NYC DOT - The Bridges of the Gowanus Canal

Union Street Bridge

Carroll Street Bridge

Third Street Bridge

Ninth Street Bridge

Hamilton Avenue Bridge

Union Street Bridge

The Union Street Bridge is a double leaf Scherzer rolling lift bascule supporting Union Street over the Gowanus Canal in the borough of Brooklyn. The bridge has two vehicular traffic lanes, each approximately 17 feet wide, and two sidewalks, each 6 feet wide. Both traffic lanes carry eastbound traffic.

Union Street Bridge Facts

Bridge ID Number: 2-24027-0

Type: Bascule

Location: between Bond & Nevins Streets

Waterway: Gowanus Canal

Miles from Mouth: 2.1

Channels: 1

Total Cost: $85,206.85

Date Opened: March 4, 1905

Carroll Street Bridge

The Carroll Street Bridge is a retractile bridge crossing the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. The bridge, which was opened to traffic in 1889, supports a 17 foot wide roadway and two 4.5 foot sidewalks.

Carroll Street Bridge Facts

Bridge ID Number: 2-24026-0

Borough: Brooklyn

Type: Retractile

Location: between Bond & Nevins Streets

Waterway: Gowanus Canal

Miles from Mouth: 2.0

Channels: 1

Total Cost: $36,742.58

Date Opened: 1889

Third Street Bridge

The Third Street Bridge is a double-leaf Scherzer rolling lift bascule, supporting Third Street over the Gowanus Canal in the Borough of Brooklyn. It supports two vehicular traffic lanes, each approximately 16 feet wide, and two sidewalks, each six feet wide.

Initially constructed around 1905, the bridge was comprehensively rehabilitated in 1986. This included new mechanical and electrical equipment, and a partial structural rehabilitation.

Third Street Bridge Facts

Bridge ID Number: 2-24025-0

Type: Bascule

Location: between Bond Street & Third Avenue

Waterway: Gowanus Canal

Miles from Mouth: 1.8

Channels: 1

Total Cost: $188,397.05

Date Opened: Mar. 31, 1905

Ninth Street Bridge

This lift bridge replaced a bascule span that was in an advanced state of deterioration. The current structure provides an improved wider channel in the canal for unobstructed vessel passage. The bridge has state-of-the-art, electronically-controlled lifting machinery that should provide 50 years of reliable service. The bridge carries 3 lanes of traffic; 2 lanes westbound and 1 eastbound.

The bridge was under rehab from 1995 through September 1999.

Ninth Street Bridge Facts

Bridge ID Number: 2-24024-0

Type: Vertical Lift

Location: between Smith Street & Second Avenue

Waterway: Gowanus Canal

Miles from Mouth: 1.5

Channels: 1

Total Cost: $35,000,000.00

Date Opened: September 1, 1999

Hamilton Avenue Bridge

The Hamilton Avenue Bridge is a bascule bridge with two parallel leafs, one carrying the northbound roadway and the other carrying the southbound roadway. Most of the length of Hamilton Avenue runs below the elevated portion of the Gowanus Expressway, including the bridge. The bridge connects Smith Street and Second Avenue over the Gowanus Canal and is the first canal crossing north of the Gowanus Bay.

Reconstruction Project

DOT reconstructed the Hamilton Avenue Bridge in 2008-09, which was built in 1942. The new bridge features all-new mechanical and electrical operating systems, an improved fender system and navigation lighting for marine traffic, wider traffic lanes, and other improvements. The cost of the reconstruction was over $55 million.

Hamilton Avenue Bridge Facts

Bridge ID Number: 2-24023-1

Type: Bascule

Location: between Smith & 2nd Streets

Waterway: Gowanus Canal

Miles from Mouth: 1.2

Channels: 1

Total Cost: $1,910,500.00

Date Opened: August 27, 1942