pdf|access-date=January 27, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807173447/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1889/01/30/106336272.pdf|url-status=live}} The proposed opening date in February was postponed because of bad weather. That March, a horse and buggy became the first vehicle to cross the bridge, although it did so without permission, since only pedestrians were allowed to cross at that time.{{Cite news|date=March 16, 1889|title=Won the 'First Wheel'; John Quinn and John Murphy Drive Over the New Harlem Bridge |page=8|work=The New York Times|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1889/03/16/106205707.pdf|access-date=January 27, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807173342/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1889/03/16/106205707.pdf|url-status=live}} The Hudson River Bridge Commission took ownership of the completed bridge the same month, although the bridge remained closed due to legal disputes.{{Cite news|date=April 7, 1889|title=Got a Bridge and Can't Use It|pages=1|work=The Sun|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/68692930/got-a-bridge-and-cant-use-it/|access-date=January 27, 2021|via=newspapers.com {{open access}}|archive-date=March 2, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302185047/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-got-a-bridge-and-cant-use-it/68692930/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|date=April 7, 1889|title=Why the Washington Bridge Is Not Opened|page=1|work=New-York Tribune|id={{ProQuest|573449792}}}}

By the first week of May 1889, the Evening World reported that pedestrians and vehicles had been using the Washington Bridge for a week.{{Cite news|date=May 3, 1889|title=Harlem's New Bridge Open|pages=1|work=The Evening World|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/68694431/harlems-new-bridge-open/|access-date=January 27, 2021|via=newspapers.com {{open access}}|archive-date=February 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206073409/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/68694431/harlems-new-bridge-open/|url-status=live}} Ultimately, the bridge never formally opened because of disagreement between the city and the bridge commission.{{sfn|Reier|2000|p=81}} In December 1889, members of the public decided to tear down the barricades that had barred access to the bridge.{{sfn|Reier|2000|p=81}} When the first person jumped to his death from the Washington Bridge in August 1890, The New York Times reported that the bridge had been in use for eighteen months.{{Cite news|date=August 19, 1890 |title=Off Washington Bridge; the First Suicide From the Great New Viaduct|page=1|work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1890/08/19/106041302.pdf |access-date=January 27, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807173409/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1890/08/19/106041302.pdf|url-status=live}} However, as late as 1891, the bridge was still recorded as being "unopened" because of disputes over maintenance.{{cite news|date=May 9, 1891|title=Washington Bridge Still Unopened|page=4|work=New-York Tribune|id={{ProQuest|573615046}}}}

Image:Detroit Photographic Company (0635).jpg, early 20th century]]

The Interborough Railway Company announced plans in 1902 to operate a network of streetcar lines in the Bronx, including a line across the Washington Bridge and 181st Street.{{Cite news|date=March 26, 1902|title=Network of Trolley Lines in the Bronx; T.j. Brady Tells the Plans of the Interborough Railway Co. From Harlem River to City Line on West, and From Harlem River to Mount Vernon on East Side|page=7|work=The New York Times|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1902/03/26/101943986.pdf|access-date=January 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807173657/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1902/03/26/101943986.pdf |url-status=live}} After some dispute, the company received a franchise for a 181st Street streetcar line in 1904.{{Cite news |date=December 24, 1904|title=Bronx Wins Fight for More Trolleys; Six Franchises Ordered Granted to Interborough|page=2|work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1904/12/24/101404835.pdf|access-date=January 28, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807173319/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1904/12/24/101404835.pdf|url-status=live}} The Washington Bridge was opened to automobile and streetcar traffic two years later on May 31, 1906,{{Cite news |date=May 31, 1906|title=From Battery to Kingsbridge|pages=4 |work=Yonkers Statesman |via=newspapers.com {{open access}} |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/75402761/yonkers-statesman/ |access-date=April 9, 2021 |archive-date=May 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521165005/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/75402761/yonkers-statesman/|url-status=live}} with two tracks for the Interborough Railway Company.{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1982|p=5}}; {{harvnb|National Park Service|1983|ps=.|p=3}} The tracks were ultimately used by four Bronx streetcar routes: the Ogden Avenue, 167th Street, 181st Street, and University Avenue routes (now respectively the Bx13, Bx35, Bx36, and Bx3 buses).{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1vUiAQAAMAAJ|year=1947 |title=ERA Headlights. Volumes 9–17|publisher=Electric Railroaders Association|page=4|access-date=January 28, 2021|archive-date=March 2, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302185044/https://books.google.com/books?id=1vUiAQAAMAAJ|url-status=live}} By the 1910s, West 181st Street in Manhattan was seeing rapid growth because of the streetcar routes over the bridge, as well as because of the opening of the New York City Subway's 181st Street station.{{Cite news|date=December 9, 1917 |title=West 181st Street Centre of Thriving Upper Washington Heights Residential and Business Community|page=45|work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1917/12/09/98256660.pdf|access-date=January 28, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=August 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807173614/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1917/12/09/98256660.pdf|url-status=live}}

