New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-22
ARCH
BRIDGE TO JOIN
EAST AND WEST
Pennsylvania's Structure,
Spanning He'll Gate,
Nears Completion.

While the military engineers OF Eu-
rope are directing their energies to
tearing down every bridge that might
strategy of war, the engineers of this
country are bringing near to compile
tion in the northern part of New York
City the greatest steel arch bridge in
the world as a part of the strategy of
peace. 1t is being built by the Penn
sylvania Railroad over He'll Gate and
will make it possible for the first time
for passenger trains TO run from Bos-
ton through the Long Island tunnels
into the Pennsylvania terminal and
thence to the South or West.
Another phase OF the campaign Of
commerce which the bridge will serve
will be to provide freight route from
New England to South Brooklyn so
that shipments can be loaded onto
floats and fcrried in trains to the New
Jersey terminals without increasing
the congestion of traffic in New York
City streets. This means "a great econ
omizing in the cost of handling and at
the same time an eXpediting of the
work of transfer.
The bridge, which is officially desig-
Railroad Bridge, reaches across He'll
Gate from Long Island to the Bronx.
Forty million pounds of steel have
been used in the great main span and
160, 100000 pounds will 60 into the i'm
structure is really only link in
huge chain of bridges ten miles long
and costing $30,OOO,OOO
n
first connects Long Island City and
Wards Island, the second Wards ISL
and and Randall's Island, and the third
Randall's Island and The Bronx. The
one from Long Island to Wards Island
is the greatest, and is specifically
called the He'll Gate bridge.
II is of the braced steel arch type.
Two huge steel spans 5000 feet long
support the deck, rising to a height of
500 feet above the water and holding
the deck AT a height of 140 feet, the
same elevation as the Brooklyn Bridge.
Some of the members alone in the
steel construction weigh 1875 tons,
making it the most massively con-
structed metal arch in the world
The distance between the towers is
1,017 feet. There are four of them
an they are 200 feet high They are
being moulded of concrete masonry
surmounting abutments of cyclopean
gray granite. The excavations, which
took months, extend down to bed
rock, in some places as deep as $50
feet. About 100000 cubic yards Of
masonry will go into the completed
structures. In the upper parts of the
towers there will be rooms for switch
control apparatus and other railroad
necessarieS.
Four lines of steam railroad tracks
are TO cross the bridge, two for freight
and two for passenger. and the posi-
BILE load which they represent has
made an unprecedented massiveness
of construction necessary. The tracks
are TO be embedded in stone ballast,
obviating the rumblng of the trains
as they cross, so that the lghtest
sleeper will not be awakened in his
Pullman.
While strength has been the prime
consideration. aesthetic considerations
have also entered In fact they caused
an entire alteration in the plans Of
the viaducts. As originally drafted
they were 10 be of solid steel, but as
this did not come up to the standard
of beauty set by the Municipal Art
Commission the plan was rejected and
the viaducts will be carried on series
of concrete arches.
The viaduct across Wards Island
will be $500 feet long. and will con-
meet the He'll Gate bridge with the one
crossing Little He'll Gate to RandalPs
Island. This will be a riveted truss
bridge. 1000 feet long. consisting Of
FIVE spans. The viaduct across Ran
dalTs Island will also be $500 feet
long. Connecting it with The Bronx
shore is a 300 foot bridge Of the lift
type. with stone pier in the centre.
The yiaduct IN The Bronx. at l42d