View source for Brooklyn Bridge

{{Short description|Bridge in New York City}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox bridge
| bridge_name                    = Brooklyn Bridge
| image                          = Brooklyn Bridge Manhattan.jpg
| alt                            = View of the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan; the East River is in the foreground
| caption                        = View from [[Manhattan]] towards [[Brooklyn]], 2009
| official_name                  =
| also_known_as                  =
| carries                        = 5 lanes of [[roadway]]<br /> [[elevated railway|Elevated trains]] (until 1944)<br /> [[Streetcar]]s (until 1950)<br /> Pedestrians and bicycles
| crosses                        = [[East River]]
| locale                         = [[New York City]] ([[Civic Center, Manhattan|Civic Center]], [[Manhattan]]&nbsp;– [[Dumbo, Brooklyn|Dumbo]]/[[Brooklyn Heights]], [[Brooklyn]])
| maint                          = [[New York City Department of Transportation]]
| id                             = 22400119<ref>{{cite web |title=NYC DOT Bridges & Tunnels Annual Condition Report 2015 |publisher=[[New York City Department of Transportation]] |url=https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/dot_bridgereport15.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201155934/https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/dot_bridgereport15.pdf |archive-date=February 1, 2017 |url-status=live |access-date=May 24, 2017}}</ref>
| builder                        = New York Bridge Company
| designer                       = [[John Augustus Roebling]]
| design                         = [[Cable-stayed suspension bridge]]
| mainspan                       = {{convert|1,595.5|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}<ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 2" /><ref name="Barnes p. 28" /><ref name="tribune19220729" />
| length                         = {{convert|6016|ft|m mi|1|abbr=on}}{{efn|name=length|Sources disagree on whether the length of the Brooklyn Bridge is  {{Convert|6016|ft|m|abbr=}} <ref name="NYCL" /><ref name="Facts on File 1914 p. 839" /><ref name="Brooklyn Citizen Almanac 1893 p. 165" /> or {{convert|5989|ft|m}}.<ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 2" /><ref name="Barnes p. 28" /><ref name="McCullough pp. 29-31" />}}
| width                          = {{convert|85|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}<ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 2" /><ref name="Barnes p. 28" /><ref name="tribune19220729" />
| height                         = {{convert|272|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} (towers)<ref name="Facts on File 1914 p. 839" />
| below                          = {{convert|127|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} above mean high water<ref name="NOAA">{{cite web|url=https://charts.noaa.gov/PDFs/12335.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151022232202/https://www.charts.noaa.gov/PDFs/12335.pdf |archive-date=October 22, 2015 |url-status=live|title=NOAA National Ocean Service Coast Survey Navigational Chart #12335: Hudson and East Rivers, Governors Island to 67th Street|publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]|date=October 1, 2019|access-date=January 24, 2020}}</ref>
| traffic                        = 121,930 (2019)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/about/datafeeds.shtml |title=NYC DOT – Data Feeds (NYC Bridge & Screenline Traffic Volumes Dashboard) |year=2019 |publisher=New York City Department of Transportation |access-date=May 21, 2022 |archive-date=April 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425120940/https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/about/datafeeds.shtml#trafficcounts |url-status=live }}</ref>
| open                           = {{start date and age|1883|05|24}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.endex.com/gf/buildings/bbridge/bbridgefacts.htm |title=Brooklyn Bridge Facts, History and Information |first=Gary |last=Feuerstein |date=May 29, 1998 |publisher=Endex Engineering, Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100208205253/https://www.endex.com/gf/buildings/bbridge/bbridgefacts.htm |archive-date=February 8, 2010 |access-date=May 23, 2011}}</ref>
| closed                         =
| toll                           = Free (Manhattan-bound to FDR Drive north, and Brooklyn-bound)<br/>[[Congestion pricing in New York City|Variable congestion charge]] (Manhattan-bound to all other exits)
| coordinates                    = {{coord|40.7057|-73.9964|type:landmark_region:US-NY|display=inline,title}}
| extra                          = {{Infobox NRHP
| embed                          = yes
| name                           = Brooklyn Bridge
| nrhp_type                      = nhl
| built                          = 1869–1883
| architecture                   = [[Gothic Revival]]
| designated_nrhp_type           = January 29, 1964<ref name="nhlsum"/>
| added                          = October 15, 1966<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2007a}}</ref>
| refnum                         = 66000523
| designated_other1              = New York State Register of Historic Places
| designated_other1_abbr         = NYSRHP
| designated_other1_number       = 06101.001644
| designated_other1_num_position = bottom
| designated_other1_date         = June 23, 1980<ref name="Cultural Resource Information System">{{cite web | title=Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS) | publisher=[[New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation]] | date=November 7, 2014 | url=https://cris.parks.ny.gov/ | access-date=July 20, 2023 | archive-date=April 4, 2019 | archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20190404141934/https://cris.parks.ny.gov/ | url-status=live }}</ref>
| designated_other2_name         = New York City Landmark
| designated_other2_date         = August 24, 1967<ref name="NYCL" />
| designated_other2_abbr         = NYCL
| designated_other2_link         = New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
| designated_other2_number       = 0098
| designated_other2_color        = #ffe978
}}
}}

The '''Brooklyn Bridge''' is a [[cable-stayed suspension bridge]] in [[New York City]], spanning the [[East River]] between the boroughs of [[Manhattan]] and [[Brooklyn]]. Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East River. It was also the [[List of longest suspension bridge spans#History of longest suspension spans|longest suspension bridge in the world]] when opened, with a main span of {{convert|1595.5|ft|m}} and a deck {{convert|127|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} above [[mean high water]]. The span was originally called the '''New York and Brooklyn Bridge''' or the '''East River Bridge''' but was officially renamed the Brooklyn Bridge in 1915.

Proposals for a bridge connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn were first made in the early 19th century; these plans evolved into what is now the Brooklyn Bridge, designed by [[John A. Roebling]]. The project's chief engineer, his son [[Washington Roebling]], contributed further design work, assisted by the latter's wife, [[Emily Warren Roebling]]. Construction started in 1870 and was overseen by the New York Bridge Company, which in turn was controlled by the [[Tammany Hall]] political machine. Numerous controversies and the novelty of the design prolonged the project over thirteen years. After opening, the Brooklyn Bridge underwent several reconfigurations, having carried horse-drawn vehicles and elevated railway lines until 1950. To alleviate increasing traffic flows, additional bridges and tunnels were built across the East River. Due to gradual deterioration, the Brooklyn Bridge was renovated several times, including in the 1950s, 1980s, and 2010s.

The Brooklyn Bridge is the southernmost of five vehicular bridges connecting Manhattan Island and [[Long Island]], with the [[Manhattan Bridge]], the [[Williamsburg Bridge]], the [[Queensboro Bridge]], and the [[Robert F. Kennedy Bridge]] (formerly known as the Triborough Bridge) to the north.<ref>{{cite web | last=Sharif | first=Mo | title=Protecting New York City's Bridge Assets | website=Federal Highway Administration | date=December 19, 1903 | url=https://highways.dot.gov/public-roads/mayjune-2005/protecting-new-york-citys-bridge-assets | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429221316/https://highways.dot.gov/public-roads/mayjune-2005/protecting-new-york-citys-bridge-assets | url-status=dead | archive-date=April 29, 2021 | access-date=January 8, 2025}}</ref>  Only passenger vehicles and pedestrian and bicycle traffic are permitted. A major tourist attraction since it opened, the Brooklyn Bridge has become an icon of New York City. Over the years, the bridge has been used for stunts and performances, as well as several crimes, attacks and vandalism. The Brooklyn Bridge is designated a [[National Historic Landmark]], a [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission|New York City landmark]], and a [[List of historic civil engineering landmarks|National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark]].

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== Description <span class="anchor" id="Design"></span> ==
The Brooklyn Bridge, an early example of a steel-wire [[suspension bridge]],<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Talbot|2011|p=1}}</ref>{{efn|Together with the [[Clifton Suspension Bridge]] of 1864}} uses a [[Cable-stayed suspension bridge|hybrid]] design combining elements of [[cable-stayed bridge|cable-stayed]] and [[suspension bridge]]s, with both vertical and diagonal suspender cables.<ref>{{cite web | title=Brooklyn Bridge – History, Construction, & Facts | website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica Online|Encyclopædia Britannica]] | url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Brooklyn-Bridge | access-date=January 24, 2020 | archive-date=June 5, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605114111/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Brooklyn-Bridge | url-status=live }}</ref> Its stone towers are [[neo-gothic architecture|neo-Gothic]], with characteristic pointed arches.<ref name="Greene 2017 p. 81">{{cite book | last=Greene | first=Elizabeth B. | title=Buildings and Landmarks of 19th-Century America: American Society Revealed | publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing | year=2017 | isbn=978-1-4408-3573-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LBjHEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA81 | access-date=November 9, 2023 | page=81 | archive-date=November 9, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109212057/https://books.google.com/books?id=LBjHEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA81 | url-status=live }}</ref> The [[New York City Department of Transportation]] (NYCDOT), which maintains the bridge, says that its original paint scheme was "Brooklyn Bridge Tan" and "Silver", but other accounts state that it was originally entirely "[[Rawlins, Wyoming#"Rawlins Red"|Rawlins Red]]".<ref name="Saxena 2010 i247">{{cite web | last=Saxena | first=Jaya | title=Brooklyn Bridge Almost Painted 'Queensborough Tan' | website=Gothamist | date=May 4, 2010 | url=https://gothamist.com/news/brooklyn-bridge-almost-painted-queensborough-tan | access-date=November 9, 2023 | archive-date=November 9, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109211625/https://gothamist.com/news/brooklyn-bridge-almost-painted-queensborough-tan | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Buiso 2010 i077">{{cite web | last=Buiso | first=Gary | title=City red-faced after naming Brooklyn Bridge's paint after hated Queens | website=Brooklyn Paper | date=May 4, 2010 | url=https://www.brooklynpaper.com/city-red-faced-after-naming-brooklyn-bridges-paint-after-hated-queens/ | access-date=November 9, 2023 | archive-date=November 9, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109211625/https://www.brooklynpaper.com/city-red-faced-after-naming-brooklyn-bridges-paint-after-hated-queens/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Deck ===
[[File:DUMBO (96047423).jpg|left|thumb|alt=A stone viaduct approach ramp to the Brooklyn Bridge, as seen from a street in Brooklyn, with buildings to either side|An approach ramp to the Brooklyn Bridge, seen from Brooklyn, with [[Manhattan Bridge]] (partially hidden by buildings) seen in the background]]
To provide sufficient clearance for shipping in the East River, the Brooklyn Bridge incorporates long approach viaducts on either end to raise it from low ground on both shores.<ref name="McCullough pp. 29-31">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=29–31}}</ref> Including approaches, the Brooklyn Bridge is a total of {{Convert|6016|ft|m|abbr=}} long<ref name="NYCL">{{cite web|url=https://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/0098.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226200736/https://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/0098.pdf |archive-date=December 26, 2016 |url-status=live|title=Brooklyn Bridge|date=August 24, 1967|publisher=[[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]]|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=1}}</ref><ref name="Facts on File 1914 p. 839">{{cite book |editor=Facts on File Inc. |title=The World Almanac & Book of Facts |publisher=Press Publishing Company (The New York World) |year=1914 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-GQ3AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA839 |access-date=June 18, 2019 |page=839}}</ref><ref name="Brooklyn Citizen Almanac 1893 p. 165" /> when measured between the curbs at [[Park Row (Manhattan)|Park Row]] in Manhattan and Sands Street in Brooklyn.<ref name="Brooklyn Citizen Almanac 1893 p. 165">{{cite book | title=Brooklyn Citizen Almanac | publisher=[[Brooklyn Citizen]]. | year=1893 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4VQ9AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA165 | language=en | access-date=June 18, 2019 | page=165}}</ref> A separate measurement of {{convert|5989|ft|m}} is sometimes given; this is the distance from the curb at [[Centre Street (Manhattan)|Centre Street]] in Manhattan.<ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 2" /><ref name="Barnes p. 28">{{harvnb|ps=.|Barnes|1883|p=28}}</ref><ref name="McCullough pp. 29-31" />

==== Suspension span ====
The main span between the two suspension towers is {{convert|1595.5|ft|m}} long and {{Convert|85|ft|m|abbr=}} wide.<ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 2" /><ref name="Barnes p. 28" /><ref name="tribune19220729">{{cite news|title=Cables Slip, But Brooklyn Bridge Is Safe|date=July 29, 1922|work=[[New-York Tribune]]|pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33453854/ 1], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33453892/ 3]|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> The bridge "elongates and contracts between the extremes of temperature from 14 to 16 inches".<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Hewitt|1883|p=309}}</ref> Navigational clearance is {{convert|127|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} above [[mean high water]] (MHW).<ref name="NOAA" /><ref name="nyt-2025-05-18">{{Cite news |last1=Goldstein |first1=Joseph |last2=Colon |first2=Shayla |last3=Mega |first3=Emiliano Rodríguez |last4=Keh |first4=Andrew |date=2025-05-18 |title=Mexican Navy Ship Crashes Into Brooklyn Bridge, Killing 2 Crew Members |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/17/nyregion/brooklyn-bridge-ship-crash-nyc.html |access-date=2025-05-18 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> A 1909 ''[[Engineering Magazine]]'' article said that, at the center of the span, the height above MHW could fluctuate by more than {{Convert|9|ft||abbr=}} due to temperature and traffic loads, while more rigid spans had a lower maximum [[Deflection (engineering)|deflection]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t71MAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA284|title=The Bridges of New York City|last=Thomson|first=T. Kennard|magazine=[[Engineering Magazine]]|year=1910|page=284|access-date=January 21, 2020|issue=v. 38|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125003003/https://books.google.com/books?id=t71MAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA284#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>

The side spans, between each suspension tower and each side's suspension anchorages, are {{Convert|930|ft|m|abbr=}} long.<ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 2">{{harvnb|ps=.|National Park Service|1966|p=2}}</ref><ref name="Barnes p. 28" /> At the time of construction, engineers had not yet discovered the [[aerodynamics]] of bridge construction, and bridge designs were not tested in [[wind tunnel]]s. John Roebling designed the Brooklyn Bridge's truss system to be six to eight times as strong as he thought it needed to be. As such, the open truss structure supporting the deck is, by its nature, subject to fewer aerodynamic problems.<ref name="Talbot p. 4">{{harvnb|ps=.|Talbot|2011|p=4}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1981/06/23/profiles-of-daring/991cf10a-30db-461f-8b26-dd54e24721ce/|title=Profiles of Daring|date=June 23, 1981|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=June 17, 2019|archive-date=June 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617133449/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1981/06/23/profiles-of-daring/991cf10a-30db-461f-8b26-dd54e24721ce/|url-status=live}}</ref> However, due to a supplier's fraudulent substitution of inferior-quality wire in the initial construction, the bridge was reappraised at the time as being only four times as strong as necessary.<ref name="Talbot p. 4" /><ref name="nyt19860308">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/03/08/nyregion/spinning-new-cables-for-bridge-s-2d-century.html|title=Spinning New Cables for Bridge's 2d Century|last=Brooke|first=James|date=March 8, 1986|work=[[The New York Times]]|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 18, 2019|archive-date=March 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200325034433/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/03/08/nyregion/spinning-new-cables-for-bridge-s-2d-century.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The main span and side spans are supported by a structure containing [[truss]]es that run parallel to the roadway,<ref name=":1">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/apracticaltreat00steigoog|title=A Practical Treatise on Suspension Bridges: Their Design, Construction and Erection|last=Steinman|first=D. B.|publisher=[[Wiley (publisher)|Wiley]]|year=1922|page=[https://archive.org/details/apracticaltreat00steigoog/page/n99 84]|access-date=July 4, 2019}}</ref> each of which is {{Convert|33|ft|m|abbr=}} deep.<ref name="Langmead 2009 p. 56" /><ref name="concise-description" /> Originally there were six trusses,<ref name=":1" /> but two were removed during a late-1940s renovation.<ref name="nyt19500920" /><ref name=":2" /> The trusses allow the Brooklyn Bridge to hold a total load of {{convert|18,700|ST|t|abbr=off|spell=us}}, a design consideration from when it originally carried heavier elevated trains.<ref name="McCullough pp. 29-31" /><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JJ87AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA105|title=Engineering Record, Building Record and Sanitary Engineer|last1=Mehren|first1=E. J.|last2=Meyer|first2=H. C.|last3=Wingate|first3=C. F.|last4=Goodell|first4=J. M.|publisher=[[McGraw Publishing Company]]|year=1889|page=105|access-date=July 4, 2019|issue=v. 20|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125003043/https://books.google.com/books?id=JJ87AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA105#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> These trusses are held up by suspender ropes, which hang downward from each of the four main cables. Crossbeams run between the trusses at the top, and diagonal and vertical stiffening beams run on the outside and inside of each roadway.<ref name="Langmead 2009 p. 56">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OTh8b2cyGBcC&pg=PA56|title=Icons of American Architecture: From the Alamo to the World Trade Center|last=Langmead|first=D.|publisher=[[Greenwood Press]]|year=2009|isbn=978-0-313-34207-3|series=Greenwood Icons|page=56|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125002959/https://books.google.com/books?id=OTh8b2cyGBcC&pg=PA56|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="concise-description">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nuu0oQEACAAJ|title=Concise Description of the East River Bridge: With Full Details of Construction ... Two Lectures Delivered ... March 6 and 13, 1880|last=Farrington|first=E. F.|publisher=C. D. Wynkoop, Printer|year=1881|pages=25–26|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125003119/https://books.google.com/books?id=nuu0oQEACAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>

An elevated pedestrian-only promenade runs in between the two roadways and {{Convert|18|ft|m|abbr=}} above them.<ref name="nyt19850816">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/08/16/arts/it-s-time-to-cross-some-bridges-a-guide-to-4-prominent-promenades.html|title=It's Time to Cross Some Bridges: A Guide to 4 Prominent Promenades|last=Dunlap|first=David W.|date=August 16, 1985|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 5, 2019|archive-date=July 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705214717/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/08/16/arts/it-s-time-to-cross-some-bridges-a-guide-to-4-prominent-promenades.html|url-status=live}}</ref> It typically runs {{Convert|4|ft|m|abbr=}} below the level of the crossbeams,<ref name="BBPr p. 26-27" /> except at the areas surrounding each tower. Here, the promenade rises to just above the level of the crossbeams, connecting to a balcony that slightly overhangs the two roadways.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Brooklyn Bridge Promenade Recommendation Report|2016|p=10}}</ref> The path is generally {{Convert|10|to|17|ft|abbr=}} wide.<ref name="amny20160809">{{Cite web|first=Vincent|last=Barone|date=August 9, 2016|url=https://www.amny.com/transit/brooklyn-bridge-pedestrian-path-expansion-explored-by-department-of-transportation-1.12151504|title=City Considers Expansion of Brooklyn Bridge Path|website=[[AM New York Metro|am New York]]|language=en|access-date=July 5, 2019|archive-date=July 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705214718/https://www.amny.com/transit/brooklyn-bridge-pedestrian-path-expansion-explored-by-department-of-transportation-1.12151504|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="BBPr p. 26-27">{{harvnb|ps=.|Brooklyn Bridge Promenade|2016|pp=26–27}}</ref> The iron railings were produced by [[Adrian Janes|Janes & Kirtland]], a Bronx iron foundry that also made the [[United States Capitol dome]] and the [[Bow Bridge (Central Park)|Bow Bridge]] in [[Central Park]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=January 11, 1902|title=Obituary; Edward R. Janes|pages=5|work=Hartford Courant|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19800987/edward-janes-obit/|access-date=August 14, 2021|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=August 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814165808/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19800987/edward-janes-obit/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Comfort|first=Randall|title=History of Bronx Borough, City of New York|publisher=North Side News Press|year=1906|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofbronxbo00comf}}</ref>

==== Approaches ====
Each of the side spans is reached by an approach ramp. The {{Convert|971|ft|m|abbr=|adj=on}} approach ramp from the Brooklyn side is shorter than the {{Convert|1567|ft|m|abbr=|adj=on}} approach ramp from the Manhattan side.<ref name="Barnes p. 28" /> The approaches are supported by [[Renaissance architecture|Renaissance-style]] arches made of masonry; the arch openings themselves were filled with brick walls, with small windows within.<ref name="NYCL" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/lpc/downloads/pdf/presentation-materials/20180710/Brooklyn%20Bridge.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916194911/https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/lpc/downloads/pdf/presentation-materials/20180710/Brooklyn%20Bridge.pdf |archive-date=September 16, 2018 |url-status=live|title=Brooklyn Bridge|date=June 29, 2018|website=[[Government of New York City|nyc.gov]]|publisher=[[New York City Department of Transportation]]|access-date=June 18, 2019}}</ref> The approach ramp contains nine [[Arch bridge|arch]] or iron-[[girder bridge]]s across side streets in Manhattan and Brooklyn.<ref name="McCullough pp. 330-331">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=330–331}}</ref>

[[File:Brooklyn Banks (4094206902).jpg|thumb|alt=The Brooklyn Banks, a skate park composed of brick obstacles under a series of steel viaducts|[[Brooklyn Banks]] skate park, seen in 2009]]

Underneath the Manhattan approach, a series of brick slopes or "banks" was developed into a [[skate park]], the [[Brooklyn Banks]], in the late 1980s.<ref name="nyt20100513">{{Cite news|last=Branch|first=John|date=May 13, 2010|title=To Fix Bridge, Skateboard Mecca May Be Lost|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/14/sports/14skateboard.html|access-date=May 11, 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109032411/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/14/sports/14skateboard.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The park uses the approach's support [[pillar]]s as obstacles.<ref name="nyt20050624">{{Cite news|last=Porter|first=Justin|date=June 24, 2005|title=Under a Bridge, And on Top of the World|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/24/nyregion/under-a-bridge-and-on-top-of-the-world.html|access-date=May 11, 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309015737/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/24/nyregion/under-a-bridge-and-on-top-of-the-world.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In the mid-2010s, the Brooklyn Banks were closed to the public because the area was being used as a storage site during the bridge's renovation.<ref name="nyt20100513" /> The [[skateboarding]] community has attempted to save the banks on multiple occasions; after the city destroyed the smaller banks in the 2000s, the city government agreed to keep the larger banks for skateboarding.<ref name="nyt20050624" /> When the NYCDOT removed the bricks from the banks in 2020, skateboarders started an [[online petition]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=It Looks Like the Brooklyn Banks May Be Done|url=https://skatenewswire.com/brooklyn-banks-destroyed/|date=May 10, 2020|website=Skate Newswire|language=en-US|access-date=May 11, 2020|archive-date=August 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814044115/https://skatenewswire.com/brooklyn-banks-destroyed/|url-status=live}}</ref> In the 2020s, local resident Rosa Chang advocated for the {{convert|9|acre|adj=on}} space under the Manhattan approach to be converted into a recreational area known as Gotham Park.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Leland|first=John|date=July 27, 2024|title=You See Rubble and Garbage. She Sees New York's Next Great Park.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/27/nyregion/gotham-park-brooklyn-bridge-rosa-chang.html|access-date=July 28, 2024|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Some of the space under the Manhattan approach reopened in May 2023 as a park called the Arches;<ref>{{cite web |last=Izzo |first=Christina |date=May 26, 2023 |title=The Arches, a new public park, opens beneath the Brooklyn Bridge |url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/the-arches-a-new-public-park-opens-beneath-the-brooklyn-bridge-052623 |access-date=November 17, 2024 |website=Time Out New York |postscript=none}}; {{cite web |last=Shivonne |first=Adeja |date=May 24, 2023 |title=Brooklyn Bridge turns 140, with a new addition open to the public |url=https://www.fox5ny.com/news/brooklyn-bridge-turns-140-the-arches-mayor-adams |access-date=November 17, 2024 |publisher=FOX 5 New York}}</ref> this was followed in November 2024 by another {{convert|15000|ft2|adj=on}} section of parkland.<ref>{{cite web |last=Quigley |first=Liam |date=November 17, 2024 |title=Public space reopens beneath Brooklyn Bridge, giving Chinatown a bit more room to breathe |url=https://gothamist.com/news/public-space-reopens-beneath-brooklyn-bridge-giving-chinatown-a-bit-more-room-to-breathe |access-date=November 17, 2024 |website=Gothamist}}</ref>

=== Cables ===
[[File:USA-NYC-Brooklyn Bridge3.jpg|thumb|left|View of diagonal stays and vertical suspender cables; the main cables are at top|alt=A view of diagonal stays and vertical suspender cables from below. The main cables run at the top.]]
The Brooklyn Bridge contains four main cables, which descend from the tops of the suspension towers and support the deck. Two are located to the outside of the bridge's roadways, while two are in the median of the roadways.<ref name="McCullough pp. 29-31" /> Each main cable measures {{Convert|15.75|in|cm|abbr=}} in diameter and contains 5,282 parallel, [[Galvanization|galvanized]] steel wires wrapped closely together in a cylindrical shape.<ref name="Barnes p. 28" /><ref name="McCullough pp. 350-351">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=350–351}}</ref><ref name="sun18910611">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33325930/|title=About the Brooklyn Bridge|date=June 11, 1891|work=[[The New York Sun]]|access-date=June 26, 2019|page=6|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125003042/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-about-the-brooklyn-bridge/33325930/|url-status=live}}</ref> These wires are bundled in 19 individual strands, with 278 wires to a strand.<ref name="McCullough pp. 350-351" /> This was the first use of bundling in a suspension bridge and took several months for workers to tie together.<ref name="nyt19291229">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1929/12/29/archives/a-builder-of-new-york-and-his-bridge-washington-a-roebling-who.html|title=A Builder Of New York And His Bridge; Washington A. Roebling, Who Erected the Brooklyn Span, Risked and Lost His Health in the Great Enterprise|last=Brown Brothers|date=December 29, 1929|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 1, 2019|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125003123/https://www.nytimes.com/1929/12/29/archives/a-builder-of-new-york-and-his-bridge-washington-a-roebling-who.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Since the 2000s, the main cables have also supported a series of 24-[[watt]] [[LED]] lighting fixtures, referred to as "necklace lights" due to their shape.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/30/nyregion/thecity/30disp.html|title=His View From the Bridge|last=Mooney|first=Jake|date=December 30, 2007|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 8, 2019|archive-date=July 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708141340/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/30/nyregion/thecity/30disp.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In addition, either 1,088,<ref name="nyt19860308" /> 1,096,<ref name="n152878759">{{Cite news |date=November 18, 1986 |title=Wire rope for bridge to be shipped |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-wire-rope-for-bridge-to-be-sh/152878759/ |access-date=August 8, 2024 |work=New York Daily News |pages=120 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> or 1,520 galvanized steel wire suspender cables hang downward from the main cables.<ref name="Talbot p. 4" /> Another 400 cable [[wikt:stay#Etymology 3|stays]] extend diagonally from the towers. The vertical suspender cables and diagonal cable stays hold up the truss structure around the bridge deck.<ref name="Talbot p. 4" /><ref name="nyt19860308" /><ref name="n152878759" /> The bridge's suspenders originally used wire rope, which was replaced in the 1980s with galvanized steel made by [[Bethlehem Steel]].<ref name="Talbot p. 4" /><ref name="Morning Call m830">{{cite web |date=February 24, 1986 |title=Brooklyn Bridge Cables to Get Relief From Steel Briefly |url=https://www.mcall.com/1986/02/24/brooklyn-bridge-cables-to-get-relief-from-steel-briefly/ |access-date=August 8, 2024 |website=The Morning Call}}</ref> The vertical suspender cables measure {{convert|8|to|130|ft}} long, and the diagonal stays measure {{convert|138|to|449|ft}} long.<ref name="n152878759" />