= Crosstown connector =

Vehicular traffic along the Washington Bridge grew over the years and, by 1928, the city's Department of Plant and Structures was studying a plan to reduce the width of the sidewalks to make space for additional vehicular lanes.{{Cite news|date=July 8, 1928|title=Washington Bridge Alteration|page=133|work=The New York Times|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1928/07/08/94147660.pdf|access-date=January 28, 2021 |issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 2, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302185100/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1928/07/08/94147660.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}} The next year, the department requested $300,000 to widen the bridge (equivalent to ${{Inflation|index=US|value=0.3|start_year=1928|r=2|fmt=c}} million in {{Inflation/year|index=US}}) in conjunction with the construction of a suspension bridge over the Hudson River from the west side of Manhattan to New Jersey.{{Cite news|date=May 10, 1929|title=Board Gets Bridge Plans; Goldman Seeks $300,000 to Widen Roadway of Span Over the Harlem|page=38|work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1929/05/10/95947376.pdf|access-date=January 28, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302185047/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1929/05/10/95947376.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}} A contract for the work was awarded to Poirier and McLane in November 1929, which entailed widening the roadway by {{Convert|14|ft||abbr=}} and moving the trolley tracks. The work was expected to take about one year.{{Cite news |date=November 21, 1929|title=Local Firm to Get Bridge Job|pages=23|work=The Yonkers Herald|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/68698993/local-firm-to-get-bridge-job/|access-date=January 28, 2021|via=newspapers.com {{open access}}|archive-date=February 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201221215/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/68698993/local-firm-to-get-bridge-job/|url-status=live}} The crossing of the Hudson River was subsequently named the George Washington Bridge, prompting concern that the bridges could be confused.{{cite NY1930 |page=677}}{{Cite news|date=January 15, 1931 |title=Informs President of Bridge Naming|work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1931/01/15/140614802.pdf|page=14|access-date=June 8, 2018|issn=0362-4331}} The chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which controlled the George Washington Bridge, defended the decision by saying that the Washington Bridge over the Harlem River was often called the 181st Street Bridge.{{cite news|date=January 15, 1931|title=Hudson Bridge To Bear Name Of Washington: Port Authority Decides on 'George Washington Memorial' for Jersey Link|page=21|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1114042989}}}} After the George Washington Bridge opened in late 1931,{{cite news|date=October 25, 1931 |title=Two Governors Open Great Hudson Bridge As Throngs Look On |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1931/10/25/archives/two-governors-open-great-hudson-bridge-as-throngs-look-on-5000.html |access-date=March 6, 2010|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 13, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513045735/http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40B12FC395E10728DDDAC0A94D8415B818FF1D3|url-status=live}} traffic between New Jersey and the Bronx used local streets between the two bridges until the 178th Street Tunnel opened from Amsterdam Avenue to the George Washington Bridge in 1940.{{Cite news|date=June 26, 1940 |title=Cross-city Tunnel Opens Tomorrow; Manhattan's First East-West Drive Goes Under Heights From Washington Bridge|work=The New York Times |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1940/06/26/112744136.pdf|page=25|access-date=January 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 2, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302190704/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1940/06/26/112744136.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}} The Washington Bridge over the Harlem River was signed as part of U.S. Route 1 in New York in mid-December 1934.{{Cite news|date=December 16, 1934|title=Mark Ways in the City|page=XX12|work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1934/12/16/94588659.pdf|access-date=January 22, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220704200059/http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1934/12/16/94588659.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}}

