Intro
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River. At 5,989 feet (1825 m),[2] it was the longest suspension bridge in the world from its opening to 1903, the first steel-wire suspension bridge.
Originally referred to as the New York and Brooklyn Bridge, it was dubbed the Brooklyn Bridge in an 1867 letter to the editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle,[3] and formally so named by the city government in 1915. Since its opening, it has become an iconic part of the New York skyline. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964
The Brooklyn Bridge is considered by many to be one of the greatest works of architecture in New York. It was the first bridge to cross the East River and connect the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The construction work on Brooklyn Bridge started on January 3, 1870 and took as many as 13 years to be complete.
Brooklyn Bridge was opened for use on May 24, 1883. On that day, 1,800 vehicles and 150,300 people crossed the bridge.
At the time of its construction, Brooklyn Bridge was the only land passage between Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The main span of Brooklyn Bridge, over the East River, is 1,595 feet 6 inches (486.3 m).
The cost of construction of Brooklyn Bridge came to somewhere around $15.5 million.
Brooklyn Bridge was designed by John Augustus Roebling, a German-born person.
It is said that during the construction of Brooklyn Bridge, as many as 27 people died, including John Roebling.
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