==== Anchorages ====
Each side of the bridge contains an anchorage for the main cables. The anchorages are [[trapezoid]]al limestone structures located slightly inland of the shore, measuring {{convert|129|by|119|ft|m|abbr=}} at the base and {{convert|117|by|104|ft|m|abbr=}} at the top.<ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 2" /><ref name="Barnes p. 28" /> Each anchorage weighs {{Convert|60,000|ST|LT MT|abbr=}}.<ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 2" /> The Manhattan anchorage rests on a foundation of bedrock while the Brooklyn anchorage rests on clay.<ref name="sun18910611" />

The anchorages both have four [[anchor plate]]s, one for each of the main cables, which are located near ground level and parallel to the ground. The anchor plates measure {{Convert|16|by|17.5|ft|m|abbr=}}, with a thickness of {{Convert|2.5|ft|m||abbr=}} and weigh {{Convert|46000|lb|kg|abbr=}} each. Each anchor plate is connected to the respective main cable by two sets of nine [[eyebar]]s, each of which is about {{Convert|12.5|ft|m|abbr=}} long and up to {{convert|9|by|3|in|mm|abbr=}} thick.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=308}}</ref><ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 5">{{harvnb|ps=.|National Park Service|1966|p=5}}</ref> The chains of eyebars curve downward from the cables toward the anchor plates, and the eyebars vary in size depending on their position.{{efn|The largest eyebars, which carry more stress, are located furthest away from the anchor plates. The eyebars closer to the anchor plates are progressively smaller.<ref name="McCullough pp. 330-331" />}}<ref name="McCullough pp. 330-331" />

The anchorages also contain numerous passageways and compartments.<ref name="nyt19990110">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/10/nyregion/fyi-780359.html|title=F.y.i.|last=Schneider|first=Daniel B.|date=January 10, 1999|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 2, 2019|archive-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702151459/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/10/nyregion/fyi-780359.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Starting in 1876,<ref name="npr20170130">{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/01/30/511204977/a-sip-of-history-the-hidden-wine-cellars-under-the-brooklyn-bridge|title=A Sip Of History: The Hidden Wine Cellars Under The Brooklyn Bridge|website=[[NPR.org]]|date=January 30, 2017|language=en|access-date=July 2, 2019|last1=Jankowski|first1=Nicole|archive-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702145912/https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/01/30/511204977/a-sip-of-history-the-hidden-wine-cellars-under-the-brooklyn-bridge|url-status=live}}</ref> in order to fund the bridge's maintenance, the New York City government made the large vaults under the bridge's Manhattan anchorage available for rent, and they were in constant use during the early 20th century.<ref name="nyt19990110" /><ref name="nyt19760922">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/09/22/archives/the-other-brooklyn-bridge-spacious-offices-and-labyrinthine-caves.html|title=The 'Other' Brooklyn Bridge: Spacious Offices and Labyrinthine Caves|last=Chambers|first=Marcia|date=September 22, 1976|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 2, 2019|archive-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702165452/https://www.nytimes.com/1976/09/22/archives/the-other-brooklyn-bridge-spacious-offices-and-labyrinthine-caves.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The vaults were used to store wine, as they were kept at a consistent {{convert|60|F|C}} temperature due to a lack of air circulation.<ref name="nyt19990110" /> The Manhattan vault was called the '''"Blue Grotto"''' because of a shrine to the [[Virgin Mary]] next to an opening at the entrance.<ref name="nyt19760922" /> The vaults were closed for public use in the late 1910s and 1920s during [[World War I]] and [[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition]] but were reopened thereafter.<ref name="npr20170130" /><ref name="nyt19760922" /> When ''[[New York (magazine)|New York]]'' magazine visited one of the cellars in 1978, it discovered a "fading inscription" on a wall reading: "Who loveth not wine, women and song, he remaineth a fool his whole life long."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7-ACAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA88|title=Notes from the Underground|work=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|page=88|language=en|access-date=July 2, 2019|date=July 10, 1978|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125003124/https://books.google.com/books?id=7-ACAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA88#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="npr20170130" /> Leaks found within the vault's spaces necessitated repairs during the late 1980s and early 1990s.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/28/business/real-estate-bridge-vault-development-is-stalled.html|title=Real Estate; Bridge-Vault Development Is Stalled|last=Lyons|first=Richard D.|date=February 28, 1990|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 8, 2019|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125003041/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/28/business/real-estate-bridge-vault-development-is-stalled.html|url-status=live}}</ref> By the late 1990s, the chambers were being used to store maintenance equipment.<ref name="nyt19990110" />

=== Towers ===
[[File:Standing_Tall_(2819665347).jpg|thumb|alt=View of the pointed arches of the suspension tower from below|Characteristic pointed arches of the bridge's [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]] suspension towers]]
The bridge's two suspension towers are {{convert|278|ft|m|abbr=}} tall with a footprint of {{Convert|140|by|59|ft|abbr=}} at the high water line.<ref name="Barnes p. 28" /><ref name="Facts on File 1914 p. 839" /><ref name="McCullough pp. 29-31" /> They are built of [[limestone]], [[granite]], and [[Rosendale cement]]. The limestone was quarried at the [[Ligonier Point Historic District|Clark Quarry]] in [[Essex County, New York]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/12001129.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225060708/https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/12001129.pdf |archive-date=February 25, 2021 |url-status=live|title=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Ligonier Point Historic District |access-date=February 1, 2016 |first1=William E. |last1=Krattinger |first2=Darcey |last2=Hale |first3=Bruce |last3=Hale |first4=Morris |last4=Glenn |date=August 2012 |page=8}}</ref> The granite blocks were quarried and shaped on [[Vinalhaven, Maine|Vinalhaven Island, Maine]], under a contract with the Bodwell Granite Company, and delivered from Maine to New York by schooner.<ref>{{cite book |last1=McLane |first1=Charles B. |last2=McLane |first2=Carol Evarts |title=Islands of the Mid-Maine Coast |publisher=Tilbury House & Island Institute |volume=I |year=1997 |page=134 |isbn=978-0884481850}}</ref> The Manhattan tower contains {{Convert|46,945|yd3|m3|abbr=}} of masonry, while the Brooklyn tower has {{Convert|38,214|yd3|m3|abbr=}} of masonry.<ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 2" /><ref name="Barnes p. 28" /> There are 56 [[LED]] lamps mounted onto the towers.<ref name="Simko-Bednarski 2024 a204">{{cite web |last=Simko-Bednarski |first=Evan |date=January 11, 2024 |title=Brooklyn Bridge's New Bright Lights Shine on Storied NYC Landmark |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/01/11/brooklyn-bridges-new-bright-lights-shine-on-storied-nyc-landmark/ |access-date=January 13, 2024 |website=New York Daily News |postscript=none |archive-date=January 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240113030551/https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/01/11/brooklyn-bridges-new-bright-lights-shine-on-storied-nyc-landmark/ |url-status=live }}; {{cite web |last=Beer |first=Isabel Song |date=January 12, 2024 |title=DOT celebrates Brooklyn Bridge 'glow up,' iconic span will be lit for first time since 1983 |url=https://www.brooklynpaper.com/dot-brooklyn-bridge-glow-up/ |access-date=January 13, 2024 |website=Brooklyn Paper |archive-date=January 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240112230357/https://www.brooklynpaper.com/dot-brooklyn-bridge-glow-up/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Each tower contains a pair of [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]] pointed arches, through which the roadways run. The arch openings are {{Convert|117|ft|m|abbr=}} tall and {{Convert|33.75|ft|m|abbr=}} wide.<ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 5" /><ref name="McCullough p. 564" /> The tops of the towers are located {{Convert|159|ft|m|abbr=}} above the floor of each arch opening, while the floors of the openings are {{Convert|119.25|ft|m|abbr=}} above mean water level, giving the towers a total height of {{convert|278.25|ft}} above mean high water.<ref name="Barnes p. 28" /><ref name="McCullough p. 564">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=564}}</ref>

====Caissons====
The towers rest on underwater [[Caisson (engineering)|caissons]] made of [[southern yellow pine]] and filled with cement.<ref name="Barnes p. 28" /> Inside both caissons were spaces for construction workers. The Manhattan side's caisson is slightly larger, measuring {{Convert|172|by|102|ft|m|abbr=}} and located {{Convert|78.5|ft|m|abbr=}} below high water, while the Brooklyn side's caisson measures {{Convert|168|by|102|ft|m|abbr=}} and is located {{Convert|44.5|ft|m|abbr=}} below high water. The caissons were designed to hold at least the weight of the towers which would exert a pressure of {{Convert|5|ST/ft2||abbr=}} when fully built, but the caissons were over-engineered for safety. During an accident on the Brooklyn side, when air pressure was lost and the partially-built towers dropped full-force down, the caisson sustained an estimated pressure of {{Convert|23|ST/ft2||abbr=}} with only minor damage.<ref name="Barnes p. 28" /><ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|National Park Service|1966|pp=2, 5}}</ref> Most of the timber used in the bridge's construction, including in the caissons, came from mills at [[Gascoigne Bluff]] on [[St. Simons, Georgia|St. Simons Island, Georgia]].<ref>{{cite book | last1=Davis | first1=J. | last2=Galland | first2=B. | title=Island Time: An Illustrated History of St. Simons Island, Georgia | publisher=University of Georgia Press | year=2013 | isbn=978-0-8203-4245-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6QJ5AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA144 | access-date=February 16, 2020 | page=144}}</ref>

The Brooklyn side's caisson, which was built first, originally had a height of {{Convert|9.5|ft|m|abbr=}} and a ceiling composed of five layers of timber, each layer {{Convert|1|ft|m|abbr=}} tall. Ten more layers of timber were later added atop the ceiling, and the entire caisson was wrapped in tin and wood for further protection against flooding. The thickness of the caisson's sides was {{Convert|8|ft|m|abbr=}} at both the bottom and the top. The caisson had six chambers: two each for [[dredging]], supply shafts, and [[airlock]]s.<ref name="structure mag">{{cite web|url=https://www.structuremag.org/?p=10604|title=Brooklyn Bridge, Part 2|date=November 5, 2012|website=Structure magazine|access-date=June 18, 2019|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308125625/https://www.structuremag.org/?p=10604|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 2" />

The caisson on the Manhattan side was slightly different because it had to be installed at a greater depth. To protect against the increased air pressure at that depth, the Manhattan caisson had 22 layers of timber on its roof, seven more than its Brooklyn counterpart had. The Manhattan caisson also had fifty {{Convert|4|in|cm|abbr=|adj=mid|-diameter}} pipes for sand removal, a fireproof iron-boilerplate interior, and different airlocks and communication systems.<ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 5" /><ref name="structure mag" /><ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=269–271}}</ref><ref name="nydh18710418">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33000026/|title=Brooklyn's Bridge; The Mammoth Caisson for the New York Tower|date=April 18, 1871|work=[[New York Daily Herald]]|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=13|via=newspapers.com}}</ref>

== History ==

=== Planning ===
[[File:BrooklynBridgeSchematic.jpg|thumb|alt=Early plan of one tower for the Brooklyn Bridge, drawn in 1867|Early Brooklyn Bridge tower plan, 1867]]

Proposals for a bridge between the then-separate cities of Brooklyn and New York had been suggested as early as 1800.<ref name="McCullough pp. 24-25">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=24–25}}</ref><ref name="nyt19291229" /> At the time, the only travel between the two cities was by [[List of ferries across the East River|a number of ferry lines]].<ref name="McCullough pp. 24-25" /><ref name="nyt19330521">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/05/21/archives/brooklyn-bridge-fifty-vivid-years-the-historic-span-ushered-in-the.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge:Fifty Vivid Years; The Historic Span Ushered in the Era of Manhattan's Ties With Neighbors|last=Brock|first=H. i.|date=May 21, 1933|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 2, 2019|archive-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702145916/https://www.nytimes.com/1933/05/21/archives/brooklyn-bridge-fifty-vivid-years-the-historic-span-ushered-in-the.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Engineers presented various designs, such as chain or link bridges, though these were never built because of the difficulties of constructing a high enough fixed-span bridge across the extremely busy East River.<ref name="McCullough pp. 24-25" /><ref name="nyt19291229" /> There were also proposals for tunnels under the East River, but these were considered prohibitively expensive.<ref name="nyt18830524">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1883/05/24/archives/the-building-of-the-bridge-its-cost-and-the-difficulties-met-with.html|title=The Building of the Bridge; Its Cost and the Difficulties Met With-- Details of the History of a Great Engineering Triumph|date=May 24, 1883|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 26, 2019|archive-date=June 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190628104724/https://www.nytimes.com/1883/05/24/archives/the-building-of-the-bridge-its-cost-and-the-difficulties-met-with.html|url-status=live}}</ref> German immigrant engineer John Augustus Roebling proposed building a suspension bridge over the East River in 1857. He had previously designed and constructed shorter suspension bridges, such as [[Roebling's Delaware Aqueduct]] in [[Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania]], and the Niagara Suspension Bridge. In 1867, Roebling erected what became the [[John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge]] over the Ohio River between [[Cincinnati, Ohio]], and [[Covington, Kentucky]].<ref>{{cite web |title=John Augustus Roebling |url=https://www.asce.org/about-civil-engineering/history-and-heritage/notable-civil-engineers/john-augustus-roebling |access-date=June 17, 2019 |publisher=[[American Society of Civil Engineers]] |archive-date=September 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911163235/https://www.asce.org/about-civil-engineering/history-and-heritage/notable-civil-engineers/john-augustus-roebling/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In February 1867, the New York State Senate passed a bill that allowed the construction of a suspension bridge from Brooklyn to Manhattan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1867/02/15/archives/newyork-affairs-at-the-state-capital-consitutional.html|title=New-York; Affairs At The State Capital|date=April 18, 2018|website=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=April 23, 2018|archive-date=November 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108184339/https://www.nytimes.com/1867/02/15/archives/newyork-affairs-at-the-state-capital-consitutional.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Two months later, the New York and Brooklyn Bridge Company was incorporated with a board of directors (later converted to a board of trustees).<ref name="McCullough pp. 24-25" /><ref name="nybc-incorporation" /><ref name="nyt18720410" /> There were twenty trustees in total: eight each appointed by the mayors of New York and Brooklyn, as well as the mayors of each city and the auditor and comptroller of Brooklyn.<ref name="sun18910611" /> The company was tasked with constructing what was then known as the New York and Brooklyn Bridge.<ref name="McCullough pp. 24-25" /><ref name="nybc-incorporation">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/ldpd_11290456_000 |title=An Act to Incorporate the New York Bridge Company, For the Purpose of Constructing and Maintaining a Bridge over the East River, Between the Cities of New York and Brooklyn |date=April 16, 1867 |publisher=[[Brooklyn Savings Bank]]|access-date=April 23, 2018 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref name="nyt18720410">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1872/04/10/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-report-of-the-subcommittee-of-fifty-important.html|title=The Brooklyn Bridge; Report of the Subcommittee of Fifty Important Facts and Figures The New-York And Brooklyn Bridge.|date=April 10, 1872|website=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=April 23, 2018|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125003632/https://www.nytimes.com/1872/04/10/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-report-of-the-subcommittee-of-fifty-important.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Alternatively, the span was just referred to as the "Brooklyn Bridge", a name originating in a January 25, 1867, [[letter to the editor]] sent to the ''[[Brooklyn Eagle|Brooklyn Daily Eagle]].''<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/eagle/|title=The East River Bridge|author=E.P.D.|date=January 25, 1867|newspaper=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=November 26, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071019230402/https://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/eagle/|archive-date=October 19, 2007|number=22|volume=27|page=2}}</ref> The act of incorporation, which became law on April 16, 1867, authorized the cities of New York (now Manhattan) and Brooklyn to subscribe to $5&nbsp;million in [[capital stock]], which would fund the bridge's construction.<ref name="nyt18830524" />

[[File:The great East River bridge- to connect the cities of New York & Brooklyn LCCN2001704255 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Artists' conception, by [[Currier and Ives]], of the bridge while construction was underway, 1872]]
Roebling was subsequently named the chief engineer of the work and, by September 1867, had presented a master plan.<ref name="McCullough pp. 24-25" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/4203536/|title=The East River Bridge|date=September 10, 1867|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=2|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125003524/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-roebling-report/4203536/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1867/09/11/archives/local-inteligence-the-east-river-bridge-report-of-the-engineerthe.html|title=Local Intelligence; The East River Bridge|date=September 11, 1867|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 21, 2019|archive-date=June 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621143225/https://www.nytimes.com/1867/09/11/archives/local-inteligence-the-east-river-bridge-report-of-the-engineerthe.html|url-status=live}}</ref> According to the plan, the bridge would be longer and taller than any suspension bridge previously built.<ref name="McCullough pp. 29-31" /> It would incorporate roadways and [[Elevated railway|elevated rail]] tracks, whose tolls and fares would provide the means to pay for the bridge's construction. It would also include a raised promenade that served as a leisurely pathway.<ref name="McCullough pp. 32-33">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=32–33}}</ref> The proposal received much acclaim in both cities, and residents predicted that the New York and Brooklyn Bridge's opening would have as much of an impact as the [[Suez Canal]], the first [[transatlantic telegraph cable]] or the [[first transcontinental railroad]]. By early 1869, however, some individuals started to criticize the project, saying either that the bridge was too expensive, or that the construction process was too difficult.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=26–28}}</ref>

To allay concerns about the design of the New York and Brooklyn Bridge, Roebling set up a "Bridge Party" in March 1869, where he invited engineers and members of U.S. Congress to see his other spans.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=35–38}}</ref> Following the bridge party in April, Roebling and several engineers conducted final surveys. During the process, it was determined that the main span would have to be raised from {{Convert|130|to|135|ft|abbr=}} above MHW, requiring several changes to the overall design.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=85–89}}</ref> In June 1869, while conducting these surveys, Roebling sustained a crush injury to his foot when a [[ferry]] pinned it against a [[piling]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/15711246/|title=The Accident to Mr. Roebling|date=June 30, 1869|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=3|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125003628/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-john-roebling-f/15711246/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=90–91}}</ref> After amputation of his crushed toes, he developed a [[tetanus]] infection that left him incapacitated and resulted in his death the following month. [[Washington Roebling]], John Roebling's 32-year-old son, was then hired to fill his father's role.<ref>{{cite news |access-date=October 27, 2009 |date=May 24, 1883 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1883/05/24/archives/the-building-of-the-bridge-its-cost-and-the-difficulties-met-with.html |title=The Building Of The Bridge; Its Cost And The Difficulties Met With |newspaper=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190628104724/https://www.nytimes.com/1883/05/24/archives/the-building-of-the-bridge-its-cost-and-the-difficulties-met-with.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Wagner|2017|page=15}}</ref> [[Tammany Hall]] leader [[William M. Tweed]] also became involved in the bridge's construction because, as a major landowner in New York City, he had an interest in the project's completion.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=128–129}}</ref> The New York and Brooklyn Bridge Company—later known simply as the New York Bridge Company<ref>{{Cite web|title=Brooklyn Bridge|publisher=Historic Bridges|url=https://historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=newyork/brooklyn/|access-date=October 3, 2020|archive-date=October 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025135504/https://historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=newyork/brooklyn/|url-status=live}}</ref>—was actually overseen by Tammany Hall, and it approved Roebling's plans and designated him as chief engineer of the project.<ref>{{Cite web|date=September 11, 2012|title=The Curse of the Roeblings? The Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge|url=https://blog.mcny.org/2012/09/11/the-curse-of-the-roeblings-the-construction-of-the-brooklyn-bridge/|access-date=October 3, 2020|publisher=[[Museum of the City of New York]]|language=en|archive-date=October 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024061321/https://blog.mcny.org/2012/09/11/the-curse-of-the-roeblings-the-construction-of-the-brooklyn-bridge/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Construction===

==== Caissons ====
[[File:AmCyc Caisson - Caisson of East River Bridge.jpg|alt=Woodcut/drawing illustrating caisson used in the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge|left|thumb|Diagram of the caisson]]
Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge began on January 2, 1870.<ref name="sun18910611" /> The first work entailed the construction of two caissons, upon which the suspension towers would be built.<ref name="structure mag" /><ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 2" /> The Brooklyn side's caisson was built at the Webb & Bell shipyard in [[Greenpoint, Brooklyn]], and was launched into the river on March 19, 1870.<ref name="structure mag" /><ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 2" /> Compressed air was pumped into the caisson, and workers entered the space to dig the sediment until it sank to the bedrock. As one sixteen-year-old from Ireland, [[Frank Harris]], described the fearful experience:<ref name=":02">{{Cite book|last1=Roark|first1=James L.|title=The American Promise: A History of the United States|last2=Johnson|first2=Michael P.|last3=Furstenburg|first3=Francois|last4=Cline Cohen|first4=Patricia|last5=Hartmann|first5=Susan M.|last6=Stage|first6=Sarah|last7=Igo|first7=Sarah E.|publisher=Bedford/St. Martin's|year=2020|isbn=978-1319208929|edition=Value Edition, 8th|volume=Combined Volume|location=Boston, MA|at=Kindle Locations 14108–14114|chapter=Chapter 19 The City and Its Workers: 1870–1900|type=Kindle|oclc=1096495503}}</ref><blockquote>The six of us were working naked to the waist in the small iron chamber with the temperature of about 80 degrees Fahrenheit: In five minutes the sweat was pouring from us, and all the while we were standing in icy water that was only kept from rising by the terrific pressure. No wonder the headaches were blinding.<ref name=":02" /> </blockquote>Once the caisson had reached the desired depth, it was to be filled in with vertical brick [[Pier (architecture)|piers]] and concrete.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/pneumatictowerf00roebgoog|title=Pneumatic Tower Foundations of the East River Suspension Bridge|last=Roebling|first=Washington|publisher=Averell & Peckett|year=1873|pages=[https://archive.org/details/pneumatictowerf00roebgoog/page/n52 46]}}</ref><ref name="McCullough p. 196" /> However, due to the unexpectedly high concentration of large boulders atop the riverbed, the Brooklyn caisson took several months to sink <!--at the desired rate---> to the desired depth.<ref name="McCullough p. 196">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=196}}</ref><ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 2" /> Furthermore, in December 1870, its timber roof caught fire, delaying construction further.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1870/12/03/archives/the-caisson-of-the-east-river-bridge-on-firethe-works-damaged-to.html|title=The Caisson of the East River Bridge on Fire—The Works Damaged to the Extent of $20,000|date=December 3, 1870|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 18, 2019|archive-date=March 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310081535/https://www.nytimes.com/1870/12/03/archives/the-caisson-of-the-east-river-bridge-on-firethe-works-damaged-to.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/32999854/|title=Fire Under Water|last=Copage|first=Eric V.|date=December 3, 1870|work=New York Herald|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=14|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125003525/https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-herald-fire-under-water/32999854/|url-status=live}}</ref> The "Great Blowout", as the fire was called, delayed construction for several months, since the holes in the caisson had to be repaired.<ref name="McCullough pp. 242-245">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=242–245}}</ref> On March 6, 1871, the repairs were finished, and the caisson had reached its final depth of {{Convert|44.5|ft|m|abbr=}}; it was filled with concrete five days later.<ref name="McCullough pp. 242-245" /><ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 2" /> Overall, about 264 individuals were estimated to have worked in the caisson every day, but because of high worker [[Turnover (employment)|turnover]], the final total was thought to be about 2,500 men in total.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=202–203}}</ref> In spite of this, only a few workers were paralyzed. At its final depth, the caisson's air pressure was {{Convert|21|psi||abbr=}}.<ref name="Talbot p. 3">{{harvnb|ps=.|Talbot|2011|p=3}}</ref>

The Manhattan side's caisson was the next structure to be built. To ensure that it would not catch fire like its counterpart had, the Manhattan caisson was lined with fireproof plate iron.<ref name="nydh18710418" /> It was launched from Webb & Bell's shipyard on May 11, 1871,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33000245/|title=Brooklyn Bridge; Launch of the Colossal Caisson for the New York Shore Tower|date=May 9, 1871|work=New York Daily Herald|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=5|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125003526/https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-daily-herald-brooklyn-bridge-l/33000245/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 5" /> and maneuvered into place that September.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1871/09/12/archives/the-east-river-bridge-the-caisson-on-the-newyork-side-successfully.html|title=The East River Bridge; The Caisson on the New-York Side Successfully Moved to Its Proper Position. Diplomatic Changes|date=September 12, 1871|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 18, 2019|archive-date=August 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809205524/https://www.nytimes.com/1871/09/12/archives/the-east-river-bridge-the-caisson-on-the-newyork-side-successfully.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="structure mag" /> Due to the extreme underwater air pressure inside the much deeper Manhattan caisson, many workers became sick with "the bends"—[[decompression sickness]]—during this work,<ref name=":02" /> despite the incorporation of airlocks (which were believed to help with decompression sickness at the time).<ref name="Hudson">{{cite web|title=Hudson River Tunnel|url=https://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=1348|website=Engineering Timelines|access-date=December 4, 2016|archive-date=December 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220043250/http://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=1348|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1872/06/24/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-its-progressthe-newyork-piereffects-of-the.html|title=The Brooklyn Bridge; Its Progress—The New-York Pier-Effects Of the Compressed Air on the Workmen|date=June 24, 1872|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 19, 2019|archive-date=June 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190619144422/https://www.nytimes.com/1872/06/24/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-its-progressthe-newyork-piereffects-of-the.html|url-status=live}}</ref> This condition was unknown at the time and was first called "caisson disease" by the project physician, Andrew Smith.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/physiologicalpa00smitgoog|title=The Physiological, Pathological and Therapeutical Effects of Compressed Air|last=Smith|first=Andrew Heermance|publisher=George S. Davis|year=1886|access-date=April 17, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Acott|first=Chris|year=1999|title=A Brief History of Diving and Decompression Illness.|url=https://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/6004|magazine=[[South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society Journal]]|volume=29|issue=2|issn=0813-1988|oclc=16986801|access-date=April 17, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110905152645/https://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/6004|archive-date=September 5, 2011|url-status=usurped}}</ref> Between January 25 and May 31, 1872, Smith treated 110 cases of decompression sickness, while three workers died from the disease.<ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 5" /> When iron probes underneath the Manhattan caisson found the [[bedrock]] to be even deeper than expected, Washington Roebling halted construction due to the increased risk of decompression sickness.<ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 5" /><ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=294}}</ref> After the Manhattan caisson reached a depth of {{Convert|78.5|ft|m|abbr=}} with an air pressure of {{Convert|35|psi||abbr=|lk=out}},<ref name="Talbot p. 3" /> Washington deemed the sandy subsoil overlying the bedrock {{convert|30|ft|m}} beneath to be sufficiently firm, and subsequently infilled the caisson with concrete in July 1872.<ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 5" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33024302/|title=The Brooklyn Bridge; The Caisson Filled In|date=July 17, 1872|work=Brooklyn Union|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=3|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125003554/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-union-the-brooklyn-bridge/33024302/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Washington Roebling himself suffered a paralyzing injury as a result of caisson disease shortly after ground was broken for the Brooklyn tower foundation.<ref name="nyt19291229" /><ref>{{cite magazine |author=Butler |first=W. P. |title=Caisson Disease During the Construction of the Eads and Brooklyn Bridges: A Review |magazine=[[Undersea Hyperb Med]] |volume=31 |issue=4 |pages=445–59 |year=2004 |pmid=15686275 |url=http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/4028 |access-date=June 19, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110822120254/http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/4028 |archive-date=August 22, 2011 |url-status=usurped}}</ref> His debilitating condition left him unable to supervise the construction in person, so he designed the caissons and other equipment from his apartment, directing "the completion of the bridge through a telescope from his bedroom."<ref name=":02" /> His wife, [[Emily Warren Roebling]], not only provided written communications between her husband and the engineers on site,<ref name="McCullough pp. 297-298">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=297–298}}</ref> but also understood [[mathematics]], calculations of [[catenary]] curves, strengths of materials, bridge specifications, and the intricacies of cable construction. She spent the next 11 years helping supervise the bridge's construction,<ref name="Talbot p. 3" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asce.org/templates/person-bio-detail.aspx?id=11203 |title=Emily Warren Roebling |publisher=American Society of Civil Engineers |access-date=April 25, 2018 |archive-date=October 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022233216/https://www.asce.org/templates/person-bio-detail.aspx?id=11203 |url-status=dead }}</ref> taking over much of the chief engineer's duties, including day-to-day supervision and project management.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1883/05/23/archives/mrs-roeblings-skill-how-the-wife-of-the-brooklyn-bridge-engineer.html|title=Mrs. Roebling's Skill; How the Wife of the Brooklyn Bridge Engineer Has Assisted Her Husband|date=May 23, 1883|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 26, 2019|archive-date=June 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626151840/https://www.nytimes.com/1883/05/23/archives/mrs-roeblings-skill-how-the-wife-of-the-brooklyn-bridge-engineer.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Towers ====
[[File:Manhattan 1876.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|alt=View of Manhattan in 1876, showing the Brooklyn Bridge under construction|View of Manhattan in 1876, showing the Brooklyn Bridge under construction]]
After the caissons were completed, piers were constructed on top of each of them upon which masonry towers would be built. The towers' construction was a complex process that took four years. Since the masonry blocks were heavy, the builders transported them to the base of the towers using a [[pulley]] system with a continuous {{Convert|1.5|in|cm|abbr=|adj=mid|-diameter}} steel wire rope, operated by steam engines at ground level. The blocks were then carried up on a timber track alongside each tower and maneuvered into the proper position using a [[derrick]] atop the towers.<ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 5" /><ref name="McCullough p. 333">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=333}}</ref> The blocks sometimes vibrated the ropes because of their weight, but only once did a block  fall.<ref name="McCullough p. 333" />

