Rikers Island Bridge

{{Short description|Bridge between Queens and Rikers Island, New York}}

{{Infobox bridge

| bridge_name = Rikers Island Bridge

| image = File:RikerVlcsnap-2024-10-06-23h05m08s196.png

| caption = Rikers Island Bridge, seen from LaGuardia Airport, 2024

| official_name =

| also_known_as =

| carries = 3 lanes of roadway; 1 sidewalk

| crosses = East River (Rikers Island Channel) and Bowery Bay

| locale = Rikers Island and Queens in New York City

| maint =

| id =

| design = Girder bridge

| material = Concrete, steel

| mainspan =

| length = {{convert|4200|ft|m|0}}

| width =

| clearance =

| below = 52 ft

| traffic = 14,817 (2016){{cite web|url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/nyc-bridge-traffic-report-2016.pdf|title=New York City Bridge Traffic Volumes|date=2016|publisher=New York City Department of Transportation|page=10|accessdate=March 16, 2018}}

| open = November 22, 1966

| closed =

| toll =

| coordinates = {{coord|40|46|55|N|73|53|18|W|type:landmark_region:US|display=inline,title}}

}}

Rikers Island Bridge (officially named Francis R. Buono Memorial Bridge) is a girder bridge that connects Rikers Island in the borough of the Bronx with the borough of Queens in New York City. The bridge begins in the Ditmars Steinway area in Astoria, Queens, near the intersection of Hazen Street and 19th Avenue, and continues to the south side of Rikers Island.

Description

The Rikers Island Bridge is the sole route to the island for vehicular traffic. The bridge is a fixed low-level span built with concrete and steel. At its center, the bridge has a 52-foot rise allowing clearance for vessels passing beneath the structure.{{cite journal |date=Spring 1967 |title=Rikers Island Bridge Opened | journal = Correction Sidelights |publisher=New York City Department of Correction |url=http://www.correctionhistory.org/html/chronicl/nycdoc/html/rispan2.html |accessdate =August 15, 2009}} The {{NYC bus link|Q100}} MTA Bus route operates across the Rikers Island Bridge and provides service to the Rikers Island Visitor Center.{{Cite NYC bus map|Q}}

The bridge crosses the Rikers Island Channel of the East River and Bowery Bay. It is located near LaGuardia Airport and crosses over the approach light pier to Runway 13.{{cite map |publisher=NOAA |title=Chart 12339 |url=http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/12339.shtml |date=June 1, 2008 |scale=1 : 10,000 |accessdate=August 15, 2009}}

File:Rikers Island Bridge (wide angle, cropped) seen from LGA.jpg

History

Before the bridge opened, the only access to Rikers Island was by a ferry, which cost New York City $250,000 per year to operate.Ingraham, Joseph C. (November 30, 1965). "[https://www.proquest.com/docview/116742692/8F9CA83D11204BD4PQ/4 2 Projects Taking Form Near Rikers Island: Bridge Rising Near Runway Extensions]". The New York Times. p. 43. The bridge was proposed in order to provide easier access by fire, police, ambulances, and sanitation vehicles, and to reduce the commute times for employees.{{cite news |author=Mazza, Frank |date=May 8, 1966 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/149060040/daily-news-rikers-island-bridge-to-spur/ |title=Rikers Island Bridge To Spur Better Jails |work=Daily News |location=New York, New York |page=M14 |access-date=June 10, 2024 |via=Newspapers.com}} The New York City Planning Board approved the building of the bridge in 1962. Rikers Island Bridge opened on November 22, 1966.Devlin, John C. (November 23, 1966). "[https://www.proquest.com/docview/117273865/8F9CA83D11204BD4PQ/6 Bridge of Hope' to Rikers Island Is Dedicated Here: Mayor Opens $9-Million Bridge To an Expanding Rikers Island]". The New York Times. p. 41. New York City spent $10{{nbsp}}million to build the bridge. The city said it saved $410{{nbsp}}million in construction costs for structures on the island during the five years after the bridge opened, and that the bridge would also save $5,000 in operating expenses per year. The bridge is supported by 260 concrete piles, each up to {{convert|124|ft}} long."[https://www.proquest.com/docview/116701499/8F9CA83D11204BD4PQ/3 200-Foot Pile-Driving Rig Used To Set Base for Rikers Bridge]". The New York Times. March 28, 1965. p. S14.

On May 25, 1978, the bridge was co-named for the late Supervising Warden Francis R. Buono, who directed its construction.{{cite journal |date=June 1978 |title=Francis R. Buono Memorial Bridge Dedicated |journal=The Pen |publisher=New York City Department of Correction |url=http://www.correctionhistory.org/html/chronicl/nycdoc/html/buono.html |accessdate=August 15, 2009}} In August 1990, during a labor conflict with then New York City mayor David Dinkins, guards responded to a breakdown in negotiations by barricading access to the bridge.{{cite news |last=Levine |first=Richard |title=Critics Say Dinkins Miscalculated Guards' Anger |newspaper=The New York Times |date=August 16, 1990 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/16/nyregion/critics-say-dinkins-miscalculated-guards-anger.html |accessdate=August 15, 2009}}