Most streetcar service was withdrawn from the Washington Bridge in October 1947 and replaced by bus service, with only the 167th Street streetcar remaining. That route was replaced with bus service the following July.{{Cite news|date=July 11, 1948|title=4 Trolley Lines Vanish in Bronx; Only 4 Remain as New Buses Take Over the Service of Old Street Cars|page=35|work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1948/07/11/96428619.pdf|access-date=January 28, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302190652/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1948/07/11/96428619.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}} Work on a widening of the Washington Bridge began in June 1949. The streetcar tracks were removed, and a median barrier was built between the two directions of traffic, creating two {{convert|30|ft|m|adj=mid|-wide}} granite roadways with three lanes. To make way for the widened roadways, the granite sidewalks were narrowed. Work also began on the 179th Street Tunnel, paralleling the congested 178th Street Tunnel, as well as on the Highbridge Interchange, which included direct ramps from the Harlem River Washington Bridge to the 178th–179th Street Tunnels.{{Cite news|date=June 15, 1949|title=Thruway Talk Snags Housing|pages=2|work=The Herald Statesman|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/68764574/thruway-talk-snags-housing/ |via=newspapers.com {{open access}}|access-date=January 28, 2021 |archive-date=February 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201200852/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/68764574/thruway-talk-snags-housing/|url-status=live}} The widening was finished by 1950,{{cite news|date=April 8, 1950|title=Work Progressing at Western Terminus of Cross-Bronx Expressway|page=9 |work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1327401045}}}}{{Cite news|last=Burns|first=Patrick|date=June 21, 1950|title=2 Major Highways to Open This Fall: Two Major Projects in City's Highway Program|work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1950/06/21/archives/2-major-highways-to-open-this-fall-two-major-projects-in-citys.html|access-date=January 28, 2021 |issn=0362-4331|archive-date=February 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201144406/https://www.nytimes.com/1950/06/21/archives/2-major-highways-to-open-this-fall-two-major-projects-in-citys.html|url-status=live}} and the tunnel and interchange opened on May 5, 1952.{{Cite news|date=May 4, 1952|title=Two Traffic Aids to Open Tomorrow; Tunnel Under 179th Street and Highbridge Interchange Will End Bottlenecks|page=86|work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1952/05/04/93368200.pdf|access-date=January 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=January 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230118221253/http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1952/05/04/93368200.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}}{{cite news|date=May 5, 1952|title=179th St. Tunnel And Roadways To Open Today: Project Links Washington and George Washington Bridges and Harlem Drive A Section of Highbridge Roadway Opening Today|page=6|work=New York Herald Tribune|id={{ProQuest|1322444596}}}}

= Mid-20th century to present =

File:Washington Bridge from Laurel Hill Terrace.jpg

The Harlem River Washington Bridge continued to be a bottleneck for crosstown traffic. In 1955, city planner Robert Moses conducted the Joint Study of Arterial Facilities, which recommended additional highways to relieve traffic across New York City, including a bridge parallel to the Washington Bridge. Accordingly, the Alexander Hamilton Bridge and Trans-Manhattan Expressway were respectively planned as bypasses for the Washington Bridge and the 178th–179th Street Tunnels. These projects would connect the Bronx and New Jersey directly via the Interstate Highway System, accommodating increased traffic in construction with the addition of a lower level to the George Washington Bridge.{{Cite news|last=Ingraham|first=Joseph C.|date=August 26, 1962 |title=Double-deck Span; George Washington Bridge Expansion Is Keystone of Vast Road Project Double-deck Span|page=372|work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1962/08/26/90580550.pdf|access-date=January 28, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302190559/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1962/08/26/90580550.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}} The expressway and bridge's lower deck opened in 1962.{{cite news|title=Lower Deck of George Washington Bridge Is Opened|first=Joseph C.|last=Ingraham |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1962/08/30/90572037.pdf |newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 30, 1962|page=1|access-date=April 4, 2010|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 2, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302190601/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1962/08/30/90572037.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}} The completion of the Alexander Hamilton Bridge in April 1963{{Cite news|date=April 14, 1963|title=New Bridge Completes L.I.-to-Jersey Bypass|page=528|work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1963/04/14/89920899.pdf|access-date=January 28, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302190601/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1963/04/14/89920899.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}} resulted in traffic decreases on the Washington Bridge.{{sfn|New York City Department of Transportation|2016|pp=74–75 (PDF pp. 88–89)}} U.S. 1 was rerouted to the Alexander Hamilton Bridge.