Construction on the suspension towers started in mid-1872, and by the time work was halted for the winter in late 1872, parts of each tower had already been built.<ref name="McCullough pp. 297-298" /> By mid-1873, there was substantial progress on the towers' construction. The Brooklyn side's tower had reached a height of {{Convert|164|ft|m|abbr=}} above mean high water (MHW), while the tower on the Manhattan side had reached {{Convert|88|ft|m|abbr=}} above MHW.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33025080/|title=The Brooklyn Bridge; Annual Meeting of the Company|date=June 3, 1873|work=New York Daily Herald|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=5|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125003629/https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-daily-herald-the-brooklyn-bridg/33025080/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1873/06/03/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-official-statement-of-the-progress-of-the.html|title=The Brooklyn Bridge; Official Statement of the Progress of the Work—The Annual Meeting|date=June 3, 1873|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 19, 2019|archive-date=June 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190619144425/https://www.nytimes.com/1873/06/03/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-official-statement-of-the-progress-of-the.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The arches of the Brooklyn tower were completed by August 1874.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1874/08/01/archives/the-east-river-bridge-completion-of-the-arches-of-the-brooklyn-pier.html|title=The East River Bridge; Completion of the Arches of the Brooklyn Pier the Work on the New-York Side|date=August 1, 1874|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 19, 2019|archive-date=June 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190619144427/https://www.nytimes.com/1874/08/01/archives/the-east-river-bridge-completion-of-the-arches-of-the-brooklyn-pier.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The tower was substantially finished by December 1874 with the erection of saddle plates for the main cables at the top of the tower. However, the ornamentation on the Brooklyn tower could not be completed until the Manhattan tower was finished.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/33024962/|title=The Bridge Tower; Its Practical Completion on the Brooklyn Side To-Day|date=December 15, 1874|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=3|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125003629/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-the-bridge-towe/33024962/|url-status=live}}</ref> The last stone on the Brooklyn tower was raised in June 1875 and the Manhattan tower was completed in July 1876.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=325}}</ref> The saddle plates atop both towers were also raised in July 1876.<ref name="McCullough p. 338">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=338}}</ref> The work was dangerous: by 1876, three workers had died having fallen from the towers, while nine other workers were killed in other accidents.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=335–336}}</ref>

When the towers were completed, they were taller than any building in the city, with the exception of the spire of [[Trinity Church (Manhattan)|Trinity Church]], which reached {{convert|279|ft|m}}. This remained the case until 1890.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.designboom.com/architecture/timeline-new-york-tallest-buildings-wooden-observatory-one-wtc-06-08-2021/|title=A timeline of New York's tallest buildings, from a wooden observatory to one WTC|date=May 8, 2021|website=designboom.com|first=Philip|last=Stevens|access-date=October 4, 2025}}</ref> 

[[File:Brainerd, From Bridge Tower. 1996.164.2-1425.jpg|thumb|left|alt=George Bradford Brainerd's painting "From Bridge Tower", circa 1872|[[George Bradford Brainerd]], ''From Bridge Tower'', {{c.|1872}}, [[Brooklyn Museum]]]]
In 1875, while the towers were being constructed, the project had depleted its original $5&nbsp;million budget. Two bridge commissioners, one each from Brooklyn and Manhattan, petitioned New York state lawmakers to allot another $8&nbsp;million for construction. Ultimately, the legislators passed a law authorizing the allotment with the condition that the cities would buy the stock of Brooklyn Bridge's private stockholders.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Barnes|1883|p=16}}</ref>

Work proceeded concurrently on the anchorages on each side.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=307}}</ref> The Brooklyn anchorage broke ground in January 1873<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33025518/|title=The Brooklyn Bridge; Work on the Anchorage Commenced|date=January 24, 1873|work=Brooklyn Times Union|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=2|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004133/https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-the-brooklyn-bridge-work-on/33025518/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="McCullough pp. 330-331" /> and was subsequently substantially completed in August 1875.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/33025598/|title=The Bridge; Completion of the Brooklyn Anchorage|date=August 16, 1875|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=4|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004143/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-the-bridge-com/33025598/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="McCullough pp. 330-331" /> The Manhattan anchorage was built in less time, having started in May 1875, it was mostly completed in July 1876.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|National Park Service|1966|p=6}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33026059/|title=The Towers and the Anchorages Complete, And the Cables Ready|date=July 24, 1876|work=Brooklyn Times-Union|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=3|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004136/https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-the-towers-and-the-anchorage/33026059/|url-status=live}}</ref> The anchorages could not be fully completed until the main cables were spun, at which point another {{convert|6|ft}} would be added to the height of each {{convert|80|foot|adj=on}} anchorage.<ref name="nyt18770911">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1877/09/11/archives/the-suspension-bridge-progress-of-the-great-work-the-archways-east.html|title=The Suspension Bridge; Progress of the Great Work. The Archways East and West of the Anchorage Piers the Laying of Strands of the Great Cables Demolition of Buildings in Both Cities a Doomed Church the Line of the Road Way in New-York|date=September 11, 1877|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 22, 2019|archive-date=June 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622170216/https://www.nytimes.com/1877/09/11/archives/the-suspension-bridge-progress-of-the-great-work-the-archways-east.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Cables====
The first temporary wire was stretched between the towers on August 15, 1876,<ref name="McCullough p. 338" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1876/08/15/archives/the-east-river-bridge-the-first-wires-stretched-between-the-newyork.html|title=The East River Bridge; The First Wires Stretched Between the New-York And Brooklyn Towers|date=August 15, 1876|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 21, 2019|archive-date=June 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621143228/https://www.nytimes.com/1876/08/15/archives/the-east-river-bridge-the-first-wires-stretched-between-the-newyork.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="bde18760811">{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/50368739/|title=The Bridge. Some Interesting Facts About the Great Enterprise|date=August 11, 1876|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=4|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004146/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-post-crescent/50368739/|url-status=live}}</ref> using [[chrome steel]] provided by the Chrome Steel Company of Brooklyn.<ref name="McCullough p. 338" /><ref name="bde18760811" /> The wire was then stretched back across the river, and the two ends were [[Rope splicing|spliced]] to form a traveler, a lengthy loop of wire connecting the towers, which was driven by a {{Convert|30|hp||abbr=}} steam hoisting engine at ground level.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=358–359}}</ref> The wire was one of two that were used to create a temporary footbridge for workers while cable spinning was ongoing.<ref name="nyt18760830" /> The next step was to send an engineer across the completed traveler wire in a [[Bosun's chair|boatswain's chair]] slung from the wire, to show the workforce it was safe enough. The bridge's master mechanic, E. F. Farrington, was selected for this task, and an estimated crowd of 10,000 people on both shores watched him cross.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=360}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1876/08/26/archives/a-ride-over-east-river-the-bridge-machinery-working-the-traveler.html|title=A Ride Over East River – The Bridge Machinery Working|date=August 26, 1876|work=The New York Times|access-date=June 22, 2019|page=8|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=June 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622142408/https://www.nytimes.com/1876/08/26/archives/a-ride-over-east-river-the-bridge-machinery-working-the-traveler.html|url-status=live}}</ref> A second traveler wire was then stretched across the span, a task that was completed by August 30.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33127318/|title=Another Rope Across The River|date=August 30, 1876|work=New-York Tribune|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=2|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004139/https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-tribune-another-rope-across-the/33127318/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="nyt18760830">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1876/08/30/archives/local-miscellany-work-on-the-east-river-bridge-another-wire-carried.html|title=Local Miscellany; Work on the East River Bridge. Another Wire Carried from Anchorage to Anchorage the Operation of Cutting the Lashings a Large Number of Curious Spectators Present|date=August 30, 1876|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 22, 2019|archive-date=June 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622142409/https://www.nytimes.com/1876/08/30/archives/local-miscellany-work-on-the-east-river-bridge-another-wire-carried.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The temporary footbridge, located some {{Convert|60|ft|m|abbr=}} above the elevation of the future deck, was completed in February 1877.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=397}}</ref>

{{multiple image
| align = right
| direction = horizontal
| total_width = 500
| image1 = Construction of Brooklyn Bridge, ca. 1872-1887. (5832930865).jpg
| caption1 = Under construction, {{circa|1872|1877}}
| image2 = View from Tower to Tower, 1877.jpg
| caption2 = "From Tower to Tower—the suspension bridge over the East River—view from the Brooklyn Tower" (1877)
| alt1 = Under construction, circa 1872–1887
| alt2 = "From Tower to Tower—the suspension bridge over the East River—view from the Brooklyn Tower", an 1877 artwork
}}

By December 1876, a steel contract for the permanent cables still had not been awarded.<ref name="nyt18761228">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1876/12/28/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-opening-of-the-bids-for-the-wire-for-the-main.html|title=The Brooklyn Bridge: Opening Of The Bids For The Wire For The Main Cables—The Contract Not Yet Awarded|date=December 28, 1876|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 21, 2019|archive-date=June 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621143228/https://www.nytimes.com/1876/12/28/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-opening-of-the-bids-for-the-wire-for-the-main.html|url-status=live}}</ref> There was disagreement over whether the bridge's cables should use the as-yet-untested [[Bessemer steel]] or the well-proven [[crucible steel]].<ref name="Talbot p. 4" /><ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=369}}</ref> Until a permanent contract was awarded, the builders ordered {{Convert|30|ST|LT|abbr=}} of wire in the interim, 10 tons each from three companies, including [[John A. Roebling's Sons Company, Trenton N.J., Block 3|Washington Roebling's own steel mill]] in [[Trenton, New Jersey]].<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=381}}</ref> In the end, it was decided to use number 8 [[Birmingham gauge]] (approximately 4&nbsp;mm or 0.165 inches in diameter) crucible steel, and a request for bids was distributed, to which eight companies responded.<ref name="nyt18761228" /> In January 1877, a contract for crucible steel was awarded to [[J. Lloyd Haigh]],<ref name="Talbot p. 4" /><ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=393}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1877/01/16/archives/the-east-river-bridge-decision-of-the-trustees-in-favor-of-the-use.html|title=The East River Bridge; Decision of the Trustees in Favor of the Use of Crucible Cast-Steel Cables Award of the Contract to Mr. J. Lloyd Haigh|date=January 16, 1877|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 21, 2019|archive-date=June 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621143227/https://www.nytimes.com/1877/01/16/archives/the-east-river-bridge-decision-of-the-trustees-in-favor-of-the-use.html|url-status=live}}</ref> who was associated with bridge trustee [[Abram Hewitt]], whom Roebling distrusted.<ref name="nyt19860308" /><ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=396}}</ref>

The spinning of the wires required the manufacture of large coils of it which were galvanized but not oiled when they left the factory. The coils were delivered to a yard near the Brooklyn anchorage. There they were dipped in [[linseed oil]], hoisted to the top of the anchorage, dried out and spliced into a single wire, and finally coated with red zinc for further galvanizing.<ref name="McCullough pp. 400-401">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=400–401}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1877/07/07/archives/the-east-river-bridge-satisfactory-progress-of-the-work-how-the.html|title=The East River Bridge; Satisfactory Progress of the Work How the Wires Are Laid and the Strands Formed|date=July 7, 1877|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 22, 2019|archive-date=June 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622165435/https://www.nytimes.com/1877/07/07/archives/the-east-river-bridge-satisfactory-progress-of-the-work-how-the.html|url-status=live}}</ref> There were thirty-two drums at the anchorage yard, eight for each of the four main cables. Each drum had a capacity of {{Convert|60,000|ft|m|abbr=}} of wire.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1877/05/27/archives/the-east-river-bridge-slow-but-satisfactory-work-placing-the-great.html|title=The East River Bridge; Slow but Satisfactory Work Placing the Great Cables in Position a New Iron Staircase at the Brooklyn Tower|date=May 27, 1877|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 22, 2019|archive-date=June 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622165432/https://www.nytimes.com/1877/05/27/archives/the-east-river-bridge-slow-but-satisfactory-work-placing-the-great.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The first experimental wire for the main cables was stretched between the towers on May 29, 1877, and spinning began two weeks later.<ref name="McCullough pp. 400-401" /> All four main cables were being strung by that July. During that time, the temporary footbridge was unofficially opened to members of the public, who could receive a visitor's pass; by August 1877 several thousand visitors from around the world had used the footbridge.<ref name="McCullough pp. 405-408">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=405–408}}</ref> The visitor passes ceased that September after a visitor had an [[epileptic seizure]] and nearly fell off.<ref name="McCullough pp. 405-408" /><ref name="bde18771002">{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/33132897/|title=The Bridge; Regular Monthly Meeting of the Trustees|date=October 2, 1877|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=2|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004138/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-the-bridge-reg/33132897/|url-status=live}}</ref>

As the wires were being spun, work also commenced on the demolition of buildings on either side of the river for the Brooklyn Bridge's approaches; this work was mostly complete by September 1877.<ref name="nyt18770911" /> The following month, initial contracts were awarded for the suspender wires, which would hang down from the main cables and support the deck.<ref name="bde18771002" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1877/10/02/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-first-fall-meeting-of-the-trustees-a-discussion.html|title=The Brooklyn Bridge; First Fall Meeting of the Trustees a Discussion as to the Use of Bessemer or Cast Steel for the Wire Rope|date=October 2, 1877|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 22, 2019|archive-date=June 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622180826/https://www.nytimes.com/1877/10/02/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-first-fall-meeting-of-the-trustees-a-discussion.html|url-status=live}}</ref> By May 1878, the main cables were more than two-thirds complete.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1878/05/21/archives/work-on-the-east-river-bridge-the-main-cables-more-than-twothirds.html|title=Work on the East River Bridge; The Main Cables More Than Two-Thirds Completed Method of Transit and Fares a Separate Bridge Railway Favored by the Directors|date=May 21, 1878|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 22, 2019|archive-date=June 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622165433/https://www.nytimes.com/1878/05/21/archives/work-on-the-east-river-bridge-the-main-cables-more-than-twothirds.html|url-status=live}}</ref> However, the following month, one of the wires slipped, killing two people and injuring three others.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=438–440}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1878/06/15/archives/killed-by-a-cable-strand-fatal-crash-at-the-brooklyn-bridge-the.html|title=Killed by a Cable Strand; Fatal Crash at the Brooklyn Bridge|date=June 15, 1878|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 22, 2019|archive-date=June 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622180830/https://www.nytimes.com/1878/06/15/archives/killed-by-a-cable-strand-fatal-crash-at-the-brooklyn-bridge-the.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33133201/|title=The Bridge Accident|date=June 15, 1878|work=Brooklyn Times Union|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=2|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004141/https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-the-bridge-accident/33133201/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1877, Hewitt wrote a letter urging against the use of Bessemer steel in the bridge's construction.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Brooklyn Bridge |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43118341/ |newspaper=New York Daily Herald |date=January 14, 1877 |page=14 |via=newspapers.com |access-date=April 26, 2018 |archive-date=January 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004140/https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-daily-herald-the-brooklyn-bridg/43118341/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |publisher=[[Simon and Schuster]] |isbn=978-0-7432-1831-3 |last=McCullough |first=David |title=The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge |date=May 31, 2007}}</ref> Bids had been submitted for both crucible steel and Bessemer steel; [[John A. Roebling's Sons]] submitted the lowest bid for Bessemer steel,<ref>{{cite news |title=Monthly Meeting of the Trustees |url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/19592569/brooklyn_daily_eagle_the_bridge/ |newspaper=Brooklyn Daily Eagle |date=January 12, 1877 |page=2 |via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com |access-date=April 26, 2018 |archive-date=January 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200127201424/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/19592569/brooklyn_daily_eagle_the_bridge/ |url-status=live }}</ref> but at Hewitt's direction, the contract was awarded to Haigh.<ref>{{cite book | last=Reier | first=Sharon | title=Bridges of New York | publisher=[[Dover Publications]] | year=2012 | isbn=978-0-486-13705-6 | oclc=868273040 | page=20}}</ref><ref name="McCullough pp. 443-444" />

A subsequent wire sampling by Roebling's assistant engineers discovered that Haigh had substituted inferior quality wire in the cables. Of eighty rings of wire that were tested, only five met standards, and it was estimated that Haigh had earned $300,000 from the deception.<ref name="McCullough pp. 443-444">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=443–444, 447}}</ref><ref name="Mensch 2018 p. 114" /> At this point, it was too late to replace the cables that had already been constructed. Roebling determined that the poorer wire would leave the bridge only four times as strong as necessary, rather than six to eight times as strong. The inferior-quality wire was allowed to remain and 150 extra wires were added to each cable.<ref name="Talbot p. 4" /><ref name="McCullough pp. 443-444" /><ref name="Mensch 2018 p. 114">{{cite book | last=Mensch | first=B. G. | title=In the Shadow of Genius: The Brooklyn Bridge and Its Creators | publisher=Fordham University Press | year=2018 | isbn=978-0-8232-8105-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8L-IDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA114 | access-date=February 12, 2020 | page=114 | archive-date=January 25, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004547/https://books.google.com/books?id=8L-IDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA114#v=onepage&q&f=false | url-status=live }}</ref> To avoid public controversy, Haigh was not fired, but instead was required to personally pay for the extra higher-quality wire needed.<ref name="Mensch 2018 p. 114" />{{efn|By 1880, Haigh was incarcerated in [[Sing Sing]] prison for an unrelated crime.<ref name="Mensch 2018 p. 114" />}} The contract for the remaining wire was awarded to the John A. Roebling's Sons, and by October&nbsp;5, 1878, the last of the main cables' wires went over the river.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=451}}</ref>

==== Nearing completion ====
{{Multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| total_width       = 240
| image1            = Currier and Ives Brooklyn Bridge2.jpg
| alt1              = A colored lithograph of the completed Brooklyn Bridge looking towards Manhattan
| caption1          = [[Chromolithograph]] of the "Great East River Suspension Bridge" by Currier and Ives, created in 1883.
| image2            = View from the Manhattan Bridge 008.jpg
| alt2              = A photograph of the bridge from a similar angle as the lithograph, with the skyscrapers of Lower Manhattan in view
| caption2          = Similar view, 2023
}}
After the suspender wires had been placed, workers began erecting steel crossbeams to support the roadway as part of the bridge's overall superstructure.<ref name="Talbot p. 4" /> Construction on the bridge's superstructure started in March 1879,<ref name="concise-description" /> but, as with the cables, the trustees initially disagreed on whether the steel superstructure should be made of Bessemer or crucible steel.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1879/07/02/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-will-the-trustees-get-good-or-bad-steel-for-the.html|title=The Brooklyn Bridge; Will the Trustees Get Good or Bad Steel for the Superstructure?|date=July 2, 1879|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 23, 2019|archive-date=June 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190623164111/https://www.nytimes.com/1879/07/02/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-will-the-trustees-get-good-or-bad-steel-for-the.html|url-status=live}}</ref> That July, the trustees decided to award a contract for {{Convert|500|ST|LT}} of Bessemer steel<ref name="gazette18800412">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40735704/|title=The Steel for Brooklyn Bridge|date=April 12, 1880|work=The Daily Gazette|access-date=December 17, 2019|page=1|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004657/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-gazette-the-steel-for-brooklyn/40735704/|url-status=live}}</ref> to the Edgemoor (or Edge Moor) Iron Works, based in [[Philadelphia]], to be delivered by 1880.<ref name="gazette18800412" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33162797/|title=The Edgemoor Iron Works|date=July 10, 1879|work=Brooklyn Times-Union|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=2|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004542/https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-the-edgemoor-iron-works/33162797/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1879/07/08/archives/controller-steinmetzs-letter-hon-henry-o-murphy-president-board.html|title=Controller Steinmetz's Letter; Hon. Henry O. Murphy, President Board Trustees of the New-York And Brooklyn Bridge: SIR: At the Last Meeting of the Executive Committee the Following Resolution Was Passed by a Majority Vote|date=July 8, 1879|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 23, 2019|archive-date=June 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190623164110/https://www.nytimes.com/1879/07/08/archives/controller-steinmetzs-letter-hon-henry-o-murphy-president-board.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The trustees later passed another resolution for another {{Convert|500|ST|LT}} of Bessemer steel.<ref name="gazette18800412" /> However, by February 1880 the steel deliveries had not started.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1880/02/03/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-an-important-steel-contract-discussed-salaries.html|title=The Brooklyn Bridge; An Important Steel Contract Discussed --Salaries Raised|date=February 3, 1880|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 23, 2019|archive-date=June 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190623164108/https://www.nytimes.com/1880/02/03/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-an-important-steel-contract-discussed-salaries.html|url-status=live}}</ref> That October, the bridge trustees questioned Edgemoor's president about the delay in steel deliveries.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33192926/|title=The Edgemoor Iron Works|date=October 5, 1880|work=New-York Tribune|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=8|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004557/https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-tribune-meeting-of-the-bridge-t/33192926/|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite Edgemoor's assurances that the contract would be fulfilled, the deliveries still had not been completed by November 1881.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1881/11/09/archives/steel-for-the-brooklyn-bridge.html|title=Steel for the Brooklyn Bridge|date=November 9, 1881|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 24, 2019|archive-date=June 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624140837/https://www.nytimes.com/1881/11/09/archives/steel-for-the-brooklyn-bridge.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Brooklyn mayor [[Seth Low]], who became part of the board of trustees in 1882, became the chairman of a committee tasked to investigate Edgemoor's failure to fulfill the contract. When questioned, Edgemoor's president stated that the delays were the fault of another contractor, the [[Cambria Iron Company]], who was manufacturing the eyebars for the bridge trusses; at that point, the contract was supposed to be complete by October 1882.<ref name="McCullough p. 485">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=485}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1882/06/25/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-again.html|title=The Brooklyn Bridge Again|date=June 25, 1882|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 24, 2019|archive-date=June 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624140838/https://www.nytimes.com/1882/06/25/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-again.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Further complicating the situation, Washington Roebling had failed to appear at the trustees' meeting in June 1882, since he had gone to [[Newport, Rhode Island]].<ref name="McCullough p. 485" /> After the news media discovered this, most of the newspapers called for Roebling to be fired as chief engineer, except for the ''Daily State Gazette'' of [[Trenton, New Jersey]], and the ''Brooklyn Daily Eagle''.<ref name="McCullough pp. 494-495">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=494–495}}</ref> Some of the longstanding trustees, including [[Henry C. Murphy]], [[James S. T. Stranahan]], and [[William C. Kingsley]], were willing to vouch for Roebling, since construction progress on the Brooklyn Bridge was still ongoing. However, Roebling's behavior was considered suspect among the younger trustees who had joined the board more recently.<ref name="McCullough pp. 494-495" />

Construction on the bridge itself was noted in formal reports that Murphy presented each month to the mayors of New York and Brooklyn. For example, Murphy's report in August 1882 noted that the month's progress included 114 intermediate cords erected within a week, as well as 72 diagonal stays, 60 posts, and numerous floor beams, bridging trusses, and stay bars.<ref name="McCullough pp. 494-495" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1882/08/24/archives/progress-of-the-brooklyn-bridge.html|title=Progress of the Brooklyn Bridge|date=August 24, 1882|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 24, 2019|archive-date=June 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624140837/https://www.nytimes.com/1882/08/24/archives/progress-of-the-brooklyn-bridge.html|url-status=live}}</ref> By early 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was considered mostly completed and was projected to open that June.<ref name="nyt18830213">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1883/02/13/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-bids-for-lighting-the-structure-by-electricity.html|title=The Brooklyn Bridge; Bids for Lighting the Structure by Electricity|date=February 13, 1883|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 25, 2019|archive-date=June 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190625015632/https://www.nytimes.com/1883/02/13/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-bids-for-lighting-the-structure-by-electricity.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Contracts for bridge lighting were awarded by February 1883,<ref name="nyt18830213" /> and a toll scheme was approved that March.<ref name="nyt18830313">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1883/03/13/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-a-schedule-of-tolls-reportedthe-future-control.html|title=The Brooklyn Bridge; A Schedule of Tolls Reported|date=March 13, 1883|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 25, 2019|archive-date=June 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190625015632/https://www.nytimes.com/1883/03/13/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-a-schedule-of-tolls-reportedthe-future-control.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Opposition====

