Location: Bronx River north of the Westchester Avenue Bridge [satellite map]
Carries: 3 railroad tracks (Amtrak and CSX)
Design: Scherzer Rolling Lift (bascule)
Date opened: summer 1908

The name “Bronx River Bascules” is not an official one. In fact, these bridges do not seem to have ever been given a proper name. The New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, which constructed them, referred to them simply as “bridge number 3.40″ [1]. They cross the Bronx River just north of Westchester Avenue and were put into service in the summer of 1908.

The Harlem River Branch

The New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad began running passenger and freight service on their Harlem River Branch in 1868. Two jackknife drawbridges carried trains over the Bronx River at the present site until 1893, when they were replaced by a four-track swing bridge. In 1907, the swing was removed and two temporary jackknife drawbridges were put in place. Between 1908 and 1910 the Harlem River Branch was completely rebuilt to carry six tracks and run on electricity. New stations were also built along the route. The closest was the Westchester Avenue station, which stands in ruins today to the south of the bridges, local passenger service having been discontinued in the 1930s.

Construction

The bridge superstructure, as originally built by the Pennsylvania Steel Company, was made up of three parallel two-track spans with separate piers on each end, staggered to accommodate the curve of the Bronx River (see diagram). Since the channel is so narrow (about 100 feet wide), the type of bridge chosen was a bascule, which did not obstruct the waterway as the swing bridge had. The particular type of bascule is the Scherzer Rolling Lift, invented by William Scherzer in Chicago; they operate by rolling back into the open position, rather than turning on a fixed axle as in other bascule designs. Since the Harlem River Branch was being electrified, tall towers were put up to carry high voltage wires above the bridges while in the open possition. Each leaf of the bridge was powered by two Westinghouse 25 horsepower, 550 volt direct current motors. All three leaves could be raised simultaneously in about a minute, and as a backup could be opened manually with a chain, though it was never necessary to do so.

Growth & Decline

About 200 trains passed over the bridges daily during their first years of operation; on average they opened 5 times a day during the winter and 12 times a day throughout the rest of the year [2]. With the opening of the Hell Gate Bridge by the New York Connecting Railroad in 1917, the Harlem River Branch became part of a much larger through route accommodating trains traveling from Penn Station to Boston. Over the years rail service declined, as did use of the Bronx River by boats requiring bridge lifts for passage. At some point, the tower containing the operating machinery and one two-track span were removed. The bridges now have only three tracks: one used by CSX for freight and two carrying Amtrak passenger trains on the Northeast Corridor Line.

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References

1907, March 22. Some Recent Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridges. The Railway Age 43 (12): 516.

1908, January 4. Temporary Jackknife Drawbridge over Bronx River on New York, New Haven & Hartford R.R. The Engineering Record 57 (1): 13-15.

1909, April 3. Different Erection Methods for Scherzer Lift Spans. The Engineering Record 59 (14): 413-414.

[1] 1912, January. Lift Bridges on the New Haven Railroad. The Electric Journal 9 (1): 241-246.

[2] 1913, March. Successful Motor-Operated Railroad Lift Bridges. The Railway World 57 (3) 220-221.

2002. Brennan, Joseph. Bronx Railroad Stations: Harlem River Line. Retrieved from http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/abandoned/bronx.html

Crosses: Bronx River, Harlem and New Haven Metro-North tracks
Connects: Woodlawn and Wakefield, The Bronx [satellite map]
Carries: 4 vehicular lanes, 2 pedestrian sidewalks
Design: supported deck arch
Date opened: April 23, 1931

The East 238th Street Bridge is a concrete arch viaduct crossing the Bronx River and the Harlem and New Haven lines of Metro-North, connecting the Bronx neighborhoods of Wakefield and Woodlawn. On today’s maps, East 238th Street is called McLean Avenue in Woodlawn and Nereid Avenue in Wakefield.

Proposals and Delays

A bridge at either East 241st Street or East 238th Street was first proposed by the Public Service Commission in 1915, to eliminate a grade crossing of the New York Central and New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroads. The railroads, not wanting to foot the bill but under obligation to pay for grade eliminations, argued that since the proposed bridge would also cross the Bronx River, the Public Service Commission had no jurisdiction and the matter would have to be resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court. Arguments also persisted as to the location. In August of 1918, a crossing at 238th Street was approved by Commissioner Charles Bulkley Hubell, who found that the Public Service Commission did in fact have jurisdiction over the Bronx River and any bridge to be built there. The Bronx Parkway Commission put forth their opinions on aesthetics in the same year, stating that a bridge at either location needed to be a reinforced concrete arched viaduct, as a steel structure would “mar the beauty of the Parkway” (1918, p. 30). Still, no conclusions were reached.