Mayor John Lindsay proposed enacting tolls along the University Heights Bridge, as well as all other free bridges across the East and Harlem rivers, in 1971.{{Cite news|last=Ranzal|first=Edward|date=March 25, 1971|title=Tolls on Harlem River Bridges Studied|page=41|work=The New York Times|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1971/03/25/81935957.pdf|access-date=January 25, 2021 |issn=0362-4331|archive-date=June 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628154613/http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1971/03/25/81935957.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last=Fitzgerald|first=Owen|date=March 25, 1971|title=City Looks to Tolls on Harlem River|pages=29|work=New York Daily News|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/68481335/city-looks-to-tolls-on-harlem-river/|access-date=January 25, 2021|via=newspapers.com {{open access}}|archive-date=February 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201222219/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/68481335/city-looks-to-tolls-on-harlem-river/|url-status=live}} The proposal failed in 1977 after the United States Congress moved to ban tolls on these bridges.{{Cite news|last=Dembart |first=Lee|date=June 16, 1977|title=Broad Parking Ban in Manhattan Begins as Mayor Yields to Ruling|page=1|work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1977/06/16/75672332.pdf|access-date=January 25, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=June 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628154614/http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1977/06/16/75672332.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false|url-status=live}} The Washington Bridge was designated a New York City landmark on September 14, 1982,{{Cite news|last1=Lake|first1=Katherine|last2=White|first2=Joyce|date=September 15, 1982|title=Pomander Walk named a landmark|pages=101|work=New York Daily News|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/68766528/pomander-walk-named-a-landmark/|access-date=January 28, 2021|via=newspapers.com {{open access}}|archive-date=February 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202074816/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/68766528/pomander-walk-named-a-landmark/|url-status=live}} and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 22, 1983.{{cite web|title=Federal Register: 49 Fed. Reg. 4459 (Feb. 7, 1984)|publisher=Library of Congress|date=February 7, 1984|url=https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/fedreg/fr049/fr049026/fr049026.pdf|access-date=March 8, 2020|page=4653|archive-date=January 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126190956/https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/fedreg/fr049/fr049026/fr049026.pdf|url-status=live}} Throughout that decade, the bridge deteriorated. By 1988, the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) estimated that it would cost $25 million to fix the Washington Bridge. At the time, the deck contained several holes and four of six lanes were closed.{{Cite news|date=April 18, 1988|title=17 Key Bridges With Structural Problems|work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/18/nyregion/17-key-bridges-with-structural-problems.html|access-date=January 21, 2021|issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=February 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207235525/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/18/nyregion/17-key-bridges-with-structural-problems.html|url-status=live}} The centennial of the bridge's opening was celebrated on April 29, 1989.{{cite news |date=April 29, 1989|title=Anniversary Salute|page=02|work=Newsday|id={{ProQuest|278092940}}}} The Washington Bridge underwent a $33 million reconstruction starting that October, which included replacing the deck, steel, sidewalk, and railings. During the work, some lanes were kept open for traffic.{{cite news|date=October 4, 1989|title=The Other Washington Bridge Starts $33 Million Repair Job|page=B5|work=The New York Times|agency=Associated Press|issn=0362-4331|id={{ProQuest|110238689}}}} The work was completed in 1993.