There was substantial opposition to the bridge's construction from shipbuilders and merchants located to the north, who argued that the bridge would not provide sufficient clearance underneath for ships.<ref name="McCullough p. 424">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=424}}</ref> In May 1876, these groups, led by Abraham Miller, filed a lawsuit in the [[United States District Court for the Southern District of New York]] against the cities of New York and Brooklyn.<ref name="McCullough p. 424" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1883/11/07/archives/the-big-brooklyn-bridge-the-supreme-court-asked-to-call-it-an.html|title=The Big Brooklyn Bridge; The Supreme Court Asked to Call It an Obstruction|date=November 7, 1883|work=The New York Times|access-date=June 26, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004541/https://www.nytimes.com/1883/11/07/archives/the-big-brooklyn-bridge-the-supreme-court-asked-to-call-it-an.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1879, an Assembly Sub-Committee on Commerce and Navigation began an investigation into the Brooklyn Bridge. A seaman who had been hired to determine the height of the span, testified to the committee about the difficulties that ship masters would experience in bringing their ships under the bridge when it was completed. Another witness, [[Edward Wellman Serrell]], a civil engineer, said that the calculations of the bridge's assumed strength were incorrect.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1879/03/21/archives/city-and-suburban-news-newyork-brooklyn-newjersey.html|title=The Obstacles to the Bridge, Views Of New Yorkers—Its Supposed Shakiness|date=March 21, 1879|work=The New York Times|access-date=January 24, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308202139/https://www.nytimes.com/1879/03/21/archives/city-and-suburban-news-newyork-brooklyn-newjersey.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fultonhistory.com%2FNewspaper%252010%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Evening%2520Post%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Evening%2520Post%25201879%2520Grayscale%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Evening%2520Post%25201879%2520Grayscale%2520-%25200262.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901060110/https://www.fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2010/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Post/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Post%201879%20Grayscale/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Post%201879%20Grayscale%20-%200262.pdf |archive-date=September 1, 2021 |url-status=live|title=The East River Bridge; Doubts Expressed of Its Asserted Strength|date=March 21, 1879|work=The Evening Post|via=fultonhistory.com|access-date=January 23, 2020}}</ref> The Supreme Court decided in 1883 that the Brooklyn Bridge was a lawful structure.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1883/11/27/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-suit-the-united-states-supreme-court-decides.html|title=The Brooklyn Bridge Suit; The United States Supreme Court Decides That It Is a Lawful Structure|date=November 27, 1883|work=The New York Times|access-date=June 26, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=June 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626145241/https://www.nytimes.com/1883/11/27/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-suit-the-united-states-supreme-court-decides.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Opening ===
[[File:1883 Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper Brooklyn Bridge New York City.jpg|thumb|left|Newspaper headline announcing the Brooklyn Bridge's opening|alt=Newspaper headline announcing the Brooklyn Bridge's opening]]
The New York and Brooklyn Bridge was opened for use on May&nbsp;24, 1883. Thousands of people attended the opening ceremony, and many ships were present in the East River for the occasion.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/3967942/|title=Glorification! The Cities Celebrate the Work That Makes Them One|date=May 24, 1883|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=June 26, 2019|page=12|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com|archive-date=March 26, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326195256/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/3967942/opening-of-the-brooklyn-bridge-whole/|url-status=live}}</ref> Officially, Emily Warren Roebling was the first to cross the bridge.<ref name="bpl-timeline" /> The bridge opening was also attended by U.S. president [[Chester A. Arthur]] and New York mayor [[Franklin Edson]], who crossed the bridge and shook hands with Brooklyn mayor Seth Low at the Brooklyn end.<ref name="Reeves pp. 359-360" /> Abram Hewitt gave the principal address.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Hewitt, Abram Stevens|volume=13|page=417|ref=none}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Haw|2005|pages=30–32}}</ref>

{{blockquote|It is not the work of any one man or of any one age. It is the result of the study, of the experience, and of the knowledge of many men in many ages. It is not merely a creation; it is a growth. It stands before us today as the sum and epitome of human knowledge; as the very heir of the ages; as the latest glory of centuries of patient observation, profound study and accumulated skill, gained, step by step, in the never-ending struggle of man to subdue the forces of nature to his control and use.|Abram Hewitt<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Hewitt|1883|page=297}}</ref>}}

Though Washington Roebling was unable to attend the ceremony (and rarely visited the site again), he held a celebratory banquet at his house on the day of the bridge opening. Further festivity included the performance by a band, gunfire from ships, and a fireworks display.<ref name="Reeves pp. 359-360">{{Cite book |last=Reeves |first=Thomas C. |title=Gentleman Boss |publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf]] |year=1975 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/gentlemanbosslif00reev/page/359 359–360] |isbn=0-394-46095-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/gentlemanbosslif00reev/page/359}}</ref> On that first day, a total of 1,800 vehicles and 150,300 people crossed the span.<ref name="bpl-timeline" /> Less than a week after the Brooklyn Bridge opened, ferry crews reported a sharp drop in patronage, while the bridge's toll operators were processing over a hundred people a minute.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27693615/|title=The First Travel Across the Brooklyn Bridge|date=May 28, 1883|work=[[Poughkeepsie Eagle-News]]|access-date=June 26, 2019|page=1|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124033228/https://www.newspapers.com/article/poughkeepsie-eagle-news-first-to-cross-b/27693615/|url-status=live}}</ref> However, cross-river ferries continued to operate until 1942.<ref name="bc18830531" />

[[File:Brooklyn Museum - Bird's-Eye View of the Great New York and Brooklyn Bridge and Grand Display of Fire Works on Opening Night.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|"Bird's-Eye View of the Great New York and Brooklyn Bridge and Grand Display of Fire Works on Opening Night"|alt=An image titled "Bird's-Eye View of the Great New York and Brooklyn Bridge and Grand Display of Fire Works on Opening Night"]]

The bridge had cost {{US$|15.5 million|link=no}} in 1883 dollars (about US${{Inflation|US|15,000,000|1883|r=-3|fmt=c}} in {{Inflation/year|index=US}}{{Inflation-fn|US}}) to build, of which Brooklyn paid two-thirds.<ref name="bpl-timeline" /><ref name="sun18910611" /> The bonds to fund the construction would not be paid off until 1956.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1956/11/03/archives/city-pays-off-brooklyn-bridge-of-1883-interest-was-double-cost-of.html|title=City Pays Off Brooklyn Bridge of 1883; Interest Was Double Cost of Erecting It|date=November 3, 1956|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=July 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704015111/https://www.nytimes.com/1956/11/03/archives/city-pays-off-brooklyn-bridge-of-1883-interest-was-double-cost-of.html|url-status=live}}</ref> An estimated 27 men died during its construction.<ref name="bpl-timeline">{{cite web | publisher=Brooklyn Public Library | title=Brooklyn Daily Eagle Timeline | date=November 14, 2007 | url=http://eagle.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/Archive/skins/BE/NavigationSites/what.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071114135249/http://eagle.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/Archive/skins/BE/NavigationSites/what.htm | archive-date=November 14, 2007 | url-status=dead | access-date=February 27, 2020}}</ref><ref name="sun18910611" /> Since the New York and Brooklyn Bridge was the only bridge across the East River at that time, it was also called the East River Bridge.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bridgesofdublin.ie/bridge-building/famous-bridges/brooklyn-bridge-1883|title=Brooklyn Bridge (1883)|author=<!--Not stated-->|year=2017|website=Bridges of Dublin|publisher=[[Dublin City Council]]|access-date=March 19, 2017|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004604/http://www.bridgesofdublin.ie/bridge-building/famous-bridges/brooklyn-bridge-1883|url-status=live}}</ref>  Until the construction of the nearby [[Williamsburg Bridge]] in 1903, the New York and Brooklyn Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lewis |first1=Laurie |title=New York City Firsts: Big Apple Innovations That Changed the Nation and the World |date=April 1, 2022 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4930-6304-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E6JvEAAAQBAJ |language=en |access-date=May 24, 2023 |archive-date=November 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104183836/https://books.google.com/books?id=E6JvEAAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> <!--{{Frac|1|1|2}}---> 20% longer than any built previously.<ref name="NiagaraCliftonBridge">{{cite web |title=The First Falls View Suspension Bridge |url=https://www.niagarafallsinfo.com/niagara-falls-history/niagara-falls-municipal-history/historic-bridges-in-niagara/the-first-falls-view-suspension-bridge/ |website=Niagara Falls Info |date=February 3, 2017 |access-date=February 24, 2022 |archive-date=February 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224162824/https://www.niagarafallsinfo.com/niagara-falls-history/niagara-falls-municipal-history/historic-bridges-in-niagara/the-first-falls-view-suspension-bridge/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

At the time of opening, the Brooklyn Bridge was not complete; the proposed public transit across the bridge was still being tested, while the Brooklyn approach was being completed.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1883/07/04/archives/finishing-the-bridge-the-railroad-the-sandsstreet-entrances-and-the.html|title=Finishing the Bridge; The Railroad, The Sands-Street Entrances, And the Warehouses|date=July 4, 1883|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 26, 2019|archive-date=June 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626145245/https://www.nytimes.com/1883/07/04/archives/finishing-the-bridge-the-railroad-the-sandsstreet-entrances-and-the.html|url-status=live}}</ref> On May&nbsp;30, 1883, six days after the opening, a woman falling down a stairway at the Brooklyn approach caused a stampede which resulted in at least [[Brooklyn Bridge stampede|twelve people being crushed and killed]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1883/05/31/archives/dead-on-the-new-bridge-fatal-crush-at-the-western-approach.html|title=Dead on the New Bridge; Fatal Crush at the Western Approach|date=May 31, 1883|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 26, 2019|archive-date=April 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403194533/https://www.nytimes.com/1883/05/31/archives/dead-on-the-new-bridge-fatal-crush-at-the-western-approach.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="bc18830531">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33260522/|title=Yesterday's Calamity on the Brooklyn Bridge|date=May 31, 1883|work=Buffalo Commercial|access-date=June 26, 2019|page=1|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004544/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-buffalo-commercial-yesterdays-calam/33260522/|url-status=live}}</ref> In subsequent lawsuits, the Brooklyn Bridge Company was acquitted of negligence.<ref name="bc18830531" /> However, the company did install emergency phone boxes and additional railings,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1883/06/03/archives/work-on-the-bridge-precautions-to-be-taken-to-prevent-future.html|title=Work on the Bridge; Precautions to Be Taken to Prevent Future Accidents|date=June 3, 1883|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 27, 2019|archive-date=June 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627150546/https://www.nytimes.com/1883/06/03/archives/work-on-the-bridge-precautions-to-be-taken-to-prevent-future.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and the trustees approved a fireproofing plan for the bridge.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1883/07/10/archives/managing-the-bridge-the-trustees-adopt-a-plan-for-protection.html|title=Managing the Bridge; The Trustees Adopt a Plan for Protection Against Fire|date=July 10, 1883|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 27, 2019}}</ref> Public transit service began with the opening of the [[New York and Brooklyn Bridge Railway]], a cable car service, on September 25, 1883.<ref name="bc18830531" /><ref name="nyt18830925">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1883/09/25/archives/the-grip-begins-its-work-by-cable-over-the-brooklyn-bridge-many.html|title=The Grip Begins Its Work; By Cable Over the Brooklyn Bridge. Many People Using the Cars on the Opening Day—Col. Paine Loses His Only Once|date=September 25, 1883|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 26, 2019|archive-date=June 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626145244/https://www.nytimes.com/1883/09/25/archives/the-grip-begins-its-work-by-cable-over-the-brooklyn-bridge-many.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Small p. 5">{{harvnb|ps=.|Small|1957|p=5}}</ref> On May&nbsp;17, 1884, one of the circus master [[P. T. Barnum]]'s most famous attractions, [[Jumbo]] the elephant, led a parade of 21 elephants over the Brooklyn Bridge. This helped to lessen doubts about the bridge's stability while also promoting Barnum's circus.<ref name="tribune19220729" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Bildner |first=Phil |title=Twenty-One Elephants |year=2004 |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |isbn=0-689-87011-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/twentyoneelephan00phil}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Prince |first=April Jones |title=Twenty-One Elephants and Still Standing |year=2005 |publisher=[[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|Houghton Mifflin]] |isbn=0-618-44887-X}}</ref><ref name="McCullough pp. 546-547">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=546–547}}</ref>

=== 1880s to 1900s ===
{{Multiple image
|align=center
|direction=horizontal
|total_width=750
|image1=Brooklyn Bridge, Looking East, New York City Side, July 7, 1899. (5833478432).jpg
|alt1=A black-and-white view of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1899 looking east on the pedestrian walkway
|caption1=Eastward view in 1899
|image2=Brooklyn Bridge Entrance on Brooklyn side, 1899.jpg
|alt2=A grayscale view of the bridge approach on Brooklyn side circa 1899
|caption2=Bridge approach on Brooklyn side {{circa}} 1899
|image3=Brooklyn Bridge NY Terminal view from Promenade.tif
|alt3=A black-and-white view of the bridge promenade and terminal, Manhattan side, circa 1899
|caption3=Bridge Promenade and Terminal, Manhattan side, {{circa}} 1899
|image4=Brooklyn Bridge Entrance on Park Row.jpg
|alt4=A color view of the bridge entrance on the Manhattan side, circa 1911
|caption4=Bridge entrance on Manhattan side, {{circa}} 1911
}}
Patronage across the Brooklyn Bridge increased in the years after it opened; a million people paid to cross in the first six months. The bridge carried 8.5&nbsp;million people in 1884, its first full year of operation; this number doubled to 17&nbsp;million in 1885 and again to 34&nbsp;million in 1889.<ref name="sun18910611" /> Many of these people were cable car passengers.<ref name="Small pp. 10-11">{{harvnb|ps=.|Small|1957|pp=10–11}}</ref> Additionally, about 4.5&nbsp;million pedestrians a year were crossing the bridge for free by 1892.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1893/05/25/archives/brooklyn-bridge-anniversary-statistics-as-to-its-work-and-income.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge Anniversary; Statistics as to Its Work and Income Since It Was Opened|date=May 25, 1893|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 28, 2019|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308125036/https://www.nytimes.com/1893/05/25/archives/brooklyn-bridge-anniversary-statistics-as-to-its-work-and-income.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The first proposal to make changes to the bridge was sent in only two and a half years after it opened, when [[Linda Gilbert]] suggested glass steam-powered elevators and an observatory be added to the bridge and a fee charged for use, which would in part fund the bridge's upkeep and in part fund her prison reform charity.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Haw |first=Richard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ungu-NmjQNgC&dq=Linda+Gilbert&pg=PA90 |title=Art of the Brooklyn Bridge: A Visual History |date=October 2, 2012 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-60366-2 |pages=90 |language=en |access-date=April 14, 2022 |archive-date=January 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004601/https://books.google.com/books?id=ungu-NmjQNgC&dq=Linda+Gilbert&pg=PA90#v=onepage&q=Linda%20Gilbert&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> This proposal was considered but not acted upon. Numerous other proposals were made during the first fifty years of the bridge's life.<ref name=":0" /> [[Tram|Trolley]] tracks were added in the center lanes of both roadways in 1898, allowing trolleys to use the bridge as well. That year, the formerly separate City of Brooklyn was [[City of Greater New York|unified with New York City]], and the Brooklyn Bridge fell under city control.<ref name="Small p. 14">{{harvnb|ps=.|Small|1957|p=14}}</ref><ref name="nyt18980217">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1898/02/17/archives/trolleys-on-the-bridge-cars-of-five-brooklyn-lines-cross-the.html|title=Trolleys on the Bridge; Cars of Five Brooklyn Lines Cross the Structure to Manhattan Borough|date=February 17, 1898|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 30, 2019|archive-date=June 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630005104/https://www.nytimes.com/1898/02/17/archives/trolleys-on-the-bridge-cars-of-five-brooklyn-lines-cross-the.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Concerns about the Brooklyn Bridge's safety were raised during the turn of the century. In 1898, traffic backups due to a dead horse caused one of the truss cords to buckle.<ref name="nyt19020316">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1902/03/16/archives/doubledeck-plan-for-brooklyn-bridge-mr-hildenbrand-criticises.html|title=Double-Deck Plan For Brooklyn Bridge; Mr. Hildenbrand Criticises Scheme of Mr. Lindenthal|date=March 16, 1902|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 1, 2019|archive-date=July 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701145458/https://www.nytimes.com/1902/03/16/archives/doubledeck-plan-for-brooklyn-bridge-mr-hildenbrand-criticises.html|url-status=live}}</ref> There were more significant worries after twelve suspender cables snapped in 1901,<ref name="tribune19220729" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1901/07/25/archives/big-break-alarms-vast-bridge-crowd-twelye-suspension-rods-on-the.html|title=Big Break Alarms Vast Bridge Crowd; Twelye Suspension Rods on The Cables Snap|date=July 25, 1901|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 1, 2019|archive-date=July 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701145456/https://www.nytimes.com/1901/07/25/archives/big-break-alarms-vast-bridge-crowd-twelye-suspension-rods-on-the.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33420836/|title=Overburden and Neglect|date=July 27, 1901|work=New-York Tribune|access-date=July 1, 2019|page=2|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125005154/https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-tribune-overburden-and-neglect/33420836/|url-status=live}}</ref> though a thorough investigation found no other defects.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1902/08/13/archives/inspection-of-the-brooklyn-bridge-commissioner-lindenthal-says-it.html|title=Inspection Of The Brooklyn Bridge; Commissioner Lindenthal Says It Is Thorough and Systematic|date=August 13, 1902|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 1, 2019|archive-date=July 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701145459/https://www.nytimes.com/1902/08/13/archives/inspection-of-the-brooklyn-bridge-commissioner-lindenthal-says-it.html|url-status=live}}</ref> After the 1901 incident, five inspectors were hired to examine the bridge each day, a service that cost $250,000 a year.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1907/08/25/archives/safeguarding-the-brooklyn-bridge.html|title=Safeguarding the Brooklyn Bridge|date=August 25, 1907|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 1, 2019|archive-date=July 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701145520/https://www.nytimes.com/1907/08/25/archives/safeguarding-the-brooklyn-bridge.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company]], which operated routes across the Brooklyn Bridge, issued a notice in 1905 saying that the bridge had reached its transit capacity.<ref name="tribune19220729" />

By 1890, due to the popularity of the Brooklyn Bridge, there were proposals to construct other bridges across the East River between Manhattan and [[Long Island]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1890/01/07/archives/the-second-brooklyn-bridge.html|title=The Second Brooklyn Bridge|date=January 7, 1890|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 28, 2019|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308175310/https://www.nytimes.com/1890/01/07/archives/the-second-brooklyn-bridge.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Although a second deck for the Brooklyn Bridge was proposed, it was thought to be infeasible because doing so would overload the bridge's structural capacity.<ref name="nyt19020316" /> The first new bridge across the East River, the Williamsburg Bridge, opened upstream in 1903 and connected [[Williamsburg, Brooklyn]], with the [[Lower East Side]] of Manhattan.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1903/12/20/105070115.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629213559/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1903/12/20/105070115.pdf |archive-date=June 29, 2019 |url-status=live|title=New Bridge In A Glory Of Fire; Wind-Up Of Opening Ceremonies a Brilliant Scene|date=December 20, 1903|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 27, 2017}}</ref> This was followed by the [[Queensboro Bridge]] between Queens and Manhattan in March 1909,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1909/03/31/101873802.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629213600/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1909/03/31/101873802.pdf |archive-date=June 29, 2019 |url-status=live|title=Queensboro Bridge Opens To Traffic; A Great Host Sees the Mayor and Officials in Autos Speed Across|date=March 31, 1909|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 29, 2019}}</ref> and the [[Manhattan Bridge]] between Brooklyn and Manhattan in December 1909.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1910/01/01/104915453.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629213559/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1910/01/01/104915453.pdf |archive-date=June 29, 2019 |url-status=live|title=Manhattan Bridge Opened to Traffic|date=January 1, 1910|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 24, 2017}}</ref> Several subway, railroad, and road tunnels were also constructed, which helped to accelerate the development of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=551}}</ref><ref name="nyt19330521" />

=== 1910s to 1940s ===
[[File:NYC Manhattan 1938 Franz Grasser.jpg|thumb|The main steel cables of the Brooklyn Bridge are visible on the left side of this photo in 1938.]]Tolls on the bridge were abolished in 1911.<ref name=nyt19110719/><ref name=n33421526/> In addition, the city government passed a bill to officially name the structure the "Brooklyn Bridge" in January 1915.<ref name="brooklyn-by-name">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xdCL5VWmM4MC&pg=PA41 |title=Brooklyn by Name: How the Neighborhoods, Streets, Parks, Bridges, And More .. |last1=Benardo |first1=Leonard |last2=Weiss |first2=Jennifer |date=2006 |publisher=[[NYU Press]] |isbn=9780814799468 |quote=A Board of Aldermen resolution on January 26, 1915, made it official. |page=41 |access-date=April 2, 2015 |archive-date=January 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125005046/https://books.google.com/books?id=xdCL5VWmM4MC&pg=PA41#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

Ostensibly in an attempt to reduce traffic on nearby city streets, [[Grover Whalen]], the commissioner of Plant and Structures, banned motor vehicles from the Brooklyn Bridge on July 6, 1922.<ref name="nyt19220707">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1922/07/07/archives/brooklyn-bridge-closed-to-motor-traffic-manhattan-bridge-to.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge Closed to Motor Traffic, Manhattan Bridge to Horse-Drawn Vehicles|date=July 7, 1922|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 1, 2019|archive-date=July 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701145523/https://www.nytimes.com/1922/07/07/archives/brooklyn-bridge-closed-to-motor-traffic-manhattan-bridge-to.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The real reason for the ban was an incident the same year where two cables slipped due to high traffic loads.<ref name="tribune19220729" /><ref name="nyt19220729">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1922/07/29/archives/brooklyn-bridge-safe-but-rebuild-it-whalen-advises-two-big-cables.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge Safe, But Rebuild It, Whalen Advises; Two Big Cables Slip and the Capacity of the Structure Has Been Reached|date=July 29, 1922|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 2, 2019|archive-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702151424/https://www.nytimes.com/1922/07/29/archives/brooklyn-bridge-safe-but-rebuild-it-whalen-advises-two-big-cables.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Both Whalen and Roebling called for the renovation of the Brooklyn Bridge and the construction of a parallel bridge, though the parallel bridge was never built.<ref name="tribune19220729" /><ref name="nyt19220729" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1922/07/30/archives/wants-new-bridge-at-twentythird-st-whalen-would-build-another-span.html|title=Wants New Bridge At Twenty-Third St.; Whalen Would Build Another Span to Brooklyn and Keep Old Bridge, Too|date=July 30, 1922|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 2, 2019|archive-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702145913/https://www.nytimes.com/1922/07/30/archives/wants-new-bridge-at-twentythird-st-whalen-would-build-another-span.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Whalen's successor William Wirt Mills announced in 1924 that a new wood-block pavement would be installed, permitting motor vehicles to use the bridge again;<ref name="p511453785">{{cite news |date=December 27, 1924 |title=Brooklyn Bridge Motor Traffic to Be Reopened Soon |page=4 |work=The Christian Science Monitor |id={{ProQuest|511453785}}}}</ref><ref name="The New York Times 1924 p079">{{cite web |date=December 18, 1924 |title=May 1 to See Autos on Brooklyn Bridge; Passenger Traffic Will Be Resumed by Then, Says Commissioner Mills. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1924/12/18/archives/may-1-to-see-autos-on-brooklyn-bridge-passenger-traffic-will-be.html |access-date=October 19, 2023 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=November 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104183836/https://www.nytimes.com/1924/12/18/archives/may-1-to-see-autos-on-brooklyn-bridge-passenger-traffic-will-be.html |url-status=live }}</ref> motor traffic was again allowed on the bridge starting on May 12, 1925.<ref name="The New York Times 1925 e658">{{cite web |date=May 12, 1925 |title=To Reopen Brooklyn Bridge To Passenger Autos Today |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1925/05/12/archives/to-reopen-brooklyn-bridge-to-passenger-autos-today.html |access-date=October 19, 2023 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=November 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103174625/https://www.nytimes.com/1925/05/12/archives/to-reopen-brooklyn-bridge-to-passenger-autos-today.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p553994510">{{cite news |date=May 12, 1925 |title=Vehicles on Brooklyn Bridge |page=3 |work=The Hartford Courant |issn=1047-4153 |id={{ProQuest|553994510}}}}</ref>

As part of an experiment, starting in November 1946, the Manhattan-bound roadway carried Brooklyn-bound traffic during the evening rush hours. The experiment ended after two months due to complaints about congestion.<ref>{{Cite news|date=January 15, 1947|title=Gripes Ended 1-Way Brooklyn Bridge Test|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-gripes-ended-1/138813792/|access-date=January 15, 2024|work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle|pages=16|archive-date=January 15, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115201306/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-gripes-ended-1/138813792/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Mid- to late 20th century ===

