Hell Gate Bridge
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Hell_Gate_and_Triborough_Bridges.jpg
The Hell Gate Bridge (originally the New York Connecting Railroad Bridge) is a 1,017-foot (310 m) steel arch span over a portion of the East River known as Hell Gate. The bridge was built in 1916 between Queens and the Bronx (both boroughs of New York City). It is a railroad bridge, used by Amtrak and by some CSX, Canadian Pacific, and New York and Atlantic freight trains. The bridge and structure are owned by Amtrak, part of its Washington D.C. to Boston electrified main line known as the Northeast Corridor. The bridge is also part of the New York Connecting Railroad, a rail line that links New York City and Long Island to the North American mainland. The total length of the bridge is over 17,000 feet. Until the Bayonne Bridge was opened in 1932, the Hell Gate Birdge was the longest steel arch bridge in the world, and it is still thought to be the strongest. Construction of the bridge was done and overseen by Gustav Lindenthal.
Hell Gate runs parallel to the Triborough Bridge, which connects Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan, and drivers can see the length of the bridge just east of the roadway.
The bridge was conceived in the early 1900s for the Pennsylvania Railroad to link New York to New England. It was completed on September 30, 1916. It became a target for Nazi spies during World War II, and the government of Adolf Hitler even sent spies to New York to blow the bridge up, but the war ended before they could. In 1996, it received a face lift, including its first paint job in its 80 years. It was painted "Hell Gate Red"-a dark, natural red.
The design of the Sydney Harbour Bridge is believed to have been based on or inspired by the Hell Gate Bridge.
The Hell Gate Bridge is featured as a centerpiece in the 1991 film Queens Logic.
See also
- New York Connecting Railroad
- Sydney Harbour Bridge - Designed by John Bradfield in 1916 and believed to have been influenced by the Hell Gate Bridge.
External links
- Hell Gate Bridge (http://www.hellgatebridge.org)