Manhattan Bridge Turns 100

WNYC News | Jul 12, 2010

New York, NY —

The Manhattan Bridge celebrates its 100th birthday today with a marching band, fireworks and a re-enactment of the original walk across the bridge.

REPORTER: Just two decades ago, few would have bet on its longevity. When Sam Schwartz became a chief engineer at the city's transportation department, the Manhattan Bridge was cracking and suffering from corrosion, and it was partly closed for a while.

SCHWARTZ: We were really worried about this bridge. We weren't even thinking of his 100th birthday, we were just trying to get it to its 80th birthday.

REPORTER: The city injected more than 600 million dollars into reconstruction for the Manhattan Bridge. These days, between 4 and 5 hundred thousand people cross the bridge daily by vehicle, subway, foot or bicycle. That makes it the city's most heavily used thoroughfare.

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