==== Upgrades ====
The first major upgrade to the Brooklyn Bridge commenced in 1948, when a contract to entirely reconstruct the approach ramps was awarded to [[David B. Steinman]].<ref name="nyt19480904">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1948/09/04/archives/brooklyn-bridge-to-be-modernized-as-highway-for-6000-cars-an-hour.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge to Be Modernized As Highway for 6,000 Cars an Hour; One-Time 'Eighth Wonder of the World' to Undergo Its First Major Changes -Engineers' Planning to Take a Year|date=September 4, 1948|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 27, 2019|archive-date=June 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627150544/https://www.nytimes.com/1948/09/04/archives/brooklyn-bridge-to-be-modernized-as-highway-for-6000-cars-an-hour.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33294890/|title=Steinman to Revamp Brooklyn Bridge|date=September 20, 1948|work=Poughkeepsie Journal|access-date=June 26, 2019|page=11|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125005049/https://www.newspapers.com/article/poughkeepsie-journal-steinman-to-revamp/33294890/|url-status=live}}</ref> The renovation was expected to double the capacity of the bridge's roadways to nearly 6,000 cars per hour,<ref name="nyt19480904" /> at a projected cost of $7&nbsp;million.<ref name="nyt19500920">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1950/09/20/archives/brooklyn-span-job-is-up-to-schedule-laying-new-roadbed-on-brooklyn.html|title=Brooklyn Span Job Is 'Up' to Schedule'; Laying New Roadbed on Brooklyn Bridge|date=September 20, 1950|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 27, 2019|archive-date=June 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627145803/https://www.nytimes.com/1950/09/20/archives/brooklyn-span-job-is-up-to-schedule-laying-new-roadbed-on-brooklyn.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The renovation included the demolition of both the elevated and the trolley tracks on the roadways, the removal of trusses separating the inner elevated tracks from the existing vehicle lanes and the widening of each roadway from two to three lanes,<ref name="nyt19500920" /><ref name=":2">{{harvnb|ps=.|National Park Service|1966|p=7}}</ref> as well as the construction of a new steel-and-concrete floor.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1949/01/16/archives/brooklyn-bridge-to-carry-6-lanes-steel-mesh-roadway-ready-in-1950.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge To Carry 6 Lanes; Steel Mesh Roadway, Ready in 1950, Included in $2,400,000 Modernization Plan|date=January 16, 1949|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 2, 2019|archive-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702165445/https://www.nytimes.com/1949/01/16/archives/brooklyn-bridge-to-carry-6-lanes-steel-mesh-roadway-ready-in-1950.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, new ramps were added to Adams Street, [[Cadman Plaza]], and the [[Brooklyn Queens Expressway]] (BQE) on the Brooklyn side, and to Park Row on the Manhattan side.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1951/07/23/archives/new-approaches-to-speed-brooklyn-bridge-traffic.html|title=New Approaches to Speed Brooklyn Bridge Traffic|date=July 23, 1951|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 27, 2019|archive-date=June 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627145803/https://www.nytimes.com/1951/07/23/archives/new-approaches-to-speed-brooklyn-bridge-traffic.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The bridge was briefly closed to all traffic for the first time ever in January 1950,<ref name="The New York Times 1950 m819">{{cite web |last=Ingraham |first=Joseph C. |date=January 23, 1950 |title=As Brooklyn Bridge Was Closed Completely for First Time Since Opening in 1883; Brooklyn Bridge as Closed 8 Hours As Tests Are Begun for Rebuilding |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1950/01/23/archives/as-brooklyn-brdge-was-closed-completely-for-first-time-since.html |access-date=October 19, 2023 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=November 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104183835/https://www.nytimes.com/1950/01/23/archives/as-brooklyn-brdge-was-closed-completely-for-first-time-since.html?searchResultPosition=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> and the trolley tracks closed that March to allow the widening work to occur.<ref name="Small p. 20">{{harvnb|ps=.|Small|1957|p=20}}</ref><ref name="nyt19500303">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1950/03/03/archives/brooklyn-bridge-traffic-will-undergo-changes.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge Traffic Will Undergo Changes|date=March 3, 1950|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 27, 2019|archive-date=June 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627145813/https://www.nytimes.com/1950/03/03/archives/brooklyn-bridge-traffic-will-undergo-changes.html|url-status=live}}</ref> During the construction project, one roadway at a time was closed, allowing reduced traffic flows to cross the bridge in one direction only.<ref name="nydn19540502">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33455201/|title=Brooklyn Span, All Slicked Up, Set to Reopen|date=May 2, 1954|work=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]|location=New York|access-date=July 1, 2019|page=171|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125005156/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-brooklyn-span-all-slicked-up/33455201/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The widened south roadway was completed in May 1951,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1951/05/03/archives/brooklyn-bridge-gets-a-new-lane-new-threelane-road-opened-on.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge Gets a New Lane; New Three-Lane Road Opened on Brooklyn Bridge|date=May 3, 1951|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 27, 2019|archive-date=June 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627145801/https://www.nytimes.com/1951/05/03/archives/brooklyn-bridge-gets-a-new-lane-new-threelane-road-opened-on.html|url-status=live}}</ref> followed by the north roadway in October 1953.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1953/10/01/archives/new-threelane-north-roadway-of-brooklyn-bridge-opened-to-traffic.html|title=New Three-Lane North Roadway of Brooklyn Bridge Opened to Traffic|date=October 1, 1953|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 2, 2019|archive-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702145918/https://www.nytimes.com/1953/10/01/archives/new-threelane-north-roadway-of-brooklyn-bridge-opened-to-traffic.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The restoration was finished in May 1954 with the completion of the reconstructed elevated promenade.<ref name="nyt19540504">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1954/05/04/archives/brooklyn-bridge-back-in-full-use-strollers-and-drivers-happy-as.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge Back In Full Use; Strollers and Drivers Happy as Ceremony Reopens Span After Four – Year Curbs|date=May 4, 1954|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 2, 2019|archive-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702145912/https://www.nytimes.com/1954/05/04/archives/brooklyn-bridge-back-in-full-use-strollers-and-drivers-happy-as.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="nydn19540502" /> While the rebuilding of the span was ongoing, a fallout shelter was constructed beneath the Manhattan approach in anticipation of the [[Cold War]]. The abandoned space in one of the masonry arches was stocked with emergency survival supplies for a potential nuclear attack by the [[Soviet Union]]; these supplies remained in place half a century later.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/03/0324_060324_brooklyn.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060411045054/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/03/0324_060324_brooklyn.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 11, 2006|title=Cold War 'Time Capsule' Found in Brooklyn Bridge|last=Lovgren|first=Stefan|date=March 24, 2006|newspaper=[[National Geographic Society#Other publications|National Geographic News]]|access-date=February 20, 2010}}</ref> In addition, defensive barriers were added to the bridge as a safeguard against sabotage.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1951/04/11/archives/war-barricades-set-up-on-bridges-city-prepares-to-protect-its.html|title=War Barricades Set up on Bridges; City Prepares to Protect Its Bridges Against Sabotage|last=Eckenberg)|first=William C.|date=April 11, 1951|work=The New York Times|access-date=July 2, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702151427/https://www.nytimes.com/1951/04/11/archives/war-barricades-set-up-on-bridges-city-prepares-to-protect-its.html|url-status=live}}</ref>[[File:BrooklynBridgeRampsMANH.jpg|thumb|Ramp from the Brooklyn Bridge to FDR Drive (pictured in 2008), completed {{circa}} 1969|alt=Ramp from the Brooklyn Bridge to FDR Drive, completed circa 1969]]Simultaneous with the rebuilding of the Brooklyn Bridge, a double-decked viaduct for the BQE was being built through an existing steel overpass of the bridge's Brooklyn approach ramp.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1944/06/05/archives/planning-to-give-the-city-a-clearer-view-of-its-famed-brooklyn.html|title=Planning to Give the City a Clearer View of Its Famed Brooklyn Bridge|date=June 5, 1944|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 2, 2019|archive-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702151425/https://www.nytimes.com/1944/06/05/archives/planning-to-give-the-city-a-clearer-view-of-its-famed-brooklyn.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The segment of the BQE from Brooklyn Bridge south to [[Atlantic Avenue (New York City)|Atlantic Avenue]] opened in June 1954,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1954/06/23/archives/3level-road-link-in-brooklyn-open-downtown-congestion-eased-by.html|title=3-Level Road Link In Brooklyn Open; Downtown Congestion Eased by $12,000,000 Section of 11-Mile Expressway|date=June 23, 1954|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 30, 2019|archive-date=June 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630032658/https://www.nytimes.com/1954/06/23/archives/3level-road-link-in-brooklyn-open-downtown-congestion-eased-by.html|url-status=live}}</ref> but the direct ramp from the northbound BQE to the Manhattan-bound Brooklyn Bridge did not open until 1959.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/01/11/archives/new-entrance-ready-for-brooklyn-bridge.html|title=New Entrance Ready For Brooklyn Bridge|date=January 11, 1959|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=July 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704005936/https://www.nytimes.com/1959/01/11/archives/new-entrance-ready-for-brooklyn-bridge.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The city also widened the Adams Street approach in Brooklyn, between the bridge and [[Fulton Street (Brooklyn)|Fulton Street]], from {{Convert|60|to|160|ft|abbr=}} between 1954 and 1955.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33508031/|title=2d Widened Adams Street Section Ready|date=July 6, 1955|work=New York Daily News|access-date=July 3, 2019|page=53|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125005101/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-2d-widened-adams-street-secti/33508031/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1955/07/07/archives/new-traffic-link-in-the-heart-of-brooklyn-is-opened.html|title=New Traffic Link in the Heart of Brooklyn Is Opened|date=July 7, 1955|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=July 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704005932/https://www.nytimes.com/1955/07/07/archives/new-traffic-link-in-the-heart-of-brooklyn-is-opened.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Subsequently, Boerum Place from Fulton Street south to Atlantic Avenue was also widened.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1954/11/05/archives/wide-bridge-link-set-for-brooklyn-fulton-streetatlantic-ave-stretch.html|title=Wide Bridge Link Set for Brooklyn; Fulton Street-Atlantic Ave. Stretch to Be Rebuilt to Ease Traffic Jams|date=November 5, 1954|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=July 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704012819/https://www.nytimes.com/1954/11/05/archives/wide-bridge-link-set-for-brooklyn-fulton-streetatlantic-ave-stretch.html|url-status=live}}</ref> This required the demolition of the old Kings County courthouse.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/01/04/archives/brooklyn-to-open-new-courthouse-mayor-and-judges-to-speak-tomorrow.html|title=Brooklyn To Open New Courthouse; Mayor and Judges to Speak Tomorrow at Dedication of $18,327,500 Building|date=January 4, 1959|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=July 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704005933/https://www.nytimes.com/1959/01/04/archives/brooklyn-to-open-new-courthouse-mayor-and-judges-to-speak-tomorrow.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The towers were cleaned in 1958<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1958/05/24/archives/brooklyn-bridge-marks-75th-year-once-hailed-as-8th-wonder-of-world.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge Marks 75th Year; Once Hailed as '8th Wonder of World,' It Still Is Most Famous Span on Earth Recent Cleaning Job Proved Towers to Be Pink and Tan Instead of Black Brooklyn Bridge Is 75 Today, Still the Most Famous on Earth|last=Benjamin|first=Philip|date=May 24, 1958|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=July 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704014711/https://www.nytimes.com/1958/05/24/archives/brooklyn-bridge-marks-75th-year-once-hailed-as-8th-wonder-of-world.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and the Brooklyn anchorage was repaired the next year.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/07/23/archives/brooklyn-repairs-bridge-anchorage.html|title=Brooklyn Repairs Bridge Anchorage|date=July 23, 1959|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=July 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704015150/https://www.nytimes.com/1959/07/23/archives/brooklyn-repairs-bridge-anchorage.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

On the Manhattan side, the city approved a controversial rebuilding of the Manhattan entrance plaza in 1953. The project, which would add a grade-separated junction over Park Row, was hotly contested because it would require the demolition of 21 structures, including the old [[New York World Building]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1953/01/08/archives/plan-marks-doom-of-world-building-commission-approves-wagners.html|title=Plan Marks Doom Of World Building; Commission Approves Wagner's $5,266,000 Street Layout for Bridge Approaches|date=January 8, 1953|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308135634/https://www.nytimes.com/1953/01/08/archives/plan-marks-doom-of-world-building-commission-approves-wagners.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The reconstruction also necessitated the relocation of 410 families on Park Row.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33508590/|title=Slum Move Deadlines Set|date=January 27, 1957|work=New York Daily News|access-date=July 3, 2019|page=321|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125005103/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-slum-move-deadlines-set/33508590/|url-status=live}}</ref> In December 1956, the city started a two-year renovation of the plaza. This required the closure of one roadway at a time, as was done during the rebuilding of the bridge itself.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1956/12/18/archives/plaza-job-started-at-brooklyn-bridge.html|title=Plaza Job Started at Brooklyn Bridge|date=December 18, 1956|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=October 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201009213220/https://www.nytimes.com/1956/12/18/archives/plaza-job-started-at-brooklyn-bridge.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Work on redeveloping the area around the Manhattan approach started in the mid-1960s.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/10/21/archives/work-is-starting-on-brooklyn-bridge-southwest-a-total-renewal.html|title=Work Is Starting on Brooklyn Bridge Southwest, A Total Renewal|date=October 21, 1966|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=July 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704014717/https://www.nytimes.com/1966/10/21/archives/work-is-starting-on-brooklyn-bridge-southwest-a-total-renewal.html|url-status=live}}</ref> At the same time, plans were announced for direct ramps to the elevated [[FDR Drive]] to alleviate congestion at the approach.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/09/04/archives/brooklyn-bridge-will-get-ramps-2year-project-designed-to-ease.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge Will Get Ramps; 2-Year Project Designed to Ease Street Traffic|date=September 4, 1965|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=July 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704014717/https://www.nytimes.com/1965/09/04/archives/brooklyn-bridge-will-get-ramps-2year-project-designed-to-ease.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The ramp from FDR Drive to the Brooklyn Bridge was opened in 1968,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1968/04/17/archives/brooklyn-bridge-ramp-opened.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge Ramp Opened|date=April 17, 1968|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=July 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704015151/https://www.nytimes.com/1968/04/17/archives/brooklyn-bridge-ramp-opened.html|url-status=live}}</ref> followed by the ramp from the bridge to FDR Drive the next year.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1969/06/22/archives/brooklyn-bridge-getting-ramp-to-fdr-drive-1500foot-exit-is-latest.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge Getting Ramp to F.D.R. Drive; 1,500-Foot Exit Is Latest in $8.5-Million Series to Relieve Congestion|last=Burks|first=Edward C.|date=June 22, 1969|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=July 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704014717/https://www.nytimes.com/1969/06/22/archives/brooklyn-bridge-getting-ramp-to-fdr-drive-1500foot-exit-is-latest.html|url-status=live}}</ref> A single ramp from the Manhattan-bound Brooklyn Bridge to northbound Park Row was constructed in 1970.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33566928/|title=Slate New Exit Ramp For Bridge|date=May 21, 1970|work=New York Daily News|access-date=July 5, 2019|page=420|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125005050/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-slate-new-exit-ramp-for-bridg/33566928/|url-status=live}}</ref> A repainting of the bridge was announced two years later in advance of its 90th anniversary.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33567609/|title=Silver in Hair of 'Lady of Night'|date=September 4, 1972|work=New York Daily News|access-date=July 5, 2019|page=233|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125005603/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-silver-in-hair-of-lady-of-ni/33567609/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Deterioration and late-20th century repair ====
[[File:View looking towards Manhattan of steps up to Promenade with Brooklyn Tower in background. Jet Lowe, photographer, 1982 - Brooklyn Bridge, Spanning East River between Park Row, HAER NY,31-NEYO,90-68.tif|thumb|alt=A view of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1982, showing the steps that formerly led to the pedestrian promenade. A suspension tower is located in the background|The Brooklyn Bridge formerly had steps up to the promenade from the Brooklyn approach (seen here in 1982).]]
The Brooklyn Bridge gradually deteriorated due to age and neglect. While it had 200 full-time dedicated maintenance workers before World War II, that number dropped to five by the late 20th century, and the city as a whole only had 160 bridge maintenance workers.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/17/nyregion/bridge-troubles-provide-a-case-study-of-neglect.html|title=Bridge Troubles Provide A Case Study of Neglect|last=Sims|first=Calvin|date=April 17, 1988|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 5, 2019|archive-date=July 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705214731/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/17/nyregion/bridge-troubles-provide-a-case-study-of-neglect.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1974, heavy vehicles such as vans and buses were banned from the bridge to prevent further erosion of the concrete roadway.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/01/27/archives/newspaper-vans-lose-right-to-use-brooklyn-bridge.html|title=Newspaper Vans Lose Right to Use Brooklyn Bridge|date=January 27, 1974|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 5, 2019|archive-date=July 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705214722/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/01/27/archives/newspaper-vans-lose-right-to-use-brooklyn-bridge.html|url-status=live}}</ref> A report in ''The New York Times'' four years later noted that the cables were visibly fraying and the pedestrian promenade had holes in it.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/03/27/archives/new-jersey-pages-new-york-bridges-arent-falling-but-some-are.html|title=New York Bridges Aren't Falling, But Some Are Crumbling|last=Lichtenstein|first=Grace|date=March 27, 1978|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 5, 2019|archive-date=July 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705214719/https://www.nytimes.com/1978/03/27/archives/new-jersey-pages-new-york-bridges-arent-falling-but-some-are.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The city began planning to replace all the Brooklyn Bridge's cables at a cost of $115&nbsp;million, as part of a larger project to renovate the Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg, and Queensboro bridges.<ref name="nyt19810630">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/30/nyregion/brooklyn-bridge-to-get-new-set-of-steel-cables.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge to Get New Set of Steel Cables|last=Goldman|first=Ari L.|date=June 30, 1981|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 5, 2019|archive-date=July 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705214724/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/30/nyregion/brooklyn-bridge-to-get-new-set-of-steel-cables.html|url-status=live}}</ref> By 1980, the Brooklyn Bridge was in such dire condition that it faced imminent closure. In some places, half of the strands in the cables were broken.<ref>{{cite news|first=Mark|last=Lieberman|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33568240/|title=Rotting B'klyn Bridge May Face Closing|date=October 21, 1980|work=New York Daily News|access-date=July 5, 2019|page=58|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125005557/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-rotting-bklyn-bridge-may-fac/33568240/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In June 1981, two of the diagonal stay cables snapped,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/29/nyregion/2-steel-cables-snap-on-brooklyn-bridge.html|title=2 Steel Cables Snap on Brooklyn Bridge|last=Saxon|first=Wolfgang|date=June 29, 1981|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 18, 2019|archive-date=February 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180221190143/http://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/29/nyregion/2-steel-cables-snap-on-brooklyn-bridge.html|url-status=live}}</ref> killing a pedestrian.<ref name="nydn19810630">{{cite news|title=Troubled Waters for Bridges|last=Steele|first=Ned|date=June 30, 1981|work=New York Daily News|pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/32995318/ 5], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/32995355/ 55]|via=newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name="nyt19860308" /> Subsequently, the anchorages were found to have developed rust,<ref name="nydn19810630" /> and an emergency cable repair was necessitated less than a month later after another cable developed slack.<ref>{{cite news|first=Sheila|last=Sullivan|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/32995219/|title=Another Cable Snag on Brooklyn Bridge|date=July 6, 1981|work=New York Daily News|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=155|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125005604/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-another-cable-snag-on-brookly/32995219/|url-status=live}}</ref> Following the incident, the city accelerated the timetable of its proposed cable replacement,<ref name="nyt19810630" /> and it commenced a $153&nbsp;million rehabilitation of the Brooklyn Bridge in advance of the 100th anniversary. As part of the project, the bridge's original suspender cables installed by J. Lloyd Haigh were replaced by [[Bethlehem Steel]] in 1986, marking the cables' first replacement since construction.<ref name="nyt19860308" /><ref name="Morning Call m830" /> In addition, the staircase at Washington Street in Brooklyn was renovated,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/04/nyregion/the-city-bridge-entrance-shut-in-brooklyn.html|title=The City; Bridge Entrance Shut in Brooklyn|date=January 4, 1985|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 5, 2019|archive-date=July 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705214715/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/04/nyregion/the-city-bridge-entrance-shut-in-brooklyn.html|url-status=live}}</ref> the stairs from Tillary and Adams Streets were replaced with a ramp, and the short flights of steps from the promenade to each tower's balcony were removed.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Brooklyn Bridge Promenade Recommendation Report|2016|p=5}}</ref> In a smaller project, the bridge was floodlit at night starting in 1982 to highlight its architectural features.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/32995466/|title=Lighting Pact to Help Brighten Bridge|last=Copage|first=Eric V.|date=September 20, 1982|work=New York Daily News|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=74|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125005703/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-lighting-pact-to-help-brighte/32995466/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Additional problems persisted, and in 1993, high levels of [[lead]] were discovered near the bridge's towers.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/02/nyregion/high-lead-levels-found-near-3-east-river-bridges.html|title=High Lead Levels Found Near 3 East River Bridges|last=Mitchell|first=Alison|date=September 2, 1992|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 8, 2019|archive-date=July 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708142910/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/02/nyregion/high-lead-levels-found-near-3-east-river-bridges.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Further emergency repairs were undertaken in mid-1999 after small concrete shards began falling from the bridge into the East River. The concrete deck had been installed during the 1950s renovations and had a lifespan of about 60 years.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/05/nyregion/as-concrete-falls-city-moves-to-fix-brooklyn-bridge.html|title=As Concrete Falls, City Moves to Fix Brooklyn Bridge|last=Lueck|first=Thomas J.|date=February 5, 1999|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 5, 2019|archive-date=July 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705215328/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/05/nyregion/as-concrete-falls-city-moves-to-fix-brooklyn-bridge.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=James|last=Rutenberg|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33568860/|title=Bridge Fixup|date=February 4, 1999|work=New York Daily News|access-date=July 5, 2019|page=605|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125005701/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-bridge-fixup/33568860/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Park Row exit from the bridge's westbound lanes was closed as a safety measure after the [[September 11 attacks|September&nbsp;11, 2001, attacks]] on the nearby [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]]. That section of Park Row had been closed off since it ran right underneath [[1&nbsp;Police Plaza]], the headquarters of the [[New York City Police Department]] (NYPD).<ref name="Buckley 2007">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/24/nyregion/24police.html|title=Chinatown Residents Frustrated Over Street Closed Since 9/11|last=Buckley|first=Cara|date=September 24, 2007|website=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=June 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629070151/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/24/nyregion/24police.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In early 2003, to save money on electricity, the NYCDOT turned off the bridge's "necklace lights" at night.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/24/nyregion/neighborhood-report-new-york-waterfront-east-river-bridges-are-missing-strings.html|title=Neighborhood Report: New York Waterfront; East River Bridges Are Missing Strings of Pearls|last=Chan|first=Erin|date=August 24, 2003|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 5, 2019|archive-date=July 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190706000509/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/24/nyregion/neighborhood-report-new-york-waterfront-east-river-bridges-are-missing-strings.html|url-status=live}}</ref> They were turned back on later that year after several private entities made donations to fund the lights.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/01/nyregion/bridges-necklace-lights-to-return.html|title=Bridges' 'Necklace Lights' to Return|last=Feuer|first=Alan|date=November 1, 2003|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 8, 2019|archive-date=December 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228112249/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/01/nyregion/bridges-necklace-lights-to-return.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 21st century ===
{{multiple image
| align             = center
| direction         = horizontal
| total_width       = 800
| image1            = Brooklyn Bridge - New York City.jpg
| caption1          = In 2004, before renovation
| image2            = Brooklyn Bridge-New York.jpg
| caption2          = Renovation in progress
| image3            = Brooklyn Bridge September 2022 008.jpg
| caption3          = In 2022, after renovation
}}

After the 2007 collapse of the [[I-35W Mississippi River bridge|I-35W bridge]] in [[Minneapolis]], public attention focused on the condition of bridges across the U.S. ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that the Brooklyn Bridge approach ramps had received a "poor" rating during an inspection in 2007.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/02/brooklyn-bridge-is-one-of-3-with-poor-rating/|title=Brooklyn Bridge Is One of 3 With Poor Rating|last=Chan|first=Sewell|date=August 2, 2007|website=City Room|language=en-US|access-date=July 8, 2019|archive-date=June 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626162210/https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/02/brooklyn-bridge-is-one-of-3-with-poor-rating/|url-status=live}}</ref> However, a NYCDOT spokesman said that the poor rating did not indicate a dangerous state but rather implied it required renovation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/17/brooklyn-bridge-is-safe-city-insists/|title=Brooklyn Bridge Is Safe, City Insists|last=Chan|first=Sewell|date=September 17, 2007|website=City Room|language=en-US|access-date=July 8, 2019|archive-date=July 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708141339/https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/17/brooklyn-bridge-is-safe-city-insists/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2010, the NYCDOT began renovating the approaches and deck, as well as repainting the suspension span.<ref name="NYDN-Renovate-2010">{{cite news |url=http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-08-14/local/27072576_1_brooklyn-bridge-lanes-manhattan-bridge |title=Brooklyn Bridge Construction Starts Aug. 23, Keeping Manhattan-Bound Lanes Closed Nights till 2014 |newspaper=New York Daily News |access-date=September 11, 2012 |archive-date=October 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121029041915/http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-08-14/local/27072576_1_brooklyn-bridge-lanes-manhattan-bridge |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Briquelet | first=Kate | title=Paint fumes from Brooklyn Bridge have locals breathing uneasy | website=Brooklyn Paper | date=November 18, 2011 | url=https://www.brooklynpaper.com/paint-fumes-from-brooklyn-bridge-have-locals-breathing-uneasy/ | access-date=January 26, 2020 | archive-date=January 26, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126161008/https://www.brooklynpaper.com/paint-fumes-from-brooklyn-bridge-have-locals-breathing-uneasy/ | url-status=live }}</ref> Work included widening two approach ramps from one to two lanes by re-striping a new prefabricated ramp; raising clearance over the eastbound BQE at York Street; seismic retrofitting; replacement of rusted railings and safety barriers; and road deck resurfacing.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/bridges/brooklyn_bridge.shtml |title=Rebuilding the Bridge |publisher=New York City Department of Transportation |access-date=September 11, 2012 |archive-date=October 3, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003142720/http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/bridges/brooklyn_bridge.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> The work necessitated detours for four years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/brooklyn_bridge_brochure.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100603093435/http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/brooklyn_bridge_brochure.pdf |archive-date=June 3, 2010 |url-status=live |title=Rebuilding the Bridge&nbsp;— Brochure |publisher=New York City Department of Transportation |access-date=September 9, 2014}}</ref> At the time, the project was scheduled to be completed in 2014;<ref name="NYDN-Renovate-2010" /> but completion was later delayed to 2015,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/2014-spring-brooklyn-bridge-newsletter.pdf |title=Brooklyn Bridge Rehabilitation Spring 2014 Newsletter |publisher=New York City Department of Transportation |access-date=September 9, 2014 |archive-date=January 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121092151/http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/2014-spring-brooklyn-bridge-newsletter.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> then again to 2017.<ref name="Sugar 2016">{{cite web | last=Sugar | first=Rachel | title=Projected Brooklyn Bridge repair costs have more than doubled | website=Curbed NY | date=November 11, 2016 | url=https://ny.curbed.com/2016/11/11/13598192/brooklyn-bridge-repairs-cost-increase | access-date=January 26, 2020 | archive-date=January 26, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126161008/https://ny.curbed.com/2016/11/11/13598192/brooklyn-bridge-repairs-cost-increase | url-status=live }}</ref> The project's cost also increased from $508&nbsp;million in 2010<ref name="NYDN-Renovate-2010" /> to $811&nbsp;million in 2016.<ref name="Sugar 2016" />

In August 2016, the NYCDOT announced that it would conduct a seven-month, $370,000 study to verify if the bridge could support a heavier upper deck that consisted of an expanded bicycle and pedestrian path. By then, about 10,000 pedestrians and 3,500 cyclists used the pathway on an average weekday.<ref name="nyt20160809">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/09/nyregion/brooklyn-bridge-expansion.html |title=Brooklyn Bridge, The 'Times Square in the Sky,' May Get an Expansion |last=Hu |first=Winnie |date=August 8, 2016 |newspaper=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=August 8, 2016 |archive-date=March 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308180058/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/09/nyregion/brooklyn-bridge-expansion.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Work on the pedestrian entrance on the Brooklyn side was underway by 2017.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/09/nyregion/brooklyn-bridge-makeover.html |title=Finally, An Entrance Worthy of the Brooklyn Bridge |last=Hu |first=Winnie |date=May 9, 2017 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=May 10, 2017 |archive-date=January 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130225822/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/09/nyregion/brooklyn-bridge-makeover.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The NYCDOT also indicated in 2016 that it planned to reinforce the Brooklyn Bridge's foundations to prevent it from sinking, as well as repair the masonry arches on the approach ramps, which had been damaged by [[Hurricane Sandy]] four years earlier.<ref>{{cite web | last=Mixson | first=Colin | title=No sleep until 2022: Work on Brooklyn Bridge, begun in 2010, will continue until 2022 | website=[[The Villager (Manhattan)|The Villager]] | date=May 2, 2016 | url=https://www.thevillager.com/2016/05/no-sleep-until-2022-work-on-brooklyn-bridge-begun-in-2010-will-continue-until-2022/ | access-date=January 26, 2020 | archive-date=January 26, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126161602/https://www.thevillager.com/2016/05/no-sleep-until-2022-work-on-brooklyn-bridge-begun-in-2010-will-continue-until-2022/ | url-status=live }}</ref>  In July 2018, the [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] approved a further renovation of the Brooklyn Bridge's suspension towers and approach ramps.<ref>{{cite web |first=Lore |last=Croghan |title=Landmarks Preservation Commission Approves Brooklyn Bridge Archway Renovations |website=Brooklyn Daily Eagle |date=July 10, 2018 |url=https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2018/07/10/landmarks-preservation-commission-approves-brooklyn-bridge-archway-renovations/ |access-date=December 12, 2018 |archive-date=December 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215223843/https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2018/07/10/landmarks-preservation-commission-approves-brooklyn-bridge-archway-renovations/ |url-status=live }}</ref> That December, the federal government gave the city $25&nbsp;million in funding, which would pay for a $337&nbsp;million rehabilitation of the bridge approaches and the suspension towers.<ref>{{cite web |first=Vincent |last=Barone |date=December 11, 2018 |title=$25M in Federal Funds for Brooklyn Bridge Rehab |website=am New York |url=https://www.amny.com/news/brooklyn-bridge-rehabilitation-1.24461240 |access-date=December 12, 2018 |archive-date=December 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181212031041/https://www.amny.com/news/brooklyn-bridge-rehabilitation-1.24461240 |url-status=live }}</ref> Work started in late 2019 and was scheduled to be completed in four years.<ref>{{cite web | first=Alejandra | last=O'Connell-Domenech | title=Brooklyn Bridge renovations to start this fall | website=The Villager | date=July 1, 2019 | url=https://www.thevillager.com/2019/08/brooklyn-bridge-renovations-to-start-this-fall/ | access-date=January 26, 2020 | archive-date=January 26, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126161603/https://www.thevillager.com/2019/08/brooklyn-bridge-renovations-to-start-this-fall/ | url-status=live }}</ref> This restoration included removing bricks from the arches and putting fresh concrete behind them, using mortar from the same upstate quarries as the original mortar.  The granite arches were also cleaned, revealing the original gray color of the stone, which had long been hidden by grime.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hu|first=Winnie|date=April 16, 2023|title=The Brooklyn Bridge Gets a Facial|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/04/16/nyregion/brooklyn-bridge-restoration.html|access-date=April 23, 2023|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=April 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423162335/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/04/16/nyregion/brooklyn-bridge-restoration.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Additionally, 56 LED lamps were installed on the bridge at a cost of $2.4 million.<ref name="Simko-Bednarski 2024 a204" />

