WORLDS LARGEST BRIDGE.

Dunstan Times, Issue 2675, 21 July 1913, Page 8

WORLDS LARGEST BRIDGE.

BEING BUILT AT NEW YORK. i The steel arch bridge over tho Hell Gate in the northern part of New York City will be, with its viaducts, tho largest bridge in the world. Its construction lias only recently been begun, but preparations for it have boon in progress for seven years. It is expected that trains will run over it in Jess than four years. The bridge and viaducts will measure 15,840 ft m lengthy 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 tho so-called connecting railroad, which, though only 10 rnilos in length, will cost about £6,000,000, out of winch the cost of tho Hell Gate Bridge will probably ho £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 Hill, which it will cross b\ a lift bridge 300 ft long. A viaduct 2600 ft long will bring tho line to LittUs Hell Gate, which will he crossed by a bridge, and a third viaduct, which crosses Ward’s Island, will continue to the edge of Holl Gate, which will be spanned by tho great bridge. The catastrophes of the Tay Bridge and the Quebec Bridge are homo in mind by all competent engineers, and iu tlie carefully-wrought plans for the Hell G ato Bridge every possible precaution has been taken to ensure its safety. It will lie built strong enough to support on it© four tracks at one time four lines of tbo heaviest modern locomotives. But it is hardly within the bounds of possibility that under the worst conditions of congestion it will ever lie 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 will weigh 100 tons apiece. Tho necessity for this bridge is very urgent. As Manhattan Island, on which tho major portion of New York City is built, became more and more congested In - rapidly-increasing population, tho difficulty of transporting passengers and freight increased alarmingly. and it became essential to make tho_ island practically a part of the mainland. The building of tho Queonsboro, the Williamsburg, and, the Ma-Ur-hattan Bridges, the subway tunnel to Brooklyn, tbo Hudson tubes to New Jersey, and tho Pennsylvania railway tunnels under tho East and North Rivers, relieved tho congestion for local passenger traffic but gave no relief to the freight congestion. The Hell Gate Bridge will provide for four linos of steam railroads, two for passenger and two for freight trains. When it is completed it will bo possible to travel without change of carriage from Quebec on the north to any of the southern or western cities _in any part of tho great Pennsylvania system; and Manhattan Island, instead of being an obstruction to the traveller, will become a convenience.

Freight traffic to the island at present depends on ferries and floats, and to a part at least of tins traffic the building of the Hell Gate Bridge will bring a very great relief. Despite the great proportions and strength of Hell Gate Bridge its architectural features have been so carefully planned that it gives the appearance of symmetry and lightness. The bridge, of course, will bo of steel; the abutments of the arch will be stone and concrete towers, which will divide the arch bridge proper from the steel viaduct approaches. 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.