Northeast Corridor and New York Connecting Railroad
Crosses
Hell Gate, Little Hell Gate, Bronx Kill
Locale
New York City; (Queens, Randall's and Wards Islands, and the Bronx)
Owner
Amtrak
Maintained by
Amtrak
Characteristics
Design
Through arch bridge (main span)
Inverted bowstring truss (Little Hell Gate span)
Truss bridge (Bronx Kill span)
Material
Steel
Total length
17,000 ft (3.2 mi; 5.2 km) (including approaches)
Width
100 ft (30.5 m)
Longest span
1,017 ft (310 m)
Clearance below
135 ft (41.1 m)
Rail characteristics
No. of tracks
3
2 for Amtrak Northeast Corridor
1 for CSX/P&W
Track gauge
4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Structure gauge
AAR
Electrified
12.5 kV 60 Hz AC catenary (Northeast Corridor only)
History
Architect
Henry Hornbostel
Designer
Gustav Lindenthal
Constructed by
American Bridge Inc.
Fabrication by
American Bridge Company
Construction start
1912
Construction end
1916
Opened
March 9, 1917; 107 years ago (1917-03-09)[1]
Location
The Hell Gate Bridge (originally the New York Connecting Railroad Bridge) is a railroad bridge in New York City, New York, United States. The bridge carries two tracks of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and one freight track between Astoria, Queens, to Port Morris, Bronx, via Randalls and Wards Islands. Its main span is a 1,017-foot (310 m) steel through arch across Hell Gate, a strait of the East River that separates Wards Island from Queens. The bridge also includes several approach viaducts and two spans across smaller waterways. Including approaches, the bridge is 17,000 feet (5,200 m) long. It is one of the few rail connections from Long Island, of which Queens is part, to the rest of the United States.[a]
The New York Connecting Railroad (NYCR) was formed in 1892 to build the bridge, linking New York and the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) with New England and the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad (NH). A cantilever bridge across Hell Gate was proposed in 1900, but the plan was changed to a through-arch bridge after repeated delays. Construction was overseen by the engineers Gustav Lindenthal, Othmar Ammann, and David B. Steinman and architect Henry Hornbostel. The bridge was dedicated on March 9, 1917, and was the world's longest steel arch bridge until the Bayonne Bridge opened in 1931. Various proposals to modify the bridge in the 1920s were unsuccessful. The bridge was renovated in the 1990s following three decades of deterioration.
The main span is a two-hinged arch flanked by stone towers on either bank of Hell Gate. Northwest of the Hell Gate span, the viaduct is carried on plate-girder spans along the east side of Wards and Randalls Islands. A four-span inverted bowstring truss bridge, measuring 1,154 feet (352 m), carries the railroad tracks across Little Hell Gate, a former stream between Randalls and Wards Islands. Further north is a 350-foot (110 m), two-span truss bridge across Bronx Kill, a small strait separating Randalls Island from the Bronx. There are also steel-and-concrete approach viaducts in the Bronx and Queens. In addition to the three existing tracks on the bridge, there was a fourth track used by freight trains until the 1970s. The passenger tracks have been electrified since c. 1918, and the freight tracks also had electrification from 1927 to 1969. The Hell Gate Bridge's design inspired that of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the bridge has received commentary both for its design and its impact on Long Island's commerce.
^Cite error: The named reference nrhs1917 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
The HellGateBridge (originally the New York Connecting Railroad Bridge) is a railroad bridge in New York City, New York, United States. The bridge carries...
HellGate is a narrow tidal strait in the East River in New York City. It separates Astoria, Queens, from Randall's and Wards Islands in Manhattan. The...
from Queens by the East River and HellGate, and from the Bronx by the Bronx Kill. A channel named Little HellGate separated Randalls Island to the north...
The Golden GateBridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the one-mile-wide (1.6 km) strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific...
the line was extended to Penn Station across the HellGate with the completion of the HellGateBridge. Metro-North Railroad is currently planning to reinstitute...
built a movable bridge across the Bronx Kill on the approach to the HellGateBridge. Similarly, the truss bridge of the Triborough Bridge across the Bronx...
a channel called HellGate, which is spanned by both the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge (formerly the Triborough), and the HellGateBridge.: 84 On the south...
and Atlantic Railway (NYAR) currently use the line. It runs from the HellGateBridge over the East River to Fresh Pond Junction yard in Glendale in Queens...
Department of Public Works with producing, was a rough copy of the HellGateBridge in New York City. The design chosen from the tender responses was original...
civil engineer who designed the Queensboro and HellGatebridges in New York City, among other bridges.: 283 Lindenthal's work was greatly affected by...
HellGate NYC is an online worker-owned publication focused on local New York City news. The publication is named after the HellGateBridge, due to the...
The HellGateBridge, New York, shortly after its completion. The Bayonne Bridge, the 6th longest steel arch bridge in the world. Tyne Bridge, Newcastle...
North Bronx Transportation Project considered running trains via the HellGateBridge to Penn Station, with travel times estimated to be 25 minutes. Some...
connected to the U.S. mainland via CSX's Fremont Secondary over the HellGateBridge. It also interchanges with New York New Jersey Rail's car float at...
the East River Tunnels); the New York Connecting Railroad; and the HellGateBridge. Combined, these creations were a stretch that started just above Newark...
Lindenthal, the engineer who later designed the HellGateBridge in New York City. The Smithfield Street Bridge was built between 1881 and 1883, opening for...
Washington, High, HellGate, Queensboro, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Macombs Dam, Carroll Street, University Heights, and Washington Bridges have all received...
longest arch bridge spans List of longest masonry arch bridge spans List of longest cantilever bridge spans List of longest cable-stayed bridge spans List...
Montauk Branch and CSX Transportation's Fremont Secondary (to the HellGateBridge) at Glendale, Queens with the Upper New York Bay at Bay Ridge, Brooklyn...
by 25 feet (7.6 m) and took the distinction from the HellGateBridge.: 19 The Bayonne Bridge has a lightweight design, weighing only 16,000 short tons...
Tyne Bridge was designed by Mott, Hay and Anderson, comparable to their Sydney Harbour Bridge version. These bridges derived their design from the Hell Gate...
Global Information