In early 2020, [[New York City Council|City Council]] speaker [[Corey Johnson (politician)|Corey Johnson]] and the nonprofit [[Van Alen Institute]] hosted an international contest to solicit plans for the redesign of the bridge's walkway.<ref>{{cite web | last=Berger | first=Paul | title=Can a Design Contest Fix the Brooklyn Bridge? Cyclists Hope So. | website=The Wall Street Journal | issn=0099-9660 | date=February 10, 2020 | url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/can-a-design-contest-fix-the-brooklyn-bridge-cyclists-hope-so-11581377140 | access-date=February 12, 2020 | archive-date=February 11, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200211171952/https://www.wsj.com/articles/can-a-design-contest-fix-the-brooklyn-bridge-cyclists-hope-so-11581377140 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | first=Mary | last=Frost | title=The Brooklyn Bridge is crowded. A new contest could change that. | website=Brooklyn Eagle | date=February 11, 2020 | url=https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2020/02/11/the-brooklyn-bridge-is-crowded-a-new-contest-could-change-that/ | access-date=February 12, 2020 | archive-date=February 12, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212173541/https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2020/02/11/the-brooklyn-bridge-is-crowded-a-new-contest-could-change-that/ | url-status=live }}</ref> Ultimately, in January 2021, the city decided to install a two-way [[Protected bicycle lanes|protected bike path]] on the Manhattan-bound roadway, replacing the leftmost vehicular lane. The bike lane would allow the existing promenade to be used exclusively by pedestrians.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Robbins|first=Christopher|date=January 28, 2021|title=The Brooklyn Bridge Will Finally Get Its Own Bike Lane|url=http://gothamist.com/news/brooklyn-bridge-will-finally-get-its-own-bike-lane|access-date=January 28, 2021|website=Gothamist|language=en|archive-date=January 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128221624/https://gothamist.com/news/brooklyn-bridge-will-finally-get-its-own-bike-lane|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Fitzsimmons|first=Emma G.|date=January 28, 2021|title=Car Lanes to Become Bike Lanes on 2 Major New York City Bridges|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/28/nyregion/bike-brooklyn-bridge-de-blasio.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/28/nyregion/bike-brooklyn-bridge-de-blasio.html |archive-date=December 28, 2021 |url-access=limited|access-date=January 28, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Work on the bike lane started in June 2021,<ref>{{cite web | first=Jen | last=Chung | title=Brooklyn Bridge Bike Lane Construction Starts June 21st | website=Gothamist | date=June 17, 2021 | url=http://gothamist.com/news/brooklyn-bridge-bike-lane-construction-starts-june-21st | access-date=June 20, 2021 | archive-date=June 19, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210619190534/https://gothamist.com/news/brooklyn-bridge-bike-lane-construction-starts-june-21st | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Fondren|first=Precious|date=June 18, 2021|title=A New Bike Lane on the Brooklyn Bridge|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/18/nyregion/bike-lane-brooklyn-bridge.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/18/nyregion/bike-lane-brooklyn-bridge.html |archive-date=December 28, 2021 |url-access=limited|access-date=June 20, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and the new path was completed on September 14, 2021.<ref name="Offenhartz 2021">{{cite web |last=Offenhartz |first=Jake |date=September 14, 2021 |title=Video: Long-Awaited Bike Lane Opens On Brooklyn Bridge |url=https://gothamist.com/news/long-awaited-bike-lane-opens-brooklyn-bridge |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003150556/https://gothamist.com/news/long-awaited-bike-lane-opens-brooklyn-bridge |archive-date=October 3, 2021 |access-date=October 3, 2021 |website=Gothamist|postscript=none}}; {{cite web |date=September 14, 2021 |title=Brooklyn Bridge protected bike lane opens |url=https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2021/09/14/deblasio-administration-opens-brooklyn-bridge-protected-bike-lane-permanently-transforming-iconic-roadway-for-cyclists/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003150528/https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2021/09/14/deblasio-administration-opens-brooklyn-bridge-protected-bike-lane-permanently-transforming-iconic-roadway-for-cyclists/ |archive-date=October 3, 2021 |access-date=October 3, 2021 |website=Brooklyn Eagle|postscript=none}}; {{cite web | last=Duggan | first=Kevin | title=First on amNY: City to open Brooklyn Bridge bike lane Tuesday | website=amNewYork | date=September 13, 2021 | url=https://www.amny.com/news/breaking-city-to-open-brooklyn-bridge-bike-lane-tuesday/ | access-date=February 1, 2025}}</ref> Despite the addition of the bike path, the bridge's walkway was still frequently overcrowded,<ref name="Budds 2023 z625">{{cite web | last=Budds | first=Diana | title=Clearing Vendors From the Brooklyn Bridge Won't Solve Its Overcrowding Problem | website=Curbed | date=January 27, 2023 | url=https://www.curbed.com/2023/01/brooklyn-bridge-overcrowding-street-vendors-pedestrian-plan.html | access-date=July 26, 2023 | archive-date=July 26, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726141158/https://www.curbed.com/2023/01/brooklyn-bridge-overcrowding-street-vendors-pedestrian-plan.html | url-status=live }}</ref> prompting the city to propose that street vendors be banned from the bridge and others citywide.<ref name="Frost 2023 a100">{{cite web | last=Frost | first=Mary | title=Brooklyn Bridge vendors may soon be banned | website=Brooklyn Eagle | date=July 25, 2023 | url=https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2023/07/25/brooklyn-bridge-vendors-may-soon-be-banned/ | access-date=July 26, 2023 | archive-date=July 26, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726005201/https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2023/07/25/brooklyn-bridge-vendors-may-soon-be-banned/ | url-status=live |postscript=none}}; {{cite web | last=Finley | first=Louis | title=City considers vendor ban on bridges, citing safety and security risks | website=Spectrum News NY1 | date=October 11, 2023 | url=https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2023/10/11/city-considers-vendor-ban-on-bridges | access-date=October 15, 2023 | archive-date=October 17, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231017182935/https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2023/10/11/city-considers-vendor-ban-on-bridges | url-status=live |postscript=none}}; {{cite web | last=Parker | first=Harry | title=NYC floats plan to ban souvenir, food vendors from Brooklyn Bridge in bid to ease pedestrian traffic | website=New York Daily News | date=October 10, 2023 | url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2023/10/10/nyc-floats-plan-to-ban-souvenir-food-vendors-from-brooklyn-bridge-in-bid-to-ease-pedestrian-traffic/ | access-date=October 15, 2023 | archive-date=October 15, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015035352/https://www.nydailynews.com/2023/10/10/nyc-floats-plan-to-ban-souvenir-food-vendors-from-brooklyn-bridge-in-bid-to-ease-pedestrian-traffic/ | url-status=live }}</ref> All vendors were banned from the bridge in January 2024,<ref name="ABC7 New York 2024 l197">{{cite web | title=Vendors forced to close up shop on Brooklyn Bridge and all New York City bridges | website=ABC7 New York | date=January 3, 2024 | url=https://abc7ny.com/brooklyn-bridge-vendors-ban-nyc/14262934/ | access-date=January 3, 2024 | archive-date=January 3, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240103043000/https://abc7ny.com/brooklyn-bridge-vendors-ban-nyc/14262934/ | url-status=live |postscript=none}}; {{cite web | last=Nir | first=Sarah Maslin | title=The Brooklyn Bridge Is Not for Sale, or for Selling Souvenirs Anymore | website=The New York Times | date=January 2, 2024 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/02/nyregion/brooklyn-bridge-vendors.html | access-date=January 3, 2024 | issn=0362-4331 | archive-date=January 3, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240103011341/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/02/nyregion/brooklyn-bridge-vendors.html | url-status=live }}</ref> and the same month, the bridge's new LED lights were illuminated for the first time.<ref name="Simko-Bednarski 2024 a204" /> The [[National Transportation Safety Board]] recommended in early 2025 that the bridge undergo a structural vulnerability assessment, following the [[Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse]] in Maryland the previous year.<ref>{{cite web | title=Key Bridge collapse: NYC bridges among 68 in the US recommended for vulnerability assessments, NTSB says | website=ABC7 New York | date=March 21, 2025 | url=https://abc7ny.com/post/key-bridge-collapse-nyc-bridges-among-68-us-recommended-vulnerability-assessments-ntsb-says/16059419/ | access-date=March 21, 2025|postscript=none}}; {{cite web | last=Loria | first=Michael | title=Millions of people use these bridges. Feds say they're taking a risk. | website=USA TODAY | date=March 21, 2025 | url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/03/20/bridges-at-risk-of-collapse-key/82582036007/ | access-date=March 21, 2025}}</ref>

{{Clear left}}

== Usage ==
[[File:Brooklyn bridge section.svg|thumb|alt=A diagram of the pedestrian and former cycle path above and between the roadways, which is not to scale|Diagram of the pedestrian and former cycle path above and between the roadways (not to scale), before the new cycle path was opened in 2021]]

===Vehicular traffic===
Horse-drawn carriages have been allowed to use the Brooklyn Bridge's roadways since its opening. Originally, each of the two roadways carried two lanes of a different direction of traffic.<ref name="Barnes p. 28" /> The lanes were relatively narrow at only {{Convert|8|ft|m|abbr=}} wide.<ref name="nyt19540504" /> In July 1922, motor vehicles were banned from the bridge;<ref name="nyt19220707" /> the ban lasted until May 1925.<ref name="The New York Times 1925 e658" /><ref name="p553994510" />

After 1950, the main roadway carried six lanes of automobile traffic, three in each direction.<ref name="nyt19500303" /> It was then reduced to five lanes with the addition of a two-way bike lane on the Manhattan-bound side in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Budds|first=Diana|date=September 17, 2021|title=I Wish I Liked the New Brooklyn Bridge Bike Lane More|url=https://www.curbed.com/2021/09/brooklyn-bridge-new-protected-bike-lane.html|access-date=February 6, 2022|website=Curbed|language=en-us|archive-date=February 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220206135752/https://www.curbed.com/2021/09/brooklyn-bridge-new-protected-bike-lane.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=September 20, 2021|title=Brooklyn Bridge's New Bike Lane Draws Praise From Some, Criticism From Others|url=https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2021/09/20/brooklyn-bridge-bicycle-lane-city-hall-park/|access-date=February 6, 2022|language=en-US|archive-date=February 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220206211728/https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2021/09/20/brooklyn-bridge-bicycle-lane-city-hall-park/|url-status=live}}</ref> Because of the roadway's posted height restriction of {{convert|11|ft|m|abbr=on}} and weight restriction of {{convert|6000|lb|kg|abbr=on}}, commercial vehicles and buses are prohibited from using the Brooklyn Bridge.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/motorist/parkway-restrictions.shtml|title=NYC DOT – Parkway Truck Restrictions|website=www1.nyc.gov|access-date=June 28, 2019|archive-date=July 11, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190711051217/https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/motorist/parkway-restrictions.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> The weight restrictions prohibit heavy passenger vehicles such as pickup trucks and SUVs from using the bridge, though this is not often enforced in practice.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/1720/8-cars-that-legally-cant-cross-the-brooklyn-bridge|title=8 Cars That Legally Can't Cross the Brooklyn Bridge|last=Courtney|first=Will Sabel|website=The Drive|date=January 18, 2016|access-date=June 28, 2019|archive-date=March 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200325135216/https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/1720/8-cars-that-legally-cant-cross-the-brooklyn-bridge|url-status=live}}</ref>

On the Brooklyn side, vehicles can enter the bridge from Tillary/Adams Streets to the south, Sands/Pearl Streets to the west, and exit 28B of the eastbound [[Brooklyn-Queens Expressway]]. In Manhattan, cars can enter from both the northbound and southbound FDR Drive, as well as Park Row to the west, [[Chambers Street (Manhattan)|Chambers]]/Centre Streets to the north, and Pearl Street to the south.<ref name="google" /> However, the exit from the bridge to northbound Park Row was closed after the September 11 attacks because of increased security concerns: that section of Park Row ran under One Police Plaza, the NYPD headquarters.<ref name="Buckley 2007" />

====Exit list====
Vehicular access to the bridge is provided by a complex series of ramps on both sides of the bridge. There are two entrances to the bridge's [[#Walkway|pedestrian promenade]] on either side.<ref name="google" /> The current configuration, including the closed ramp from the bridge to the northbound Park Row, was constructed from the mid-1950s until the early 1970s.<ref name="Buckley 2007" />{{Clear}}
{{NYinttop|nyc=yes|unnum=yes|length_ref=<ref name="google">{{google maps |url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/40.6961848,-73.9886764/40.7129455,-74.0042667/@40.7045879,-74.0051564,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!4m1!3e0 |access-date=January 5, 2017}}</ref>}}
{{NYCint
|county=Brooklyn
|cspan=3
|borough=Brooklyn
|location=Brooklyn Heights
|lspan=3
|mile=0.0
|road={{jct|state=NY|road|Tillary Street|road|Adams Street|dir2=south}}
|notes=Pedestrian and bicycle path
}}
{{NYCint
|mile=0.4
|mspan=2
|type=incomplete
|road={{jct|state=NY|I|278|dir1=east|name1=[[Brooklyn–Queens Expressway]]}}
|notes=Northbound entrance only; exit 28B on I-278
}}
{{NYCint
|mile=none
|type=incomplete
|road={{jct|state=NY|road|Cadman Plaza West|I|278|to2=yes|name2=[[Brooklyn–Queens Expressway]]}}
|notes=Southbound exit only; access to I-278 via Old Fulton/Prospect Streets
}}
{{jctbridge
|river=[[East River]]
|mile=0.7
|mile2=1.0
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}}
{{NYCint
|county=Manhattan
|cspan=4
|borough=Manhattan
|location=Financial District
|lspan=4
|type=incomplete
|mile=1.2
|road=[[Park Row (Manhattan)|Park Row]] north
|notes=Northbound exit only; closed to regular traffic since the September 11 terrorist attacks<ref name="Buckley 2007" />
}}
{{NYCint
|borough=Manhattan
|type=incomplete
|mile=1.3
|road={{jct|state=NY|Parkway|FDR|road|[[Pearl Street (Manhattan)|Pearl Street]]}}
|notes=Northbound exit and southbound entrance; exit 2 on FDR Drive
}}
{{NYCint
|borough=Manhattan
|type=incomplete
|mile=1.4
|road=[[Park Row (Manhattan)|Park Row]] south
|notes=Northbound exit and southbound entrance; pedestrian staircase
}}
{{NYCint
|mile=1.5
|road={{jct|state=NY|road|[[Chambers Street (Manhattan)|Chambers Street]]|road|[[Centre Street (Manhattan)|Centre Street]]|to3=y|NY|9A|name3=[[West Street]]|road|[[Church Street (Manhattan)|Church Street]]}}
|notes=Pedestrian and bicycle path
}}
{{jctbtm|keys=closed,incomplete}}

=== Rail traffic ===
Formerly, rail traffic operated on the Brooklyn Bridge as well. Cable cars and elevated railroads used the bridge until 1944, while trolleys ran until 1950.<ref name="Small p. 20" /><ref name="nyt19500303" />

==== Cable cars and elevated railroads ====
[[File:New Brooklyn to New York via Brooklyn Bridge, no. 2 (1899).webm|thumb|left|alt=A short film by Thomas A. Edison, Inc., titled "New Brooklyn to New York Via Brooklyn Bridge". The short film was taken in 1899 and shows the view from the front carriage of a train on the bridge.|thumbtime=0:23|[[Thomas A. Edison, Inc.]]: "New Brooklyn to New York Via Brooklyn Bridge", 1899]]
The New York and Brooklyn Bridge Railway, a cable car service, began operating on September&nbsp;25, 1883; it ran on the inner lanes of the bridge, between terminals at the Manhattan and Brooklyn ends.<ref name="nyt18830925" /><ref name="Small p. 5" /> Since Washington Roebling believed that [[steam locomotive]]s would put excessive loads upon the structure of the Brooklyn Bridge, the cable car line was designed as a steam/cable-hauled hybrid. They were powered from a generating station under the Brooklyn approach. The cable cars could not only regulate their speed on the {{Frac|3|3|4}}% upward and downward approaches, but also maintain a constant interval between each other. There were 24 cable cars in total.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Small|1957|pp=4–5}}</ref>

Initially, the service ran with single-car trains, but patronage soon grew so much that by October 1883, two-car trains were in use. The line carried three million people in the first six months, nine million in 1884, and nearly 20&nbsp;million in 1885 following the opening of the [[Brooklyn Union Elevated Railroad]]. Accordingly, the track layout was rearranged and more trains were ordered.<ref name="bc18830531" /><ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Small|1957|p=9}}</ref> At the same time, there were highly controversial plans to extend the elevated railroads onto the Brooklyn Bridge, under the pretext of extending the bridge itself.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1885/05/12/archives/brooklyn-bridge-extension.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge Extension|date=May 12, 1885|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 28, 2019|archive-date=March 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309023602/https://www.nytimes.com/1885/05/12/archives/brooklyn-bridge-extension.html|url-status=live}}</ref> After disputes, the trustees agreed to build two elevated routes to the bridge on the Brooklyn side.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/33325555/|title=Four Tracks. The Rapid Transit Commission Makes Up Its Mind|date=December 26, 1885|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=June 26, 2019|page=4|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125005600/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-four-tracks-th/33325555/|url-status=live}}</ref> Patronage continued to increase, and in 1888, the tracks were lengthened and even more cars were constructed to allow for four-car cable car trains.<ref name="Small pp. 10-11" /> Electric wires for the trolleys were added by 1895, allowing for the potential future decommissioning of the steam/cable system.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1895/10/29/archives/brooklyn-bridge-and-electric-power-steps-taken-which-may-result-in.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge And Electric Power; Steps Taken Which May Result in Doing Away with the Cable System|date=October 29, 1895|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 26, 2019|archive-date=June 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626145241/https://www.nytimes.com/1895/10/29/archives/brooklyn-bridge-and-electric-power-steps-taken-which-may-result-in.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The terminals were rebuilt once more in July 1895, and, following the implementation of new electric cars in late 1896, the steam engines were dismantled and sold.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Small|1957|p=12}}</ref>

Following the [[City of Greater New York#Consolidation|unification]] of the cities of New York and Brooklyn in 1898, the New York and Brooklyn Bridge Railway ceased to be a separate entity that June and the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) assumed control of the line. The BRT started running through-services of elevated trains, which ran from [[Park Row Terminal]] in Manhattan to points in Brooklyn via the [[Sands Street station]] on the Brooklyn side. Before reaching Sands Street (at [[Clark–Tillary Streets station|Tillary Street]] for [[Fulton Street Line (elevated)|Fulton Street Line]] trains, and at [[Bridge–Jay Streets station|Bridge Street]] for [[Fifth Avenue Line (Brooklyn elevated)|Fifth Avenue Line]] and [[BMT Myrtle Avenue Line|Myrtle Avenue Line]] trains), elevated trains bound for Manhattan were uncoupled from their steam locomotives. The elevated trains were then coupled to the cable cars, which would pull the passenger carriages across the bridge.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Small|1957|p=15}}</ref>

The BRT did not run any elevated train through services from 1899 to 1901. Due to increased patronage after the opening of the [[Interborough Rapid Transit Company]] (IRT)'s [[Early history of the IRT subway|first subway line]], the Park Row station was rebuilt in 1906.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Small|1957|pp=16–17}}</ref> In the early 20th century, there were plans for Brooklyn Bridge elevated trains to run underground to the BRT's proposed [[Chambers Street station (BMT Nassau Street Line)|Chambers Street station]] in Manhattan,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1902/07/02/archives/great-city-building-for-bridge-entrance-rapid-transit-board.html|title=Great City Building For Bridge Entrance; Rapid Transit Board Approves Engineer Parsons's Plan|date=July 2, 1902|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 1, 2019|archive-date=July 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701145521/https://www.nytimes.com/1902/07/02/archives/great-city-building-for-bridge-entrance-rapid-transit-board.html|url-status=live}}</ref> though the connection was never opened.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1915/08/04/archives/city-has-an-idle-tunnel-unused-tube-connects-two-subway-lines-and.html|title=City Has an Idle Tunnel; Unused Tube Connects Two Subway Lines and Cost $868,000|date=August 4, 1915|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 1, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Small p. 18">{{harvnb|ps=.|Small|1957|p=18}}</ref> The overpass across [[William Street (Manhattan)|William Street]] was closed in 1913 to make way for the proposed connection. In 1929, the overpass was reopened after it became clear that the connection would not be built.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1929/05/08/archives/reopens-under-pass-at-brooklyn-bridge-walker-at-ceremony-clearing.html|title=Reopens Under Pass At Brooklyn Bridge; Walker at Ceremony Clearing Passage Closed for 16 Years-- Downtown Traffic Eased|date=May 8, 1929|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 1, 2019}}</ref>

After the IRT's [[Joralemon Street Tunnel]] and the [[Williamsburg Bridge#Rail tracks|Williamsburg Bridge tracks]] opened in 1908, the Brooklyn Bridge no longer held a monopoly on rail service between Manhattan and Brooklyn, and cable service ceased.<ref name="Small p. 18" /> New subway lines from the IRT and from the BRT's successor [[Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation]] (BMT), built in the 1910s and 1920s, posed significant competition to the Brooklyn Bridge rail services. With the opening of the [[Independent Subway System]] in 1932 and the subsequent unification of all three companies into a single entity in 1940, the elevated services started to decline, and the Park Row and Sands Street stations were greatly reduced in size. The Fifth Avenue and Fulton Street services across the Brooklyn Bridge were discontinued in 1940 and 1941 respectively, and the elevated tracks were abandoned permanently with the withdrawal of Myrtle Avenue services in 1944.<ref name="Small p. 20" />

==== Trolleys ====
{{See also|Brooklyn Bridge trolleys}}

A plan for trolley service across the Brooklyn Bridge was presented in 1895.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1895/07/24/archives/bridge-terminals-and-trolleys-mayor-schieren-presents-to-trustees-a.html|title=Bridge Terminals And Trolleys; Mayor Schieren Presents to Trustees a Plan for a Continuous Loop in Washington Street, Brooklyn|date=July 24, 1895|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 30, 2019}}</ref> Two years later, the Brooklyn Bridge trustees agreed to a plan where trolleys could run across the bridge under ten-year contracts.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1897/08/06/archives/trolley-cars-on-bridge-trustees-and-the-brooklyn-railroad-managers.html|title=Trolley Cars on Bridge; Trustees and the Brooklyn Railroad Managers Have Reached a Mutual Agreement|date=August 6, 1897|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 30, 2019}}</ref> Trolley service, which began in 1898, ran on what are now the two middle lanes of each roadway (shared with other traffic).<ref name="Small p. 14" /><ref name="nyt18980217" /> Brooklyn Bridge Local trolley service between the two ends of the bridge was introduced in January 1908.<ref name="Cudahy">{{Harvnb|Cudahy|2009|ps=.|pages=221–222}}</ref><ref name="pamphlet">{{cite book | title=Brooklyn Bridge: 1883--1933 | publisher=City of New York, Department of Plant and Structures | year=1933 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qAgFAAAAMAAJ | language=en}}</ref> The cable cars were discontinued immediately afterward, and the shuttle was also eliminated.<ref>{{Harvnb|Cudahy|2009|page=168}}</ref> After cable service was withdrawn, the trolley tracks on the Brooklyn side were rebuilt to alleviate congestion.<ref name="Small p. 18" /> Trolley service on the middle lanes continued until the elevated lines stopped using the bridge in 1944, when they moved to the protected center tracks. On March&nbsp;5, 1950, the streetcars also stopped running, and the bridge was redesigned exclusively for automobile traffic.<ref name="Small p. 20" /><ref name="nyt19500303" />

===Walkway===
[[File:BrooklynBridgeNoPeople.png|upright|left|alt=The Brooklyn Bridge's elevated pedestrian promenade|thumb|The Brooklyn Bridge's elevated pedestrian promenade, near one of the "pinch points" where the cables descend below the height of the girders]]

The Brooklyn Bridge has an elevated promenade open to pedestrians in the center of the bridge, located {{Convert|18|ft|m|abbr=}} above the automobile lanes.<ref name="nyt19850816" /> The promenade is usually located {{Convert|4|ft|m|abbr=}} below the height of the girders, except at the approach ramps leading to each tower's balcony.<ref name="BBPr p. 26-27" /> The path is generally {{Convert|10|to|17|ft|abbr=}} wide,<ref name="amny20160809" /><ref name="BBPr p. 26-27" /> though this is constrained by obstacles such as protruding cables, benches, and stairways, which create "pinch points" at certain locations.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Brooklyn Bridge Promenade|2016|pp=16–19}}</ref> The path narrows to {{Convert|10|ft}} at the locations where the main cables descend to the level of the promenade. Further exacerbating the situation, these "pinch points" are some of the most popular places to take pictures.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Brooklyn Bridge Promenade|2016|pp=18, 22–23}}</ref> As a result, in 2016, the NYCDOT announced that it planned to double the promenade's width.<ref name="amny20160809" /><ref name="nyt20160809" />

A center line was painted to separate cyclists from pedestrians in 1971, creating one of the city's first dedicated bike lanes.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/04/01/archives/brooklyn-bridge-opens-special-bicycle-ramps.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge Opens Special Bicycle Ramps|date=April 1, 1971|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 5, 2019}}</ref> Initially, the northern side of the promenade was used by pedestrians and the southern side by cyclists. In 2000, these were swapped, with cyclists taking the northern side and pedestrians taking the southern side.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/12/nyregion/turf-marks-gone-battle-erupts-on-brooklyn-bridge.html|title=Turf Marks Gone, Battle Erupts on Brooklyn Bridge|last=Stewart|first=Barbara|date=October 12, 2000|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 8, 2019}}</ref> On September 14, 2021, the NYCDOT closed off the left-side car lane on the Manhattan-bound side with protective barriers and fencing to create a new bike path, and cyclists were banned from the upper pedestrian lane.<ref name="Offenhartz 2021" /><!-- {{As of|2016|}}, more than 4,000 pedestrians and 3,100 cyclists cross the Brooklyn Bridge each day.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/infrastructure/brooklyn-bridge.shtml|title=Brooklyn Bridge|publisher=NYC DOT|access-date=March 22, 2016}}</ref>-->

Pedestrian access to the bridge from the Brooklyn side is from either the median of Adams Street at its intersection with Tillary Street or a staircase near Prospect Street between Cadman Plaza East and West. In Manhattan, the pedestrian walkway is accessible from crosswalks at the intersection of the bridge and Centre Street, or through a staircase leading to Park Row.<ref name="google" /><ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Brooklyn Bridge Promenade|2016|pp=15–16}}</ref>

====Emergency use====
[[File:BrooklynBridgeWalkwayCrowd.jpg|thumb|The elevated pedestrian promenade crowded with people, in the evening, during the summer season.]]

