The Throgs Neck suspension bridge turns 50 years old today, carrying traffic between the Throgs Neck section of the Bronx and Bay Terrace, Queens since January 11, 1961.
At the time, the New York Times wasn’t particularly impressed.
The Throgs Neck was added to relieve traffic on the WhiteStone Bridge built just to the west in 1939. In an irony of unintended consequences, the new presence of the Throgs Neck actually increased traffic on the Whitestone because of the enhanced public perception of easy cross-river access. More people were encouraged to take the drive.
I shot the large landscape photographs from commercial jets. On the map, the red pointers from left to right indicate 1) our ClockTower in SoBro, 2) LaGuardia Airport in Queens (at the bottom) where both planes took off, 3) the relative position of each plane in both photographs taken on different flights, and 4) the Throgs Neck Bridge itself on the far right.
In both large color photos, the Throgs Neck is the one in the distance, the Whitestone Bridge is closer.
The Throgs Neck is the youngest bridge across the East River.
By comparison, the Brooklyn Bridge--also a suspension bridge-- is only about 200 feet shorter but was completed in 1883, two years before our Clocktower and a full 78 years earlier than the Throgs Neck.
Small black and white photos courtesy of:
http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/throgs-neck/
Happy Birthday, Throgs Neck!
From today’s Telegraph:
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