On August 8, 1925, the Transit Commission ordered the railroads to build the bridge at East 238th Street, with the City of New York paying for the portions that did not cross the railroad tracks. However, the railroads continued to resist. An agreement was finally reached on February 2, 1927: the railroads would build two vehicular bridges at East 238th and East 241st Streets, with work on East 238th Street to start immediately.

“Immediately” turned out to be over two years later. Ground was broken by Mayor Walker on June 27, 1929. At the ceremony he talked about the importance of making Yonkers and Westchester County more easily accessible to vehicular traffic.

Construction

The Corbetta Concrete Corporation began construction on July 1, 1929. Corbetta used a 600-foot conveyor belt to place the structural concrete for the viaduct. This was the first successful use of the method, one that grew in popularity thereafter. The viaduct was originally estimated to cost $1,000,000, but wound up costing only $781,200. The completed bridge consists of ten arches built of 92,000 tons of material, is 822 feet long and 80 feet wide, and carries four vehicular lanes and a sidewalk on either side.

Opening

Albert Goldman, Commissioner of Plant and Structures, presided over the opening ceremony on April 23, 1931. A ribbon in the center of the viaduct was cut by Marion Corbetta, the eight-year-old daughter of Roger H. Corbetta, co-owner of the Corbetta Concrete Corporation. Ground-breaker Mayor Walker was unable to attend the ceremony.

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References

1918, February 10. To Bridge Bronx River: Service Commission Makes Order for Viaduct. The New York Times, p.30. (ProQuest Document ID: 102667320).

1918, August 11. Bronx Valley Viaduct: To be Erected from Wakefield to Woodlawn Heights. The New York Times, p. 27. (ProQuest Document ID: 97016339).

1919. New York (State). Report of the Bronx Parkway Commission … December 31, 1918. Albany: J.B. Lyon Co.

1922. New York (State). State of New York Transit Commission … First Annual Report (April 25, 1921 – December 31, 1921). Albany: J.B. Lyon Co.

1925, April 9. New Order to Build Bronx River Bridge: Transit Board Directs New Haven and Central to Start 238th Street Viaduct. The New York Times, p. 25. (ProQuest Document ID: 104170545).

1927, February 3. Railroads to Build Two Bronx Bridges: Transit Commission Announces Work Will Start at Once on One at 238th Street. The New York Times, p. 23. (ProQuest Document ID: 118639402).

1929, June 8. Three Mayors See Bronx Bridge Begun: Walker Turns Soil for Motor Span Over the Bronx River Parkway at 238th Street. The New York Times, p. 36. (ProQuest Document ID: 95968061).

1931, April 24. Walker is Praised at Bridge Opening: His Administration Called One of Progress by Republicans at Bronx Viaduct Ceremony. The New York Times, p. 17. (ProQuest Document ID: 102229537).

1975, September 1. Placing Concrete With Belt Conveyors. American Concrete Institute Journal Proceedings 72 (9): 475.

The East 174th Street Bridge carries four lanes of vehicular traffic and two pedestrian sidewalks across the Bronx River and the railroad tracks of Amtrak and CSX in the West Farms section of the Bronx. It has a total length of 589 feet, with a main through truss span of 190 feet, and has a vertical clearance of 30.5 feet.

A bridge across the Bronx River at East 174th Street was in demand for years before it was built. In 1910, six tracks ran just east of the river, operated by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. That year, the railroad agreed to build bridges over all street crossings. A span was erected at East 174th Street, but only over the tracks. In subsequent years the New York, Westchester and Boston Railway also began using the tracks. Disputes between the railroads and the city over who should pay for the rest of the bridge ensued, and no river crossing or approaches to it were built. By 1918, the finishing of the bridge was considered long overdue, and Bronx property owners requested that the Public Service Commission build the bridge.

By 1925, due to efforts by the Bronx Board of Trade, a proposal for the bridge had been accepted, and plots of land around it started to be bought up. In January 1927, the Board of Estimate finally appropriated $340,000 for the construction of the bridge. Ground was broken on June 20, 1927 by Albert Goldman, Chairman of the Department of Plant and Structures. Bronx Borough President Henry Bruckner and Bronx Board of Trade President John M. Haffen were also there. The bridge opened a month ahead of schedule with a ceremony headed by Mayor Walker on June 15, 1928.

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References

1918, May 19. Demand for Bronx Bridge. The New York Times.

1925, December 23. Bronx River Plots Feature Market: Brokers Report Activity Along Approach of Proposed Bridge. The New York Times, 34.

1927, June 19. Begin Bridge Tomorrow: City Officials to See Ground Broken for Bronx River Span. The New York Times, E9.

1927, June 21. Break Ground on Site for New Bronx Bridge. The New York Times, 42.

1928, June 16. New Bridge Opened Over Bronx River. The New York Times.