By Rebecca Henely
The day the stock market crashed Oct. 29, 1929, and ushered in the Great Depression, work began on a three-pronged bridge to connect Queens to Manhattan and the Bronx. Now that bridge, known as the Triborough or by its new name, the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, is celebrating its diamond jubilee.
“The Triborough Bridge was the consummation of the five boroughs, the creation of the modern New York,” said Bob Singleton, president of the Greater Astoria Historical Society.
To commemorate the bridge’s completion July 11, 1936, the society is partnering with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and historical groups in the Bronx and Manhattan on a 75th anniversary celebration. Singleton said both the society and the MTA are collecting residents’ stories of memories of the bridge during its construction in a time of financial hardship and afterward.
“Recalling the past and the important role this bridge has played in the economic development of New York City is a wonderful way of honoring the hardworking people who helped build this unique bridge that links three boroughs,” MTA Bridges and Tunnels President Jim Ferrara said in a statement.
On July 11, the historical society will hold two talks at its home on the fourth floor of 35-20 Broadway, as well as an exhibit of images of the bridge. First, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., elected officials and civic leaders will gather to speak about the bridge. There will also be a roundtable led by historians from all three boroughs, top engineers of the bridge and a transportation expert from the Regional Plan Association at 7 p.m.
“And we’ll have a little birthday party for the bridge,” Singleton said after the panel is done.
Completed a little more than 40 years after the consolidation of all five boroughs into a single city, the bridge, accessible in Astoria via Hoyt Avenue, branches off at Randall’s Island, where motorists can turn into Manhattan’s East 125th Street or the Bronx’s Major Deegan and Bruckner expressways.
The RFK-Triboro is actually three bridges in one, Singleton said. Over the East River from Astoria to Randall’s it is a suspension bridge, from Randall’s to Manhattan it is a lift bridge and from Randall’s to the Bronx it is a truss bridge.
“That interchange where everything kind of meets, it’s so beautifully designed that you only have one stop,” Singleton said.
The bridge was renamed for late New York Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in 2008, although the name has not been accepted by many residents and many area signs still refer to the bridge as the Triborough.
“No comment,” Singleton said on the matter.
To contribute to the memory project, e-mail the MTA at bridgememories@mtabt.org or call 646-252-7420.
Reach reporter Rebecca Henely by e-mail at rhenely@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4564.
