september-2018

46 / NEW YORK / Brooklyn Bridge
HIGHLIGHT / 47
Staying a
While
Built in 1883, the Brooklyn
Bridge is one of the oldest
roadway bridges in the US.
When construction began on this
suspension/cable-stay hybrid in 1869,
aerodynamics had not yet been used in
bridge-building, so many suspension
bridges of that era have either collapsed
or were eventually replaced. The Brooklyn
Bridge, however, has stood the test of
time because it was constructed to be six
times stronger than John A. Roebling –
who designed and built it – had thought
was necessary.
Made predominantly of limestone
and granite, the bridge cost US$15.5
million (almost US$394 million in today’s
money) to build, and connects Brooklyn
with Lower Manhattan. It carried horsedrawn
and rail traffic initially, with a
separate central section for pedestrians
and cyclists. Today the railway tracks
have been replaced by road, creating a
total of six lanes for cars only.
To help fund construction, large
underground vaults in the anchorages of
the Manhattan end of the bridge were
sold to wine sellers, who stored bottles of
wine and champagne in them; yet another
reason not to burn your bridges.
Kenya Airways will begin flying to JFK Airport
in New York from Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta
International Airport on 28 October.
text: Ben Clark image: Stocksy