World's Largest Bridge.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 29 May 1914, Page 2

World's Largest Bridge.

The steel arch bridge over the 'Hell Gate in the northern part of New York city will be with its viaducts, the largest bridge in the world. Its construction has only recently been begun, but preparatiops for it have been in progress for seven years. It is expected 'that trains will run over it in less than four years. The bridge and viaducts will measure ' 15,840 ft. in length. The Tay Bridge in Scotland is 10,780 ft. and the .famous Forth Bridge 9000 ft. The Hell Gate Bridge will form a part of the so-called connecting railroad, which, though only ten miles in length, will cost about £.6,000,000, out of which the cost of the Hell Gate Bridge will probably ■be £1,200,000. The connecting railway, which joins the New Haven system with the Pennsylvania, begins: at the New Haven yards in the Bronx. It is carried on a viaduct to the Bronx Kill, which it will cross ly a lift bridge 300 ft. long. A; viaduct 2Gooft. long will ' bring the line to •JJttle Hell Gate, which will be crossed by a bridge, and a third ■>.-ariiict, which crosses Ward's Isla;;i;, will continue to the edge of Hc-iJ Gate, which will be spanned by the great bridge. The catastrophes of the Tay Briuae and the Quebec j3ridge are bornein mind by" all, competent entgineers,.and in the carefully-wrought >plans for the Hell Gate Bridge posj sible precaution has been taken to [.ensure its safety. It will be bujlt tstrong enough to support on its [four tracks at one time four lines of the heaviest modern locomotives. . Bret it is hardly within the bounds .of possibility that under the worst conditions of congestion it will ever be called upon to bear such a burden. About 400,000 cubic yards of concrete will be required for this bridge and 4000 tons of steel. Some pieces of steel w<ill weigh 100 tons apiece. The necessity for this bridge is very urgent. As Manhattan Island, on whvh the major portion of New York City is built, became more and more congested by rapidly-in-creasing population, the difficulty of transporting passengers and freight increased alarmingly, and it became essential to make the island practically a part of the mainland. The building of the Queensboro, the Williamsburg, and the Manhattan bridges, the subway tunnel to Brooklyn, the Hudson tubes to New Jersey, and the Pennsyl-

vania railway tunnels under the East and the North rivers, relic/ed the congestion tor local passer.ger Lraffie but gave no relief to the freight ; congestion. The Hell Gate Bridge : will provide for four Hues of ste-m railroads, two for passenger and ■ two for freight trains. When it '■ is completed it will be possible to ' travel without change of carriage ; from Quebec on the north to any '. of the southern or western cities in.] any part of the great Pennsylvania j .system; and Manhattan Island, instead of being an obstruction to the traveller, will become a- convenience. I Freight traffic to the island at present depends on ferries and' floats, and to a part at least of \ this traffic the building- of the Hell j Gate Bridge will bring- a very great . relief. Despite tiie great propor- ! tions and strength of Hell) Gate Bridge its architectural features have been so carefully plan- j ned that it gives the appearance of symmetry a:;d lightness. The bridge, of course, will be of steel ; the .abutments of the arch will be stone and concrete towers, which ivill divide the arch bridge proper from the steel viaduct' ap-" proaches. The base of the towers will be of granite, the upper portions of moulded concrete. The. design of the simple and massive towers harmonises with the design of the arch.