The Marine Parkway–Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge (originally and often referred to as the Marine Parkway Bridge) is a vertical-lift bridge in New York City, New York, that crosses Rockaway Inlet. The bridge, which opened on July 3, 1937, connects the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens, with Flatbush Avenue, in turn providing access to Floyd Bennett Field, Belt Parkway, and the Marine Park neighborhood in Brooklyn. The bridge is designated as New York State Route 901B, an unsigned reference route.

The center span is long and is normally above the water, although it can be raised to a height of above water level. With its distinctive twin towers (which house the vertical-lift machinery), the bridge has become an iconic landmark and symbol of the Rockaways.

The bridge is owned by the City of New York and operated by the MTA Bridges and Tunnels, an affiliate agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The operation of this bridge includes the maintenance of the Marine Parkway from the toll plaza to Jacob Riis Park. Though a city-owned and operated bridge, it connects Floyd Bennett Field and Jacob Riis Park, which are both part of the National Park System's Gateway National Recreation Area. The assembly authorized the creation of the Marine Parkway Authority, which was tasked with developing the bridge, in March. Moses was named as the only member of the authority.

The Marine Parkway Bridge was to be constructed using Public Works Administration funds. In order to fund the bridge's construction the Marine Parkway Authority authorized the issuance of $6 million worth of bonds that would mature in 25 years. The bridge would also collect tolls from drivers to fund part of the rest of the costs. The Marine Parkway Bridge was developed in conjunction with other road infrastructure projects in New York City, such as the Triborough Bridge, Henry Hudson Parkway, Belt Parkway, and Grand Central Parkway. It would also be a part of a new greenbelt of parks that included Jacob Riis Park.

The bridge was to be built near Barren Island, an island on the Brooklyn side that housed 90 people from the former Barren Island community. In April 1936. The community was evicted so that the Marine Parkway Authority could place of landfill to build a landing for the bridge, The Marine Parkway Authority opened a bidding competition for the construction of the Marine Parkway Bridge in June 1936. Eight bids had been submitted by the time the bidding process was completed in October 1936. The crossing's principal designer was David B. Steinman, and Shortridge Hardesty as assistant designers, and Emil Praeger as Chief Engineer. The American Bridge Company ultimately ended up constructing the bridge

The Marine Parkway Bridge was supposed to be completed in two years, By January 1937, there was significant progress on the Marine Parkway Bridge's construction, as the main span had been floated into place on January 13. The last section of the bridge was installed on May 26, 1937, and the toll bridge opened on July 3, 1937. At the time, the span was the longest vertical-lift vehicular span in the world. Green Bus Lines extended its Rockaway route (the current Q35 bus) across the bridge to Flatbush on the day of the bridge's opening.

The bridge's opening spurred a wave of real-estate sales in Flatbush. However, it also increased the amount of vehicular traffic to the Rockaways, which already had a severe traffic congestion problem.thumb|From Riis Landing

Later years

The bridge saw 1.7 million vehicles in 1938, its first full year of operation. By 1940, the Marine Parkway Bridge had recorded 4 million crossings. Following the 1940 merger of the Marine Parkway Authority and Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, the operation of the bridge fell to the latter. On the bridge's 20th anniversary, The Wave of Long Island noted that 80 million vehicles had crossed the Marine Parkway Bridge since opening.

On April 4, 1978, the bridge connecting Brooklyn and Queens was renamed for Gil Hodges, the former championship-winning first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers who later won a World Series as the manager of the Queens-based New York Mets.

From 1999 to 2001, the bridge received a renovation. The four lanes were widened by placing the pedestrian walkway on the outside of the superstructure. The existing steel-grated roadway deck on the lift span was replaced with a new steel grating. A Jersey barrier was also installed to separate opposing traffic flows. In addition, the elevators and electrical systems in the two towers were replaced, and new variable message signs and traffic control devices were installed on the bridge, approach roadways, and toll plaza. The walkway on the bridge was closed temporarily so the roadway could be widened.

Part of the crash of American Airlines Flight 587 in 2001 was filmed from a tollbooth camera on this bridge.thumb|[[American Airlines Flight 587 (circled in white) is briefly seen in this video, moving downward with a white streak behind it. This video, released by the NTSB, was recorded by a toll-booth camera located on the bridge.]]

Description

thumb|Aerial view of the bridge in 2021

The Marine Parkway Bridge carries four motor traffic lanes, and a footpath on the western edge. Originally, the bridge only had two lanes – one in each direction.

When the bridge opened, passenger automobiles were charged a toll of 15 cents. When the Cross Bay Bridge was opened in 1939, the toll for passenger cars and motorcycles was lowered to 10 cents to match that of the Cross Bay Bridge. Tolls for all other vehicle classes remained as before. Since 1993, residents of the Rockaways have received discounts on tolls for the Marine Parkway Bridge and Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge. The tollbooths for the Marine Parkway Bridge were configured to collect tolls electronically from E-ZPass transponders in 1996.

Open-road cashless tolling began on April 30, 2017. The tollbooths were dismantled, and drivers are no longer able to pay cash at the bridge. Instead, cameras and E-ZPass readers are mounted on new overhead gantries manufactured by TransCore near where the booths were located. For E-ZPass users, sensors detect their transponders wirelessly. Another fatal accident on the bridge on July 14, 1963, killed two and injured seven.

On April 10, 1957, a gate for the Marine Parkway Bridge's drawbridge span was being lowered when it hit a bus, injuring four passengers.

On November 24, 2014, the bridge experienced a power failure while it was raised to let a boat pass. It remained stuck in the raised position for about six hours before technicians were able to lower it.

See also

  • List of reference routes in New York
  • Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge
  • Joseph P. Addabbo Memorial Bridge

References

  • Marine Parkway–Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge @ NYCROADS.com
  • Marine Parkway Bridge at bridgesnyc.com