Further bridge rehabilitation was undertaken in early 2022.{{cite web |title=Washington Bridge over the Harlem River (181 Street) |website=Weekly Traffic Advisory |publisher=New York City Department of Transportation |date=January 22–28, 2022 |url=https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/motorist/weektraf.shtml |access-date=January 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128002827/https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/motorist/weektraf.shtml |archive-date=January 28, 2022 |url-status=deviated}} That November, the NYCDOT proposed converting the outermost lane on the Bronx-bound roadway into a bus lane, and it proposed converting the outermost Manhattan-bound lane into a two-way bike lane that was physically separated from vehicular traffic.{{cite web | last=Brachfeld |first=Ben |title=City proposes dedicated bus and bike lanes on Washington Bridge over Harlem River |website=amNewYork |date=November 7, 2022 |url=https://www.amny.com/transit/city-proposes-dedicated-bus-and-bike-lanes-on-washington-bridge-over-harlem-river/ |access-date=February 7, 2023 |archive-date=February 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207152512/https://www.amny.com/transit/city-proposes-dedicated-bus-and-bike-lanes-on-washington-bridge-over-harlem-river/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=Duggan |first=Kevin |title=DOT Proposes Protected Bike Path, Bus Lane for Washington Bridge (The Other One) |website=Streetsblog New York City |date=November 9, 2022 |url=https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2022/11/09/dot-proposes-protected-bike-path-bus-lane-for-washington-bridge-the-other-one/ |access-date=February 7, 2023 |archive-date=February 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207151009/https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2022/11/09/dot-proposes-protected-bike-path-bus-lane-for-washington-bridge-the-other-one/ |url-status=live}} The bike lane was not open in May 2024 when a cyclist was killed while crossing the bridge.{{cite web |title='We Are Angry': Driver Kills Cyclist on Bridge Where DOT Failed to Finish New Bike Lane | website=Streetsblog New York City |date=May 29, 2024 |url=https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2024/05/29/driver-kills-cyclist-on-washington-bridge-where-city-stalled-on-bike-lane |access-date=June 2, 2024}} The new lanes were completed in September 2024, connecting to existing bike and bus lanes on either side of the bridge.{{cite web |last=Gonella |first=Catalina |title=Washington Bridge between Manhattan and Bronx gets bus and protected bike lanes |website=Gothamist |url=https://gothamist.com/news/washington-bridge-between-manhattan-and-bronx-gets-bus-and-protected-bike-lanes |date=September 16, 2024 |access-date=September 16, 2024}}

Critical reception

At the Washington Bridge's completion it was widely praised as an architectural accomplishment of New York City. Cosmopolitan, Scientific American, and The New York Sun respectively called the bridge an "adornment",{{cite journal|last=MacQueen|first=Peter|title=Bridges and Bridge Builders|journal=The Cosmopolitan|publisher=Schlicht & Field|year=1892|volume=13 |page=405 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y4MFgYN_CAAC&pg=PA405 |access-date=January 25, 2021|archive-date=March 2, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302190607/https://books.google.com/books?id=Y4MFgYN_CAAC&pg=PA405#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}} an "ornament",{{Cite journal|date=February 18, 1888|title=Erection of the Harlem River Bridge at 18lst Street |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=pst.000062999571&view=1up&seq=109|journal=Scientific American |volume=58|pages=101 |doi=10.1038/scientificamerican02181888-101 |access-date=January 28, 2021|archive-date=March 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302091035/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=pst.000062999571&view=1up&seq=109|url-status=live}}{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1982|ps=.|p=6}} and "a great work worthy of the city". Architectural critic Montgomery Schuyler characterized the bridge as "an admirable and exemplary work" in 1900, although he had a minor concern about the masonry approaches, which he called "less than adequate architecturally for want of the emphasis".{{Cite journal|last=Schuyler|first=Montgomery |date=May 1900|title=Art in Modern Bridges |journal=Century Magazine |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015013530053&view=1up&seq=32|volume=38|pages=16|access-date=January 28, 2021|archive-date=March 2, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302190606/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015013530053&view=1up&seq=32|url-status=live}} Schuyler subsequently wrote that, although the arch had been modified to appear as though it was a conventional design, "neither is there any question of the attractiveness […] of the Washington and the old High Bridge".{{cite journal |last=Schuyler |first=Montgomery |date=October 1905|title=The New Bridges in New York City|journal=Architectural Record|volume=18 |number=4|pages=251, 255 |url=https://usmodernist.org/AR/AR-1905-10.pdf|access-date=January 28, 2021|archive-date=February 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208151039/https://usmodernist.org/AR/AR-1905-10.pdf|url-status=live}} Charles Evan Fowler, an engineer, wrote in 1929 that he thought the Washington Bridge to be "in many respects one of the finest pieces of bridge architecture in the world".{{Cite book|last=Fowler|first=Charles Evan|title=The ideals of engineering architecture|date=1929 |publisher=Gillette Pub. Co.; E. & F.N. Spon|location=Chicago, Ill.; London|pages=195 |oclc=1043643}} Furthermore, Ernest Lawson depicted the bridge as the main subject of his 1913 painting Spring Night.{{cite book |last=Leeds |first=Valerie Ann |year=2000 |title=Ernest Lawson |publisher=Gerald Peters Gallery |isbn=978-0-935037-66-1 |page=19 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_N4xAQAAIAAJ |access-date=March 18, 2021 |archive-date=March 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302190823/https://books.google.com/books?id=_N4xAQAAIAAJ |url-status=live}}

