Brooklyn Bridge celebrates its 140th anniversary

The Brooklyn Bridge – A symbol of New York’s ability to strive for great things

The Brooklyn Bridge connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River. Popularly referred to as ’the eight wonder of the world’ this world-famous bridge celebrates its 140th anniversary this year.

It is estimated that over 140,000 vehicles and over 10,000 pedestrians make the crossing every day.

After 14 years of construction, the bridge was inaugurated in 1883

Designed by John A. Roebling, the Brooklyn Bridge was the world’s longest suspension bridge at the time. Among the many innovations in Roebling’s design was the use of steel wire ropes. It was a mammoth engineering and construction project for the late 1800s and the cost landed at 15 million dollars.

The main span reaches 1,595.5 feet across the river and the bridge’s total length, including approaches is more than 6,000 feet. On its inauguration the piers towered over the existing skylines on either side of the river and extended down 44 and 76 ft below the water on the Brooklyn and Manhattan sides.

First major steel wire rope suspension bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge was the world’s first major steel suspension bridge: the main cables, the suspenders, and the truss deck were all steel. The four 15.75 inches in diameter main cables, 3,578.5 ft in length, run from the anchorages on either side, over saddles on the pier tops, and swoop in a catenary to the level of the deck below. The deck is an 85-ft wide stiff steel truss suspended from the four cables by vertical and diagonal steel wire ropes.

Talurit® products were used during the bridge’s renovations

Engineered and built for the ages, the Brooklyn Bridge has nevertheless undergone several
renovations and reconfigurations. Between 1944 and 1954 for example, a comprehensive reconstruction took place. The inner and outer trusses were strengthened, new horizontal stays were installed between the four main cables, the railroad and trolley tracks were removed, the roadways were widened from two lanes to three lanes, and new approach ramps were constructed.

Talurit Group are proud to have manufactured and supplied bridge fittings (special inserts) for the pre-millennium rehabilitation of the wire ropes in the main cables.

The masterwork of John A. Roebling