Hey, native New Yorkers. The BB appears to be shrouded in metal work like steel beams that is held up by wiring. What is that all about? Is the Bridge double decker? Was that construction added later?

The Brooklyn Bridge is a 'Suspension' Bridge. Including the roadway approcahes to the bridge, it totals over 6000 feet long.

It consists of four suspension cables which are made up of something like 20 strands of industrial wire in each cable. It has two levels ; One for vehicles with a pedestrian walkway overhead, and the other level is for trains.



Don Cardi

The current configuration of the bridge (six lanes of traffic) is not original. The bridge has changed configuration a bit over the years.

Check out
http://www.endex.com/gf/buildings/bbridge/bbridge.html

its not the greatest site, but should answer any questions you have

Olivant, here is a pretty good site giving the history of the Brooklyn Bridge, as well as the changes that have been made over the years. Hope this helps.


http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/brooklyn/

Don Cardi

You sound like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever!

I swear to you, that when I made that post, the exact same thought crossed my mind!



Don Cardi

The Brooklyn Bridge was (and is) an engineering tour de force, as well as a thing of beauty and a joy forever. The list of engineering and construction "firsts" represented by the bridge are long and impressive. If you're visiting NYC, you should make it a point to walk over the bridge--breathtaking. I'm a native New Yorker, and the most breathtaking sight I ever saw in the city was on the night of the great Northeast Blackout in 1965, when thousands walked over the Brooklyn Bridge, and a full moon sihouetted the dark skyscrapers of Lower Manhattan. Unforgettable! (One of our members posted a photo retrieved from Life Magazine's archives.)
One correction: no subways or streetcars have run on the bridge since 1950. The two levels accommodate cars and pedestrians, respectively.

There is a wonderful book written about the conception, planning and building of the Brooklyn Bridge...called 'The Great Bridge' by David McCullough.

For nine years when I lived in Brooklyn Heights I was just a few blocks away from this bridge and loved to walk across it or view it from the Promenade opposite lower Manhattan. I was there for the 100th anniversary celebration in 1983. I took some lovely photos of it at sunset one evening before moving out of New York. It is truly a beautiful work of art and engineering.

Of course as everyone knows...John Travolta was referring to the Verazzano Bridge in 'Saturday Night Fever'. Another spectacular but much more contemporary landmark.

Apple

You are right Turnbull, I stand corrected. I believe that it is the Manhatten bridge that has the trains running on it. My bad.


Don Cardi

Found this.

I wonder how many people are buried in the cement in that bridge?

You're never "bad," DC.

Thanks, DN.
It so happened that, on that night, I had close to a grand in cash in my pocket that I'd withdrawn from a bank account to pay a travel agent for an upcoming vacation. And I had to walk and thumb rides all the way from Lower Manhattan to eastern Brooklyn, where I lived at the time. Turned out to be one of the safest (lowest crime) evenings in modern NYC history. And, nine months later, the birth rate shot up out of all proportion. Tells you what people were doing instead of crime.

The Prominade is one of Brooklyn's real assets. Best views in the five boroughs. My wife and I used to drive there from East NY and Brownsville just to walk it and take in the views.