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The Brooklyn Bridge, built between 1869 and 1883, is one of New York’s many landmarks. Located over the East River, the bridge connects the two major boroughs of New York, Manhattan and Brooklyn. It is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. John Roebling was the civil engineer behind this project. The intent of the bridge was to unite the two boroughs together and to decrease the overcrowding population in Manhattan. It was intended to persuade residents to reside in Brooklyn. This structure functions socially and efficiently but not economically. Back in the late 1800’s, the bridge was used to improve relations between Brooklyn and Manhattan. Both boroughs were still developing at the time. Class systems were separated due to the different regions. The rich lived in Manhattan while the middle class and lower class resided in Brooklyn. There were hopes to unite the two which led to the development of the Brooklyn Bridge. Today, the bridge is used for accommodating New Yorkers who commute between Manhattan and Brooklyn. The bridge handles six lanes of traffic and carries around 145,000 vehicles per day. There is also a passage way for pedestrian traffic and bikers. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The Brooklyn Bridge holds the 44th place in having the longest main span among the world’s suspension bridges in the past 120 years of history. From a social aspect, the structure is quite popular among tourists. Millions of travelers visit the viaduct every year. The views on the bridge are astonishing especially during sunrise and sunset. It overlooks the downtown Manhattan‘s skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge Park in DUMBO. The bridge is a staple in almost every romantic movie filmed in New York City. It romanticizes the city over night as it lights up. The structure has been inspiration for various artists such as Georgia O’keefe, Walt Whitman and Frank Lloyd Wright. Thus, the bridge increased tourism for the city while uniting residents who live and work between the two boroughs. In the late 1800’s, large bridges were only something one can dream about. Many residents were skeptical about having a bridge built over the East river. There were always constant ships sailing through the waterway. Not only was that an issue but the river itself was a salt water estuary. It was prone to tidal conditions. Thus in order to create a viaduct that would stand strong and not affect the ships that passed through required a steel suspension bridge to be constructed. From an efficiency aspect, the bridge is very sturdy. After 120 years, it still stands strong today. The viaduct spans about 1600 ft over the East River. The cables and deck are made out of steel and the Neo - Gothic towers are made of masonry. The deck is used for sightseeing and it has functionalist cables.The total length of the bridge is 5,989 ft and it has a width of 85 ft. It stands 44 ft and 6 inches above water on the Brooklyn end and 78 ft and 6 inches on the Manhattan end. There are four suspension cables, each one measuring to 15.75 inches in diameter. Each cable is 3,578.5 ft long and contains 5434 wires.

However, the bridge wasn’t very economical. The bridge cost 15 million dollars to build in 1883, which was twice the amount that Roebling had anticipated for. Around 20 to 30 men died in the process of constructing the bridge. Although it was a strong and sufficient bridge, residents were skeptical at first because of the width of the bridge and the length of its span over the East River. Doubts started to disappear when a herd of 21 elephants crossed the bridge in 1884. Most recently, there were projects proposed to further improve the bridge in 1999. Overall, the Brooklyn Bridge is an elegant and beautiful structure. It is sufficient because it still stands strong today and is capable of handling all the traffic between Brooklyn and Manhattan commuters. It may have been costly to build at first but in the long run, it was worth it. Projects that have been proposed are ramps to further improve the driving experience on the bridge. The concrete on the driving surface has begun to crumble but it hasn’t affected the superstructure. The bridge is still rated to be “structurally deficient” under the Federal Highway Administration. The project will cost about $725 million to execute. Regardless, it still hasn’t required much maintenance throughout the years. It fulfills what it was originally intended to do all along, unite the two boroughs, Manhattan and Brooklyn.

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