While the bridge has always permitted the passage of pedestrians, the promenade facilitates movement when other means of crossing the East River have become unavailable. During transit strikes by the [[Transport Workers Union of America|Transport Workers Union]] in [[1980 New York City transit strike|1980]] and [[2005 New York City transit strike|2005]], people commuting to work used the bridge; they were joined by Mayors [[Ed Koch]] and [[Michael Bloomberg]], who crossed as a gesture to the affected public.<ref>{{cite news |title=Koch Faces Day Ebulliently; He Looks Well Rested |first=Anna |last=Quindlen |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/04/02/archives/koch-faces-day-ebulliently-he-looks-well-rested.html |newspaper=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331 |date=April 2, 1980 |access-date=June 30, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=On Foot, On Bridge and at City Hall, Bloomberg Is Irate |first=Jim |last=Rutenberg |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/21/nyregion/nyregionspecial3/21mayor.html |newspaper=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331 |date=December 21, 2005 |access-date=June 30, 2010}}</ref> Pedestrians also walked across the bridge as an alternative to suspended subway services following the [[Northeast Blackout of 1965|1965]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/11/10/archives/snarl-at-rush-hour-spreads-into-9-states-10000-in-the-national.html|title=Snarl at Rush Hour Spreads Into 9 States; 10,000 In the National Guard and 5,000 Off-Duty Policemen Are Called to Service in New York|last=Kihss|first=Peter|date=November 10, 1965|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 5, 2019}}</ref> [[New York City blackout of 1977|1977]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/07/14/archives/lightning-apparently-to-blame-some-suburbs-affected-power-failure.html|title=Lightning Apparently to Blame – Some Suburbs Affected|last=McFadden|first=Robert D.|date=July 14, 1977|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 5, 2019}}</ref> and [[2003 North America blackout|2003]] [[power outage|blackouts]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/15/nyregion/15STUC.html|title=In Subways, In Traffic, In Elevators: All Stuck|last=Scott|first=Janny|date=August 15, 2003|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 5, 2019}}</ref> and after the September 11 attacks.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/12/us/a-day-of-terror-the-rivers-a-battered-retreat-on-bridges-to-the-east.html|title=A Day of Terror: The Rivers; A Battered Retreat On Bridges To the East|last=Sengupta|first=Somini|date=September 12, 2001|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 5, 2019}}</ref>

During the 2003 blackouts, many crossing the bridge reported a swaying motion.<ref name="voice">{{cite news |title=Point of Collapse |first=Robert |last=Julavits |url=http://www.villagevoice.com/news/point-of-collapse-6409543 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402093350/http://www.villagevoice.com/news/point-of-collapse-6409543 |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 2, 2016 |newspaper=[[The Village Voice]] |date=August 26, 2003 |access-date=January 17, 2016}}</ref> The higher-than-usual pedestrian load caused this swaying, which was amplified by the tendency of pedestrians to synchronize their footfalls with a sway.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Strogatz|2003|pages=[https://archive.org/details/syncemergingscie00stro/page/174 174–175, 312, 320]}}</ref> Several engineers expressed concern about how this would affect the bridge, although others noted that the bridge did withstand the event and that the redundancies in its design—the inclusion of the three support systems (suspension system, diagonal stay system, and stiffening truss)—make it "probably the best secured bridge against such movements going out of control".<ref name="voice" /> In designing the bridge, John Roebling had stated that the bridge would sag but not fall, even if one of these structural systems were to fail altogether.<ref name="McCullough pp. 32-33" />

{{Clear}}

{{Wide image|Brooklyn Bridge panorama.jpg|1000px|Panorama of Brooklyn Bridge, with the [[Manhattan Bridge]] behind it, and the [[Williamsburg Bridge]] visible farther in the background}}

==Tolls==
{{further|Congestion pricing in New York City#Tolls}}
The Brooklyn Bridge was initially a [[toll bridge]]. Though carriages and cable-car customers had paid tolls ever since the bridge's opening, pedestrians were spared from the tolls originally.<ref name="nyt18830313" /> By the first decade of the 20th century, pedestrians were also paying tolls.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1911/07/07/archives/to-abolish-tolls-on-city-bridges-mayor-gaynor-believes-there-is-no.html|title=To Abolish Tolls On City Bridges; Mayor Gaynor Believes There Is No Legal Warrant for Taxing Vehicle Traffic|date=July 7, 1911|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 28, 2019|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308225157/https://www.nytimes.com/1911/07/07/archives/to-abolish-tolls-on-city-bridges-mayor-gaynor-believes-there-is-no.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Tolls on all four bridges across the East River—the Brooklyn Bridge, as well as the [[Manhattan Bridge|Manhattan]], [[Williamsburg Bridge|Williamsburg]], and [[Queensboro Bridge|Queensboro]] bridges to the north—were abolished in July 1911 as part of a populist policy initiative headed by New York City mayor [[William Jay Gaynor]].<ref name=nyt19110719>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1911/07/19/archives/prize-fund-for-atwood-talk-of-one-after-washington-commerce-chamber.html|title=Prize Fund for Atwood; Talk of One After Washington Commerce Chamber Refuses to Help|date=July 19, 1911|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 1, 2019|archive-date=July 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701145503/https://www.nytimes.com/1911/07/19/archives/prize-fund-for-atwood-talk-of-one-after-washington-commerce-chamber.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=n33421526>{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/33421526/|title=Aldermen Abolish Tolls for Wagons on Bridges|date=July 18, 1911|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=July 1, 2019|page=1|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125005101/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-aldermen-abolis/33421526/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1970, the federal government enacted the [[Clean Air Act (United States)|Clean Air Act]], a series of federal air pollution regulations.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Within |first=Richard |date=April 15, 1973 |title=Shift on Emission May Cost Drivers |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/04/15/archives/shift-on-emission-may-cost-drivers-granted-2year-delay-compensation.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829081030/http://www.nytimes.com/1973/04/15/archives/shift-on-emission-may-cost-drivers-granted-2year-delay-compensation.html |archive-date=August 29, 2017 |access-date=August 29, 2017 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> As part of a plan by mayor [[John Lindsay]] and the federal [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency]],<ref name="NYT 1977 mayor yields">{{Cite news |last1=Dembart |first1=Lee |date=June 16, 1977 |title=Broad Parking Ban in Manhattan Begins as Mayor Yields to Ruling |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/06/16/archives/broad-parking-ban-in-manhattan-begins-as-mayor-yields-to-ruling-206.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829122855/http://www.nytimes.com/1977/06/16/archives/broad-parking-ban-in-manhattan-begins-as-mayor-yields-to-ruling-206.html |archive-date=August 29, 2017 |access-date=August 28, 2017 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> the city government considered implementing tolls on the four free East River bridges, including the Brooklyn Bridge, in the early 1970s.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Witkin |first=Richard |date=March 13, 1971 |title=City Bridge-Toll Plans |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/03/13/archives/city-bridgetoll-plans-plan-for-tolls-on-four-east-river-bridges-is.html |access-date=March 29, 2022 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=April 22, 1970 |title=Bridge Toll Study |work=Newsday |page=13 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|916064041}}}}</ref> The plan would have raised money for New York City's transit system<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 24, 1971 |title=He Calls Toll on Bridges a Benefit to Straphangers |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-he-calls-toll-on-bridges-a-be/133295973/ |access-date=October 12, 2023 |work=New York Daily News |pages=314 |via=newspapers.com |issn=2692-1251}}</ref> and allowed the city to meet the Clean Air Act.<ref name="NYT 1977 mayor yields" /> [[Abraham Beame]], who became mayor in 1974, refused to implement the tolls,<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Weisman |first1=Steven R. |date=August 6, 1977 |title=Beame, U. S. Reach an 'Understanding' on a Parking Ban |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/08/06/archives/beame-us-reach-an-understanding-on-a-parking-ban-court-gives-them-2.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829121700/http://www.nytimes.com/1977/08/06/archives/beame-us-reach-an-understanding-on-a-parking-ban-court-gives-them-2.html |archive-date=August 29, 2017 |access-date=August 28, 2017 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> and the [[United States Congress]] subsequently moved to forbid tolls on the free East River bridges.<ref name="NYT 1977 mayor yields" /> The [[United States Department of Transportation]] determined that several of these bridges were built partially with federal funds and, under federal law, could not be tolled.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 12, 1976 |title=2 Federal Agencies Clash on a Toll Plan For River Bridges |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/06/12/archives/2-federal-agencies-clash-on-a-toll-plan-for-river-bridges.html |access-date=January 22, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

A plan for [[congestion pricing in New York City]] was approved in mid-2023,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Strahan |first1=Tracie |last2=Siff |first2=Andrew |date=May 5, 2023 |title=Congestion Pricing in NYC Gets Fed Approval, Final Call Likely Weeks Away |url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/congestion-pricing-in-nyc-gets-fed-approval-final-call-likely-weeks-away/4306697/ |access-date=May 5, 2023 |website=NBC New York}}</ref> allowing the [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] to toll drivers who enter Manhattan south of [[60th Street (Manhattan)|60th Street]].<ref name="Nessen 2024 t852">{{cite web | last=Nessen | first=Stephen | title=Which drivers get tolled under congestion pricing on the Brooklyn and Queensboro bridges? It's complicated. | website=Gothamist | date=April 15, 2024 | url=https://gothamist.com/news/which-drivers-get-tolled-under-congestion-pricing-on-the-brooklyn-and-queensboro-bridges-its-complicated | access-date=April 15, 2024}}</ref> Congestion pricing was implemented in January 2025.<ref name="Anderson o055">{{cite web | last1=Hu | first1=Winnie | last2=Ley | first2=Ana | title=New York City Welcomes Congestion Pricing With Fanfare and Complaints | website=The New York Times | date=January 5, 2025 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/05/nyregion/nyc-congestion-pricing-tolls.html | access-date=January 8, 2025 |postscript=none}}; {{cite web | last=Bridge | first=Rowan | title=New York becomes first US city with congestion charge | website=BBC Home | date=January 5, 2025 | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjr2wn3zvqvo | access-date=January 8, 2025}}</ref> Most traffic between the Brooklyn Bridge and FDR Drive is exempt from the toll, but all other Manhattan-bound drivers pay a toll, which varies based on the time of day. Although no toll is charged upon exiting the congestion zone, Brooklyn-bound drivers must pay a toll to access streets leading to the bridge, unless they use the FDR Drive.<ref name="Nessen 2024 t852"/>{{Efn|Under the plan, drivers traveling westbound from the bridge to FDR Drive north, or from FDR Drive to the bridge eastbound, would be exempt from the toll. Drivers traveling westbound from the bridge to FDR Drive south would pay a toll because that ramp uses city streets.<ref name="Nessen 2024 t852"/>}}

== Notable events ==
=== Stunts ===
[[File:Odlum jumps.jpg|thumb|alt=A sketch depicting Robert E. Odlum jumping from the bridge|[[Robert Emmet Odlum]] jumping from the bridge on May 19, 1885]]
There have been several notable jumpers from the Brooklyn Bridge. The first person was [[Robert Emmet Odlum]], brother of women's rights activist [[Charlotte Odlum Smith]], on May&nbsp;19, 1885.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/lifeadventuresof00odlurich |title=The Life and Adventures of Prof. Robert Emmet Odlum, Containing an Account of His Splendid Natatorium at the National Capital |last=Odlum |first=Catherine |publisher=Gray and Clarkson |year=1885}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Raising More Hell and Fewer Dahlias: The Public Life of Charlotte Smith, 1840–1917 |last=Stanley |first=Autumn |publisher=[[Lehigh University Press]] |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-934223-99-7 }}</ref> He struck the water at an angle and died shortly afterwards from internal injuries.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1885/05/20/archives/odlums-leap-to-death-a-fatal-plunge-from-the-brooklyn-bridge-he.html |title=Odlum's Leap to Death |date=May 20, 1885 |newspaper=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331 |access-date=April 15, 2008 |page=1}}</ref> [[Steve Brodie (bridge jumper)|Steve Brodie]] supposedly dropped from underneath the bridge in July 1886 and was briefly arrested for it, though there is some doubt about whether he actually jumped.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1886/07/25/archives/brodies-path-to-wealth-he-is-wanted-by-various-museum-managers-he.html|title=Brodie's Path to Wealth; He Is Wanted by Various Museum Managers|date=July 25, 1886|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 29, 2019}}</ref><ref name="McCullough pp. 546-547" /> [[Larry Donovan (bridge jumper)|Larry Donovan]] made a slightly higher jump from the railing a month afterward.<ref name="McCullough pp. 546-547" /> The first known person to jump from the bridge with the intention of suicide was Francis McCarey in 1892.<ref name="McCullough pp. 546-547" /> A lesser known early jumper was James Duffy of [[County Cavan, Ireland]], who on April&nbsp;15, 1895, asked several men to watch him jump from the bridge. Duffy jumped and was not seen again.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn90059228/1895-04-18/ed-1/seq-3/|title=Leaped to His Death|date=April 18, 1895|work=Warren Sheaf}}</ref> Additionally, the cartoonist [[Otto Eppers]] jumped and survived in 1910, and was then tried and acquitted for attempted suicide.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1910/06/30/archives/youth-dives-off-brooklyn-bridge-youngster-eludes-the-police-and.html|title=Youth Dives Off Brooklyn Bridge; Youngster Eludes the Police and Plunges Into the East River, Escaping Unhurt|date=June 30, 1910|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 29, 2019}}</ref> The Brooklyn Bridge has since developed a reputation as a [[suicide bridge]] due to the number of jumpers who do so intending to kill themselves, though exact statistics are difficult to find.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/01/nyregion/neighborhood-report-brooklyn-bridge-a-stately-span-a-fatal-lure.html|title=Neighborhood Report: Brooklyn Bridge; A Stately Span, A Fatal Lure|last=Baram|first=Marcus|date=June 1, 2003|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 5, 2019}}</ref>

Other notable feats have taken place on or near the bridge. In 1919, [[Giorgio Pessi]] piloted what was then one of the world's largest airplanes, the [[Caproni Ca.5]], under the bridge.<ref>{{cite book|title=Above the War Fronts: The British Two-Seater Bomber Pilot and Observer Aces, The British Two-Seater Fighter Observer Aces, And the Belgian, Italian, Austro-Hungarian And Russian Fighter Aces, 1914–1918|last1=Franks|first1=Norman L. R.|last2=Guest|first2=Russell|last3=Alegi|first3=Gregory|publisher=Grub Street|year=1997|isbn=978-1-898697-56-5|pages=150–151|name-list-style=amp}}</ref> In 1993, bridge jumper Thierry Devaux illegally performed eight acrobatic [[bungee jumping|bungee jumps]] above the East River close to the Brooklyn tower.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/08/25/liberty.jump/|title=Frenchman Hung up on Lady Liberty: 'I Love America' – August 25, 2001|last=Hirschkorn|first=Phil|date=August 25, 2001|publisher=[[CNN]]|access-date=July 8, 2019}}</ref>

=== Crimes and terrorism ===
[[File:NYPD training exercise on Brooklyn Bridge.jpg|thumb|alt=NYPD officers take part in a training exercise on the Brooklyn Bridge by climbing a large cable leading to a pillar. Under the supervision of a helicopter.|A police training exercise on the bridge]]
[[1994 Brooklyn Bridge shooting|On March&nbsp;1, 1994]], Lebanese-born Rashid Baz opened fire on a van carrying members of the [[Chabad-Lubavitch]] [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox Jewish]] Movement, striking 16-year-old student Ari Halberstam and three others traveling on the bridge.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/02/nyregion/4-hasidic-youths-hurt-in-brooklyn-bridge-shooting.html |title=4 Hasidic Youths Hurt in Brooklyn Bridge Shooting |last=Sexton |first=Joe |date=March 2, 1994 |newspaper=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331 |access-date=June 30, 2010}}</ref> Halberstam died five days later from his wounds, and Baz was later convicted of murder. He was apparently acting out of revenge for the [[Cave of the Patriarchs massacre|Hebron massacre]] of Palestinian Muslims a few days prior to the incident.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/19/nyregion/bridge-gunman-gets-141-year-term.html|title=Bridge Gunman Gets 141-Year Term|last=James|first=George|date=January 19, 1995|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 19, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> After initially classifying the killing as one committed out of [[Road rage (phenomenon)|road rage]], the [[United States Department of Justice|Justice Department]] reclassified the case in 2000 as a terrorist attack.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/06/nyregion/us-decides-94-attack-on-hasidim-was-lone-act.html|title=U.S. Decides '94 Attack On Hasidim Was Lone Act|last=Dewan|first=Shaila K.|date=December 6, 2000|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 19, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The entrance ramp to the bridge on the Manhattan side was dedicated as the Ari Halberstam Memorial Ramp in 1995.<ref>{{Cite news|date=April 12, 1995|title=A Bridge Memorial to Slain Teen|pages=1247|work=New York Daily News|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-a-bridge-memorial-to-slain-te/134965589/|first=Donald|last=Bertrand|via=newspapers.com|access-date=November 10, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/28/nyregion/28signs.html|title=In Signs Leading to Brooklyn Bridge, A Tribute to Ari Halberstam|last=Roberts|first=Sam|date=December 27, 2009|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 19, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Several potential attacks or disasters have also been averted. In 1979, police disarmed a stick of dynamite placed under the Brooklyn approach,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/04/01/archives/stick-of-dynamite-is-discovered-under-a-brooklyn-bridge-ramp.html|title=Stick of Dynamite Is Discovered Under a Brooklyn Bridge Ramp|date=April 1, 1979|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 5, 2019}}</ref> and an artist in Manhattan was arrested that year after another bombing attempt.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/08/05/archives/manhattan-artist-seized-in-case-of-bridge-bomb.html|title=Manhattan Artist Seized In Case of Bridge 'Bomb'|date=August 5, 1979|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 5, 2019}}</ref> In 2003, truck driver [[Iyman Faris]] was sentenced to about 20 years in prison for providing material support to [[Al-Qaeda]], after an earlier plot to destroy the bridge by cutting through its support wires with [[blowtorch]]es was thwarted.<ref>{{cite news|first=Eric|last=Lichtblau| title=Trucker Sentenced to 20 Years in Plot Against Brooklyn Bridge | work=The New York Times |language=en-US|issn=0362-4331 | date=October 29, 2003 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/29/us/trucker-sentenced-to-20-years-in-plot-against-brooklyn-bridge.html | access-date=February 27, 2020}}</ref>

===Arrests===

At 9:00&nbsp;a.m. on May&nbsp;19, 1977, artist Jack Bashkow climbed one of the towers for ''Bridging'', a "media sculpture" by the performance group Art Corporation of America Inc. Seven artists climbed the largest bridges connected to Manhattan "to replace violence and fear in mass media for one day". When each of the artists had reached the tops of the bridges, they ignited bright-yellow [[flare]]s at the same moment, resulting in rush hour traffic disruption, media attention, and the arrest of the climbers, though the charges were later dropped. Called "the first social-sculpture to use mass-media as art" by conceptual artist [[Joseph Beuys]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Carey |first1=Brainard |title=John Halpern |url=https://museumofnonvisibleart.com/interviews/john-halpern/ |access-date=November 20, 2019 |agency=Praxis Interview Magazine, Museum of Nonvisible Art |publisher=WYBC, Yale University Radio |date=September 29, 2017}}</ref> the event was on the cover of the ''[[New York Post]]'', received international attention, and received [[ABC News (United States)|ABC Eyewitness News]]' ''1977 Best News of the Year'' award.<ref>{{cite web |title=Art Corporation of America Incorporated BRIDGING 1977 |url=https://festival17.summerhall.co.uk/exhibition/bridging-1977/ |publisher=Summerhall Festival 2017 |access-date=November 20, 2019}}</ref> [[John Halpern (artist)|John Halpern]] documented the incident in the film ''Bridging, 1977''. Halpern attempted another "bridging" "social sculpture" in 1979, when he planted a radio receiver, gunpowder and fireworks in a bucket atop one of the towers.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tarozzi Goldsmith |first1=Marcella |title=Future of Art, The: An Aesthetics of the New and the Sublime |date=September 1, 1999 |publisher=[[SUNY Press]] |isbn=978-0-7914-4315-6 |page=80 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3ySM8NLm_nUC&pg=PA202|access-date=November 18, 2019}}</ref> The piece was later discovered by police, leading to his arrest for possessing a bomb.<ref>{{cite news |title=Manhattan Artist Seized In Case of Bridge 'Bomb' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/08/05/archives/manhattan-artist-seized-in-case-of-bridge-bomb.html |access-date=November 20, 2019 |work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331 |date=August 5, 1979}}</ref>

On October 1, 2011, more than 700 protesters with the [[Occupy Wall Street]] movement were arrested while attempting to march across the bridge on the roadway.<ref>{{Cite news|title=700 Arrested After Protest On Brooklyn Bridge|url=https://www.npr.org/2011/10/01/140983353/about-500-arrested-after-protest-on-brooklyn-bridge|access-date=July 28, 2020|publisher=NPR|date=October 2011|language=en}}</ref> Protesters disputed the police account of the events and claimed that the arrests were the result of being trapped on the bridge by the NYPD.<ref>{{Cite web|date=October 3, 2011|title=Occupy Wall Street – the Story of the Brooklyn Bridge 'Trap'|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/blog/2011/oct/03/occupy-wall-street-brooklyn-bridge-arrests|access-date=July 28, 2020|website=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref> The majority of the arrests were subsequently dismissed.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Martin|first=Adam|date=May 1, 2012|title=What Happened to Those 732 Occupiers Arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge?|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/05/what-happened-those-732-occupiers-arrested-brooklyn-bridge/328715/|access-date=July 28, 2020|website=The Atlantic|language=en-US}}</ref>

On July&nbsp;22, 2014, the two [[Flag of the United States|American flags]] on the flagpoles atop each tower were found to have been replaced by bleached-white American flags.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/White-Flags-Brooklyn-Bridge-American-268110482.html |title=American Flags Bleached White Appear Atop Brooklyn Bridge |date=July 22, 2014 |work=[[WNBC]] News |access-date=May 24, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-28427078 |title=Brooklyn Bridge 'White Flags' Stump Police |date=July 22, 2014 |work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> Initially, [[cannabis (drug)|cannabis]] activism was suspected as a motive,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Brooklyn-Bridge-Bleached-White-American-Flags-NYPD-Video-Four-Young-People-268361812.html |title=NYPD Looking for 4 Young Adults in Brooklyn Bridge Flags Probe: Official |last1=Esposito |first1=Richard |date=July 23, 2014 |work=WNBC News |last2=Winter |first2=Tom|access-date=July 28, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Brooklyn-Bridge-White-Flags-Investigation-Cellphone-Surveillance-Social-Media-DNA-268507692.html |title=NYPD Running License Plates, Examining Cellphone Transmissions, Collecting DNA in Brooklyn Bridge White Flags Investigation |last1=Glorioso |first1=Chris |date=July 24, 2014 |work=WNBC News |last2=Esposito |first2=Richard|access-date=July 28, 2020}}</ref> but on August&nbsp;12, 2014, two Berlin artists claimed responsibility for hoisting the two white flags, having switched out the original flags with their replicas. The artists said that the flags were meant to celebrate "the beauty of public space" and the anniversary of the death of German-born John Roebling, and they denied that it was an "anti-American statement".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2014/08/12/germans-put-flags-on-brooklyn-bridge.html |title=Germans Put Flags on Brooklyn Bridge |date=August 12, 2014 |work=Daily Beast |access-date=August 12, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-28770540 |title=Artists Claim Brooklyn Bridge Stunt |work=[[BBC News]] |date=August 13, 2014 |access-date=August 13, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/German-Artists-Claim-White-Flags-Brooklyn-Bridge-270977621.html |title=Artists Claim White Flags on Bridge |last=Dienst |first=Jonathan |date=August 12, 2014 |work=WNBC New|access-date=July 28, 2020}}</ref>

===Anniversary celebrations===
[[File:Brooklyn Bridge seen from One World Trade Center Skypod.jpg|thumb|Brooklyn Bridge seen from One World Trade Center Skypod]]
The 50th-anniversary celebrations on May&nbsp;24, 1933, included a ceremony featuring an airplane show, ships, and fireworks,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/05/25/archives/brooklyn-bridge-opened-again-as-symbol-of-50-years-progress-mayor.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge 'Opened' Again As Symbol of 50 Years' Progress; Mayor Re-Enacts Ceremony of 1883 as Planes, Ships and Fireworks Salute Parade – Growth of United Cities Hailed as Tribute to Roebling's Vision|date=May 25, 1933|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 2, 2019}}</ref> as well as a banquet.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/05/23/archives/brooklyn-bridge-jubilee-dinner-committee-is-named-for-golden.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge Jubilee; Dinner Committee Is Named for Golden Anniversary Tomorrow|date=May 23, 1933|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 2, 2019}}</ref> During the centennial celebrations on May&nbsp;24, 1983, a flotilla of ships visited the harbor, officials held parades,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/05/24/nyregion/brooklyn-bridge-the-only-bridge-of-power-life-and-joy-turns-100-today.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge, 'The Only Bridge of Power, Life and Joy,' Turns 100; Today|last=Carmody|first=Deirdre|date=May 24, 1983|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 5, 2019}}</ref><ref name="nydn19830525">{{cite news|first1=Suzanne|last1=Golubski|first2=Don|last2=Flynn|title=Million Hearts Given to Buy B'klyn Bridge|date=May 25, 1983|work=New York Daily News|pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33568127/ 2], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33568132/ 3], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33568174/ 31]|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> and [[Grucci Fireworks]] held a fireworks display that evening.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/05/23/nyregion/biggest-fireworks-show-planned-at-bridge.html|title=Biggest Fireworks Show Planned at Bridge|date=May 23, 1983|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 5, 2019}}</ref><ref name="nydn19830525" /> For the centennial, the [[Brooklyn Museum]] exhibited a selection of the original drawings made for the bridge's construction, including those by Washington Roebling.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/06/08/arts/brooklyn-bridge-show-on-view-into-september.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge Show On View Into September|date=June 8, 1983|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 5, 2019}}</ref> Media coverage of the centennial was declared "the public relations triumph of 1983" by ''[[Inc. (magazine)|Inc.]]''<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.inc.com/magazine/19831101/8676.html|title=Selling the Brooklyn Bridge|last=Hartman|first=Curtis|date=November 1, 1983|work=[[Inc. (magazine)|Inc.]]|access-date=January 9, 2012}}</ref>