Name confusion

After the George Washington Bridge over the Hudson River opened, there was some confusion between the two bridges, which intensified over time as the Hudson River bridge became better known. David W. Dunlap wrote for The New York Times in 1985, "Just the existence of another prominent bridge by that name surprises even native New Yorkers, some of whom have wondered for years why the Hudson River crossing insistently carries the extra burden of 'George.'"

References

=Notes=

=Citations=

=Sources=

{{cite book|last=Condit|first=Carl W.|title=American Building Art: The Nineteenth Century |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1960 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cZMy7sjrOzEC}}
{{cite report|title=Historic Structures Report: Washington Bridge|date=September 22, 1983|publisher=National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/83001645.pdf |ref={{harvid|National Park Service|1983}}}}
{{cite book|last=Hutton|first=William Rich|title=The Washington Bridge Over the Harlem River, at 181st Street, New York City: A Description of Its Construction|publisher=L. von Rosenberg |year=1889 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SgJaAAAAYAAJ}} {{PD-notice}}
{{cite report|title=New York City Bridge Traffic Volumes|date=2016 |publisher=New York City Department of Transportation |url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/nyc-bridge-traffic-report-2016.pdf |ref={{harvid|New York City Department of Transportation|2016}}}}
{{cite book|last=Reier|first=Sharon|title=The Bridges of New York|publisher=Dover Publications|year=2000|isbn=978-0-486-41230-6 |series=New York City Series |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4sU2DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA85}}
{{cite report|title=Washington Bridge|date=September 14, 1982 |publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1222.pdf |ref={{harvid|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1982}}}}

External links

[http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/washington-heights/ NYC Roads: Washington Bridge]
{{Structurae |id=20000956 |title=Washington Bridge}}
{{HAER |survey=NY-130 |id=ny0979 |title=Washington Bridge, Spanning Harlem River at 181st Street, New York, New York County, NY |photos=5 |data=2 |cap=1}}
[http://205.156.4.52/cgi-bin/EyeSpy.dll?getbrww&D:/EyeSpy/images/Online_Chart_Viewer/12342.axs&750&550&1216&3296&2&bgcolor=%23FFFFFF&buttons=/cgi-bin/EyeSpyResources/buttons&alig=0&contenttype=image/jpeg&375&275 Nautical Chart #12342] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926224421/http://205.156.4.52/cgi-bin/EyeSpy.dll?getbrww&D%3A%2FEyeSpy%2Fimages%2FOnline_Chart_Viewer%2F12342.axs&750&550&1216&3296&2&bgcolor=%23FFFFFF&buttons=%2Fcgi-bin%2FEyeSpyResources%2Fbuttons&alig=0&contenttype=image%2Fjpeg&375&275 |date=September 26, 2007 }} NOAA

{{Crossings navbox

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|place = Harlem River

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Category:Bridges completed in 1888

Category:Bridges in Manhattan