Simplify the following text for a Grade 8 native English-speaking person.
Original: The Brooklyn Bridge , one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States , stretches 5,989 feet ( 1825 m ) over the East River connecting the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn .
Simplified: The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States . Completed in 1883 , it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River .