The 125th anniversary of the bridge's opening was celebrated by a five-day event on May&nbsp;22–26, 2008, which included a live performance by the [[Brooklyn Philharmonic]], a special lighting of the bridge's towers, and a fireworks display.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2008/05/22/2008-05-22_brooklyn_bridge_turns_125_with_a_bang.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge Turns 125 with a Bang|last1=Burke|first1=Kerry|date=May 23, 2008|newspaper=New York Daily News|access-date=August 1, 2009|last2=Hutchinson|first2=Bill|archive-date=September 22, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080922162405/http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2008/05/22/2008-05-22_brooklyn_bridge_turns_125_with_a_bang.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Other events included a film series, historical walking tours, information tents, a series of lectures and readings, a bicycle tour of Brooklyn, a miniature golf course featuring Brooklyn icons, and other musical and dance performances.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ascemetsection.org/news-events/section-news/history-heritage-committee/121-brooklyn-bridge-125th-anniversary-celebration|title=Brooklyn Bridge 125th Anniversary Celebration|publisher=[[ASCE]] Metropolitan Section|access-date=November 12, 2016}}</ref> Just before the anniversary celebrations, artist [[Paul St George]] installed the [[Telectroscope]], a video link on the Brooklyn side of the bridge that connected to a matching device on London's [[Tower Bridge]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/21/arts/design/21tele.html|title=Telescope Takes a Long View, To London|last=Ryzik|first=Melena|date=May 21, 2008|newspaper=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=August 1, 2009}}</ref> A renovated pedestrian connection to [[Dumbo, Brooklyn]], was also reopened before the anniversary celebrations.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/21/welcome-to-dumbo-its-right-under-you/|title=This Way to Brooklyn, This Way|last=Farmer|first=Ann|date=May 21, 2008|newspaper=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=August 1, 2009}}</ref>

===Collisions===
{{see also|Cuauhtémoc Brooklyn Bridge collision}}
Over the years, numerous vessels have struck the bridge.<ref name="nyt-2025-05-18" /><ref name="Danner u188">{{cite web |last=Danner |first=Chas |date=May 18, 2025 |title=2 Dead After Mexican Navy Sailboat Hits Brooklyn Bridge: Updates |url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/ship-hits-brooklyn-bridge-cuauhtemoc-mexican-navy-live-updates.html |access-date=May 18, 2025 |website=Intelligencer}}</ref> In 1921, the steel mast of the schooner ''[[Edward J. Lawrence]]'' was bent while being towed under the bridge deck.<ref>{{Cite news|date=1921-02-04|title=Ship Bends Mast on Brooklyn Bridge|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1921/02/04/archives/ship-bends-mast-on-brooklyn-bridge.html|access-date=2025-05-18|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|postscript=none}}; {{Cite news|date=1921-02-04|title=Brooklyn Bridge Bends Ship's Wireless Mast|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-brooklyn-bridge-bends-ships/172650310/|access-date=2025-05-18|work=Times Union|pages=6|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> and in 1935, three of the four steel masts on the freighter ''Tirpitz'' hit the bridge deck.<ref>{{Cite news|date=1935-10-03|title=Masts of Freighter Hit Brooklyn Bridge; Captain of German Vessel Believes the Tide Was Abnormally High.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1935/10/03/archives/masts-of-freighter-hit-brooklyn-bridge-captain-of-german-vessel.html|access-date=2025-05-18|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|postscript=none}}; {{Cite news|date=1935-10-03|title=Ship's Masts Strike on Brooklyn Bridge|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-ships-masts-stri/172650434/|access-date=2025-05-18|work=Democrat and Chronicle|pages=7|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> Additionally, the radar of the freighter ''Hai Soo'' was destroyed in 1986 when it struck a net below the Brooklyn Bridge's deck.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Anderson|first1=Susan Heller|last2=Bird|first2=David|date=1986-04-11|title=New York Day by Day; Scraping By|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/11/nyregion/new-york-day-by-day-scraping-by.html|access-date=2025-05-18|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

The masts of the [[Mexican Navy]] training ship [[ARM Cuauhtémoc (BE01)|ARM ''Cuauhtémoc'']] [[Cuauhtémoc Brooklyn Bridge collision|smashed into the bridge deck on May 17, 2025]], with approximately 200 people on the ship.<ref name="Collision 2025-05-17">{{Cite web |last=Prussin |first=Mark |date=2025-05-17 |title=Brooklyn Bridge struck by Mexican navy training ship |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/brooklyn-bridge-incident/ |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=CBS News |language=en-US |postscript=none}}; {{cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/18/us/video/brooklyn-bridge-struck-mexican-navy-digvid |title=Brooklyn Bridge Struck by Mexican Navy Sailing Ship |publisher=CNN |date=May 18, 2025|access-date=2025-05-18}}</ref><ref name="AP-2025-05-17" /> The ship masts were at least {{Convert|20|ft}} higher than the Brooklyn Bridge's navigational clearance of {{convert|127|ft|m}}.<ref name="AP-2025-05-17">{{cite news |title=Mexican navy ship hits Brooklyn Bridge, injuring crew and damaging tall ship |url=https://apnews.com/article/mexican-navy-ship-cuauhtemoc-brooklyn-bridge-0d4821125f020fc0e0ad7ea11ea7a029 |work=Associated Press News |date=May 17, 2025 |access-date=May 17, 2025}}</ref><ref name="nyt-2025-05-18" /> Two persons were killed and 19 injured, but the structure of the bridge was undamaged.<ref name="nyt-2025-05-18" /><ref name="Collision 2025-05-17" />

== Impact ==
At the time of construction, contemporaries marveled at what technology was capable of, and the bridge became a symbol of the era's optimism. [[John Perry Barlow]] wrote in the late 20th century of the "literal and genuinely religious leap of faith" embodied in the bridge's construction, saying that the "Brooklyn Bridge required of its builders faith in their ability to control technology".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://w2.eff.org/Misc/Publications/John_Perry_Barlow/HTML/brooklyn_bridge.html |title=The View from the Brooklyn Bridge In Response to 'The Five Imperatives for Electronic Trade' |publisher=[[Electronic Frontier Foundation]] |date=March 21, 1995 |access-date=March 22, 2016 |first=John Perry |last=Barlow| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810205924/http://w2.eff.org/Misc/Publications/John_Perry_Barlow/HTML/brooklyn_bridge.html| archive-date=August 10, 2011| url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Historical designations and plaques===
{{multiple image
| align = right
| direction = horizontal
| total_width = 400
| header = Brooklyn Bridge plaques
| image1 = Brooklynbridge tablet 200907.jpg
| alt1 = A plaque at the Manhattan tower, which mentions the bridge's dedication and renovation
| caption1 = Dedication and renovation plaque, at Manhattan tower
| image2 = New York City 03.jpg
| caption2 = New York City designated landmark plaque
| alt2 = A plaque that certifies the Brooklyn Bridge as a New York City designated landmark
}}
The Brooklyn Bridge has been listed as a [[National Historic Landmark]] since January&nbsp;29, 1964,<ref name="nhlsum">{{cite web |url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=376&ResourceType=Structure |title=Brooklyn Bridge |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021128053708/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=376&ResourceType=Structure |archive-date=November 28, 2002 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=48 Sites Are Listed As U.S. Landmarks | website=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331 | date=January 30, 1964 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/01/30/archives/48-sites-are-listed-as-us-landmarks.html | access-date=June 18, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url={{NHLS url |id=66000523}}|title=The Brooklyn Bridge|last1=Armstrong|first1=James B.|last2=Bradford|first2=S. Sydney|date=February 24, 1975|work=National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination|publisher=[[National Park Service]]}}<br>{{cite web|url={{NHLS url |id=66000523 |photos=y}}|title=The Brooklyn Bridge—Accompanying three photos, from 1975|date=February 24, 1975|work=National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref> and was subsequently added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] on October&nbsp;15, 1966.<ref name="nris" /> The bridge has also been a [[New York City designated landmark]] since August&nbsp;24, 1967,<ref name="NYCL" /> and was designated a [[List of historic civil engineering landmarks|National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark]] in 1972.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ascemetsection.org/committees/history-and-heritage/landmarks/brooklyn-bridge|title=Brooklyn Bridge|publisher=[[American Society of Civil Engineers]] Metropolitan Section|access-date=November 12, 2016}}</ref> In addition, it was placed on [[UNESCO]]'s list of tentative [[World Heritage Site]]s in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6232/|title=Brooklyn Bridge|publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|date=October 11, 2017|access-date=June 8, 2019}}</ref>

A bronze plaque is attached to the Manhattan anchorage, which was constructed on the site of the [[Samuel Osgood House]] at 1&nbsp;Cherry Street in Manhattan. Named after [[Samuel Osgood]], a Massachusetts politician and lawyer, it was built in 1770 and served as the first U.S. presidential mansion.<ref>{{cite news |title=A Historic Home Marked |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1899/05/02/archives/a-historic-home-marked-tablet-unveiled-at-site-of-first.html |newspaper=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331 |date=May 2, 1899 |access-date=December 11, 2011}}</ref> The Osgood House was demolished in 1856.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nysun.com/new-york/piece-of-history-stands-hidden-on-brooklyn-bridge/35329/|title=A Piece of History Stands Hidden on Brooklyn Bridge|work=New York Sun|date=June 30, 2006|access-date=January 24, 2020}}</ref>

Another plaque on the Manhattan side of the pedestrian promenade, installed by the city in 1975, indicates the bridge's status as a city landmark.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/03/06/archives/a-city-plaque-extols-the-gossamer-beauty-of-the-brooklyn-bridge.html|title=A City Plaque Extols the Gossamer Beauty of the Brooklyn Bridge|date=March 6, 1975|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 5, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=George|last=James|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33567066/|title=Poets Caught in Span's Silky Web|date=March 19, 1975|work=New York Daily News|access-date=July 5, 2019|page=338|via=newspapers.com}}</ref>

===Culture===
The Brooklyn Bridge has had an impact on idiomatic [[American English]]. For example, references to "selling the Brooklyn Bridge" are frequent in American culture, sometimes presented as a historical reality but more often as an expression meaning an idea that strains credulity. [[George C. Parker]] and [[William McCloundy]] were two early 20th-century con men who may have perpetrated this scam successfully, particularly on new immigrants,<ref>{{cite news |title=For You, Half Price |first=Gabriel |last=Cohen |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/27/nyregion/thecity/27brid.html |newspaper=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331 |date=November 27, 2005 |access-date=February 20, 2010}}</ref> although the author of ''The Brooklyn Bridge: A Cultural History'' wrote, "No evidence exists that the bridge has ever been sold to a 'gullible outlander'".{{sfn|Haw|2005|p=145}}

[[File:Love locks of the Brooklyn Bridge.jpg|thumb|left|Love locks on the Brooklyn Bridge|alt="Love locks" on the Brooklyn Bridge. Couples inscribe a date and their initials onto a lock, attach it to the bridge, and throw the key into the water as a sign of their love.]]

As a tourist attraction, the Brooklyn Bridge is a popular site for clusters of [[love lock]]s, wherein a couple inscribes a date and their initials onto a lock, attach it to the bridge, and throw the key into the water as a sign of their love. The practice is illegal in New York City and the NYPD can give violators a $100 fine. NYCDOT workers periodically remove the love locks from the bridge at a cost of $100,000 per year.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/15/nyregion/brooklyn-bridge-lovelocks.html|title=Dear John: Brooklyn Bridge Discourages Token of Love, With a Smile|last=Nir|first=Sarah Maslin|date=November 14, 2016|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://ny.curbed.com/2016/10/8/13211344/brooklyn-bridge-love-locks-banned-new-york|title=Brooklyn Bridge Is No Place for 'Love Locks,' Says City Officials|last=Walker|first=Ameena|date=October 8, 2016|website=Curbed NY|access-date=July 4, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Mary|last=Frost|url=https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2016/10/07/love-locks-lost-on-brooklyn-bridge/|title='Love Locks' Lost, On Brooklyn Bridge|date=October 7, 2016|website=Brooklyn Eagle|access-date=July 4, 2019}}</ref>

To highlight the Brooklyn Bridge's cultural status, the city proposed building a Brooklyn Bridge museum near the bridge's Brooklyn end in the 1970s.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/08/20/archives/brooklyn-bridge-museum-is-planned-plaque-put-up-target-date-of-1976.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge Museum Is Planned|date=August 20, 1974|work=The New York Times|access-date=July 4, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Though the museum was ultimately not constructed, as many as 10,000 drawings and documents relating to it were found in a carpenter shop in Williamsburg in 1976.<ref name="nyt19760528">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/05/28/archives/refound-art-of-the-brooklyn-bridge.html|title=Refound Art of the Brooklyn Bridge|last=Goldberger|first=Paul|date=May 28, 1976|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019}}</ref> These documents were given to the [[New York City Municipal Archives]], where they are normally located,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/04/14/archives/archives-get-plans-of-brooklyn-bridge.html|title=Archives Get Plans Of Brooklyn Bridge|last=Goldberger|first=Paul|date=April 14, 1976|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019}}</ref> though a selection of them were displayed at the [[Whitney Museum of American Art (original building)|Whitney Museum of American Art]] when they were discovered.<ref name="nyt19760528" />

{{clear left}}

===Media===

The bridge is often featured in [[wide shot]]s of the [[New York City]] skyline in television and film and has been depicted in numerous works of art.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Kramer|first=Hilton|date=May 26, 1973|title=Art: Brooklyn Bridge Celebrated|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/05/26/archives/art-brooklyn-bridge-celebrated-90th-birthday-marked-at-schoelkopf.html|access-date=June 6, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Fictional works have used the Brooklyn Bridge as a setting; for instance, the dedication of a portion of the bridge, and the bridge itself, were key components in the 2001 film ''[[Kate & Leopold]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wilmington|first=Michael|title='Kate & Leopold': No Logic Needed When You Have Ryan|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2001-12-25-0112250015-story.html|access-date=August 25, 2020|website=Chicago Tribune|date=December 25, 2001 |language=en-US}}</ref> Furthermore, the Brooklyn Bridge has also served as an icon of America, with mentions in numerous songs, books, and poems.<ref name="McCullough pp. 548-549">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=548–549}}</ref> Among the most notable of these works is that of American [[Modernist literature|Modernist]] poet [[Hart Crane]], who used the Brooklyn Bridge as a central metaphor and organizing structure for his second book of poetry, ''[[The Bridge (long poem)|The Bridge]]'' (1930).<ref name="McCullough pp. 548-549" /><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/brooklynbridgefa0000trac|url-access=registration|quote=Hart Crane brooklyn bridge.|title=Brooklyn Bridge: Fact and Symbol|last=Trachtenberg|first=Alan|date=July 15, 1979|publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]]|isbn=9780226811154|language=en}}</ref>

The Brooklyn Bridge has also been lauded for its architecture. One of the first positive reviews was "The Bridge As A Monument", a ''[[Harper's Weekly]]'' piece written by architecture critic [[Montgomery Schuyler]] and published a week after the bridge's opening. In the piece, Schuyler wrote: "It so happens that the work which is likely to be our most durable monument, and to convey some knowledge of us to the most remote posterity, is a work of bare utility; not a shrine, not a fortress, not a palace, but a bridge."<ref>{{cite book|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015020054360&view=1up&seq=315|title=The Bridge As A Monument|publisher=Harper's Magazine Company|year=1883|page=326|via=HathiTrust|last1=Hapgood|first1=Norman|last2=Harvey|first2=George Brinton Mcclellan|last3=Bangs|first3=John Kendrick|last4=Nelson|first4=Henry Loomis|last5=Schurz|first5=Carl|last6=Davis|first6=Richard Harding|last7=Foord|first7=John|last8=Schuyler|first8=Montgomery|last9=Conant|first9=Samuel Stillman|last10=Alden|first10=Henry Mills|last11=Curtis|first11=George William|last12=Bonner|first12=John}}</ref> Architecture critic [[Lewis Mumford]] cited the piece as the impetus for serious architectural criticism in the U.S.<ref name="McCullough pp. 548-549" /> He wrote that in the 1920s the bridge was a source of "joy and inspiration" in his childhood,<ref name="McCullough p. 550">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=550}}</ref> and that it was a profound influence in his adolescence.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Wojtowicz|first=Robert|year=1990|title=Lewis Mumford: The Architectural Critic as Historian|magazine=Studies in the History of Art|volume=35|pages=237–249|issn=0091-7338|jstor=42620520}}</ref> Later critics would regard the Brooklyn Bridge as a work of art, as opposed to an engineering feat or a means of transport.<ref name="McCullough p. 550" /> Not all critics appreciated the bridge, however. [[Henry James]], writing in the early 20th century, cited the bridge as an ominous symbol of the city's transformation into a "steel-souled machine room".<ref name="McCullough p. 550" /><ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Haw|2005|page=60}}</ref>

The construction of the Brooklyn Bridge is detailed in numerous media sources, including [[David McCullough]]'s 1972 book ''[[The Great Bridge (book)|The Great Bridge]]''<ref>For bibliographical information about the book, see {{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972}}</ref> and [[Ken Burns]]'s 1981 documentary ''[[Brooklyn Bridge (film)|Brooklyn Bridge]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/brooklyn-bridge/about/ |title=Why I Decided to Make ''Brooklyn Bridge'' |first=Ken |last=Burns |publisher=[[Public Broadcasting Service]] |access-date=February 20, 2010}}</ref> It is also described in ''[[Seven Wonders of the Industrial World]]'', a [[BBC]] docudrama series with an accompanying book,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00x9pjq|title=Seven Wonders of the Industrial World, The Brooklyn Bridge|date=September 11, 2003|publisher=BBC|access-date=December 28, 2019}}</ref> as well as ''Chief Engineer: Washington Roebling, The Man Who Built the Brooklyn Bridge'', a biography published in 2017.<ref>For bibliographical information about the book, see {{harvnb|ps=.|Wagner|2017}} For some reviews of this book, see:
* {{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/08/books/review/erica-wagner-chief-engineer-washington-roebling-biography.html|title=The Personal and Political Struggles of the Man Who Built the Brooklyn Bridge|last=Alexiou|first=Joseph|date=August 8, 2017|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 28, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}
* {{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/jun/18/chief-engineer-the-man-who-built-the-brooklyn-bridge-erica-wagner-review|title=Chief Engineer: The Man Who Built the Brooklyn Bridge review – in praise of New York's master builder|last=Glover|first=Julian|date=June 18, 2017|work=[[The Observer]]|access-date=December 28, 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0029-7712}}</ref>

{{Wide image|Brooklyn Bridge und Lower Manhattan.jpg|1000px|The Brooklyn Bridge with [[Manhattan]] in the background, seen at daytime from Brooklyn in 2017|alt=The Brooklyn Bridge with Manhattan in the background, seen at daytime from Brooklyn in 2017}}
{{Wide image|Pont de Brooklyn de nuit - Octobre 2008 edit.jpg|1000px|The same view at night in 2008|alt=The Brooklyn Bridge with Manhattan in the background, seen at night in 2008}}
{{comparison_of_notable_bridges.svg}}

== See also ==
* [[Brooklyn Bridge Park]]
* [[Brooklyn Bridge trolleys]]
* [[List of bridges and tunnels in New York City]]
* [[List of bridges and tunnels on the National Register of Historic Places in New York]]
* [[List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in New York]]
* [[List of National Historic Landmarks in New York City]]
* [[List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan below 14th Street]]
* [[List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Brooklyn]]
* [[List of tallest structures built before the 20th century]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan below 14th Street]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Brooklyn]]

==References==

=== Notes ===
{{notelist}}

=== Citations ===
{{reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book |last=Barnes |first=A. C. |title=The New York and Brooklyn Bridge ... |publisher=Fisher |series=American architectural books : based on the Henry-Russell Hitchcock bibliography |year=1883 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EpsOAAAAYAAJ&pg=PP28}}
* {{cite book | last=Cudahy | first=Brian J. | title=How We Got to Coney Island | publisher=Fordham University Press | year=2009 | isbn=978-0-8232-2211-7 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cJGUDwAAQBAJ }}
* {{Cite web |url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/brooklyn-bridge-promenade.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910022902/http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/brooklyn-bridge-promenade.pdf |archive-date=September 10, 2016 |url-status=live |title=Brooklyn Bridge Promenade |date=August 2016 |website=nyc.gov |publisher=New York City Department of Transportation |ref={{harvid|Brooklyn Bridge Promenade|2016}}}}
* {{Cite web |url=https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/brooklyn-bridge-recommendation-report-dec2017.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201080046/https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/brooklyn-bridge-recommendation-report-dec2017.pdf |archive-date=December 1, 2018 |url-status=live |title=Brooklyn Bridge Promenade Recommendation Report |date=December 2017 |website=nyc.gov |publisher=New York City Department of Transportation |ref={{harvid|Brooklyn Bridge Promenade Recommendation Report|2016}}}}
* {{cite book |last=Cadbury |first=Deborah |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fj4k8IgvRJgC |title=Dreams of iron and steel : seven wonders of the Nineteenth Century, from the building of the London sewers to the Panama Canal |publisher=[[Harper Perennial|Perennial]] |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-00-716307-6 |oclc=57710987 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Haw |first=Richard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qwkexx6OATEC |title=The Brooklyn Bridge : a cultural history |publisher=[[Rutgers University Press]] |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-8135-3587-6 |oclc=56526458}}
* {{cite book |last=Haw |first=Richard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ySAK1ws5ALoC |title=Art of the Brooklyn Bridge : a visual history |publisher=[[Routledge]] |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-415-95386-3 |oclc=123391052 |ref=none}}
* {{Cite book |author-link=Abram Hewitt |last=Hewitt |first=Abram S. |orig-year=1937 |title=Selected writings, with Introduction by Nicholas Murray Butler |chapter=The Meaning of Brooklyn Bridge: Speech at the Opening of Brooklyn Bridge, May 24, 1883 |pages=295–311 |chapter-url=http://www.digifind-it.com/njhistoricalportal/data/ringwood//Selected%20Writings%20of%20Abram%20S.%20Hewitt.pdf#page=308 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181025030640/http://www.digifind-it.com/njhistoricalportal/data/ringwood/Selected%20Writings%20of%20Abram%20S.%20Hewitt.pdf |archive-date=October 25, 2018 |url-status=live |editor-last=Nevins |editor-first=Allan |date=1965 |publisher=Kennikat Press |oclc=264897 |ref={{harvid|Hewitt|1883}}}}
* {{cite book |last1=Kingsley |first1=William C. |last2=Low |first2=William Seth |last3=Edson |first3=Franklin |title=Opening Ceremonies of the New York and Brooklyn Bridge, May 24, 1883 |publisher=Press of the Brooklyn Eagle job printing Dept. |year=1883 |url=http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/28191 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=McCullough |first=David |author-link=David McCullough |year=1972 |title=The Great Bridge |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |isbn=978-0-671-21213-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bOM93rb22YEC}}
* {{cite magazine |last=Morris |first=John G. |title=The Wonderful Brooklyn Bridge |magazine=[[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]] |pages=565–579 |volume=163 |issue=5 |date=May 1983 |issn=0027-9358 |oclc=643483454 |ref=none}}
* {{cite web |title=National Register of Historic Inventory&nbsp;– Nomination Form For Federal Properties: The Brooklyn Bridge |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/763eefb2-3e0e-44e3-be5e-c7bdd9608e7b |publisher=[[United States Department of the Interior]], [[National Park Service]] |date=October 15, 1966 |ref={{harvid|National Park Service|1966}}}}
* {{cite book |last=Odlum |first=Catherine |author-link=Charlotte Odlum Smith |year=1885 |title=The Life and Times of Prof Robert Emmet Odlum |publisher=Gray & Clarkson |ref=none}}
* {{cite magazine |last=Small |first=Charles S. |year=1957 |title=The Railway of the New York and Brooklyn Bridge |magazine=The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin |issue=97 |pages=7–20 |issn=0033-8842 |jstor=43520182}}
* {{cite conference |last1=Stern |first1=John |last2=Wilson |first2=Carrie |title=The Brooklyn Bridge: A Study in Greatness |url=http://www.beautyofnyc.org/TheBrooklynBridge-fin.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203160513/http://www.beautyofnyc.org/TheBrooklynBridge-fin.pdf |archive-date=February 3, 2015 |url-status=live |publisher=Aesthetic Realism Looks at NYC |year=2003 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Strogatz |first=Steven H. |author-link=Steven Strogatz |year=2003 |title=Sync: The Emerging Science of Spontaneous Order |publisher=[[Hachette Books|Hyperion Books]] |isbn=978-0-7868-6844-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/syncemergingscie00stro}}
* {{cite magazine |last1=Strogatz |first1=Steven H. |last2=Abrams |first2=Daniel M. |last3=McRobie |first3=Allan |last4=Eckhardt |first4=Bruno |last5=Ott |first5=Edward |title=Theoretical mechanics: Crowd synchrony on the Millennium Bridge |doi=10.1038/438043a |magazine=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=438 |issue=7064 |pages=43–44 |year=2005 |pmid=16267545 |name-list-style=amp |bibcode=2005Natur.438...43S |s2cid=4427260 |ref=none}}
* {{cite web |url=https://www.aisc.org/globalassets/modern-steel/archives/2011/06/2011v06_brooklyn_bridge.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180106063751/https://www.aisc.org/globalassets/modern-steel/archives/2011/06/2011v06_brooklyn_bridge.pdf |archive-date=January 6, 2018 |url-status=live |title=The Brooklyn Bridge: First Steel-Wire Suspension Bridge |first=Jim |last=Talbot |work=Modern Steel Construction |date=June 2011}}
* {{cite book |last=Trachtenberg |first=Alan |author-link=Alan Trachtenberg |year=1965 |title=Brooklyn Bridge: Fact and Symbol |url=https://archive.org/details/brooklynbridgefa0000trac |url-access=registration |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |isbn=0-226-81115-8 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Wagner |first=Erica |author-link=Erica Wagner |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O5uZDgAAQBAJ |title=Chief engineer : Washington Roebling : the man who built the Brooklyn Bridge |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing]] |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-62040-051-7 |oclc=957022408}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/infrastructure/brooklyn-bridge.shtml Brooklyn Bridge]&nbsp;– New York City Department of Transportation
* {{structurae|id=20000011|name=Brooklyn Bridge}}
* {{HAER |survey=NY-18 |id=ny1234 |title=Brooklyn Bridge |photos=77 |color=8 |dwgs=1 |data=8 |cap=9}}
* [http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=20143 Brooklyn Bridge] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923095647/http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=20143 |date=September 23, 2017 }} at Historical Marker Database
* {{NYT topic|subjects/b/bridges_and_tunnels/brooklyn_bridge}}

Wikisource items:
* {{wsPSM2|Constructive Elements of the East River Bridge|23|July 1883}}
* {{wsPSM2|The Great Bridge and its Lessons|23|July 1883}}

{{subject bar|commons=Category:Brooklyn Bridge|Architecture|Engineering|National Register of Historic Places|New York City|Trains|Transport}}
{{Crossings navbox
|structure       = Crossings
|place           = [[East River]]
|bridge          = Brooklyn Bridge
|bridge signs    =
|upstream        = [[Manhattan Bridge]]
|upstream signs  = {{NYCS Manhattan Bridge|time=bullets}}
|downstream      = [[Cranberry Street Tunnel]]
|downstream signs = {{NYCS Eighth far south express|time=bullets}}
}}
{{LongestBridge
| type = suspension
| start = 1883
| end = 1903
| previous = Niagara Clifton Bridge
| current = Brooklyn Bridge
| next = Williamsburg Bridge
}}
{{NYC Bridge}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan}}
{{National Register of Historic Places listings in Brooklyn}}
{{Visitor attractions in New York City}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Brooklyn Bridge| ]]
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