Bridges and Tunnels in New York City

There are three different government or public agencies that operate the many bridges and tunnels that link New York City to the surrounding boroughs and states. The New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) is responsible for state run bridges, The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA) is a constituency agency of the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) and is responsible for 7 bridges and 2 tunnels and The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey operates the major toll bridges and tunnels connecting New York and New Jersey.

• Visit www.panynj.gov for Toll Rates for George Washington Bridge, Goethals Bridge, Bayonne Bridge, Outerbridge Crossing, Lincoln Tunnel and Holland Tunnel.
• Visit www.mta.nyc.ny.us for Toll Rates for Verrazano Narrows Bridge, Triborough, Bronx-Whitestone, and Throgs Neck Bridges and Queens Midtown and Brooklyn-Battery Tunnels, Henry Hudson Bridge, Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial and Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridges.

TYPHint: Consider getting an E-Z Pass, if you will be using bridges and tunnels for any length of time. Do not get into an E-Z Pass lane unless you actually have one on your car. There is a stiff fine if you don't and the police are frequently stationed at these lanes. You can get an E-Z Pass by phone (call 1-800-333-8655) or online at the E-ZPass NY website.

Bridge length and tunnel length is basically the distance of the bridge span over water or the tunnel distance underground. "Vehicular"- for cars, buses and trucks. Toll - price for using the tunnel or bridge. Inbound - into the city or into Manhattan. Some bridges are free (Toll = free)

• Brooklyn Bridge. Live Webcam View. This landmark was the world's longest suspension bridge when it opened in 1883. Construction was begun by John Augustus Roebling and completed by his son Washington. It connects Brooklyn to Wall Street area. No charge. It has good pedestrian and bicycle paths and is great to walk across for wonderful views of the harbor. Toll = free.
• Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. (1.7 miles, 2.8 km) The longest continuous underwater vehicular tunnel in America, it connects Brooklyn to the Wall Street area. Toll = $4.50 each way.
• George Washington Bridge. (3,500 ft ,1066 m) Known as the "GWB," it connects the Bronx to Fort Lee, NJ. With eastbound traffic reaching nearly 50 million vehicles annually, it is one of the world's busiest bridges. Toll = $6.00 inbound from NJ to the Bronx.
• Holland Tunnel. (1.6 miles, 2.7 km) Built in 1927, it was the first trans-Hudson River vehicular tunnel. It connects Downtown Manhattan to Hoboken, NJ. Toll = $6.00 inbound to the city.
• Lincoln Tunnel. (1.4-1.6 miles, 2.3-2.7 km) Connecting Midtown Manhattan to Weehawken, NJ, it is the world's only three-tube underwater vehicular tunnel. Toll = $6.00 inbound to the city.
• Manhattan Bridge. Location.Pictures. (1,470 ft, 448m) The busiest of the lower East River crossings, it connects Brooklyn to Downtown Manhattan. Toll = free.
• Queensboro Bridge.Location. (1,182 ft, 360 m) Also known as the 59^th Street Bridge, it was immortalized by the Simon and Garfunkel hit "Feeling Groovy (the 59^th Street Bridge Song)". It connects Queens to Midtown Manhattan. Toll = free.
• Queens-Midtown Tunnel. (1.3 miles, 1,92 km) A product of Roosevelt's "New Deal," it opened in 1940 and connects Queens to Midtown Manhattan. Toll = $4.50 each way.
• Verrazzano Narrows Bridge. (4,260 ft, 1.3 km) This is the second longest suspension bridge in the world, this bridge, made famous in "Saturday Night Fever," connects Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn to Staten Island. No charge to Brooklyn, $9.00 to Staten Island. The route of the New York City marathon goes over this bridge.
• Williamsburg Bridge. Location.(1,600 ft, 488 m) Rumored to be inspired by French architect Eiffel, it opened in 1903 connecting Brooklyn to Downtown Manhattan. Toll = free.

• 145th Street Bridge. Connects 145th Street in Manhattan to 149th Street and River Avenue in the Bronx.
• 3rd Avenue Bridge. A great alternative to the Triborough Bridge, it connects North Manhattan to the South Bronx. No charge.
• Alexander Hamilton Bridge.Location. Connects the Manhattan Expressway to the Cross Bronx Expressway.
• Broadway Bridge. Connects Broadway past 220th Street in Manhattan to Broadway south of 225th Street in the Bronx.
• Bronx-Whitestone Bridge. Built for the New York World's Fair in 1939, it connects North Queens to the Bronx. $4.50 each way.
• Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge. Once a drawbridge to the Rockaway Peninsula, it was upgraded to a high-clearance fixed bridge in 1970. $2.25 each way.
• Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge. Named for the Brooklyn Dodgers' famous first baseman and Mets Manager, this bridge provides quick access to the Rockaway Peninsula. $2.25 each way.
• Henry Hudson Bridge.Click here for Location. Built near the site where Hudson anchored his ship the Half Moon, it connects North Manhattan to the Bronx. $2.25 each way. More info.
• High Bridge. This bridge is no longer open to traffic of any kind. It was, however, the first bridge to connect the island of Manhattan with the mainland, and though closed to traffic, continues to carry water from Upstate reservoirs.
• Macombs Dam Bridge. Connects 155th Street in Manhattan to 161st and Jerome Avenue in the Bronx.
• Madison Avenue Bridge. Connects 138th Street in Manhattan to whaddya know 138th Street in the Bronx.
• Throgs Neck Bridge. It connects many major highways in North Queens and the Bronx. $4.50 each way.
• Triborough Bridge. Click here for Location. Actually a complex of three bridges - it connects North Manhattan, North Queens and the Bronx. $4.50 each way.
• University Bridge. Connects 207th Street in Manhattan to Fordham Road in the Bronx. Pedestrians love this bridge.
• Washington Bridge. Connects 181st Street in Manhattan to Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard (University Avenue) and Edward L. Grant Highway in the Bronx.
• Willis Avenue Bridge. Connects 125th Street in Manhattan to Willis Avenue and Bruckner Boulevard in the Bronx.

BRIDGES TO NEW JERSEY

The PATH controlled bridges and tunnels are free if you're heading to NJ, but the cost is $4.50 if you head to New York. These bridges and tunnels are:

• Bayonne Bridge. One of the longest steel arch bridges in the world, it connects Port Richmond, Staten Island to Bayonne, NJ.
• George Washington Bridge. Known as the "GWB", it connects upper Manhattan at West 178th Street to Fort Lee, NJ. With eastbound traffic at nearly 50 million vehicles annually, it's one of the world's busiest bridges. $6 from NJ to the Bronx.
• Goethals Bridge. Named for George W. Goethals - builder of the Panama Canal - it connects Staten Island to Elizabeth, NJ. $6 from NJ to Staten Island.
• Holland Tunnel. Built in 1927, it was the first Hudson River vehicular tunnel. It connects Downtown Manhattan to Hoboken, NJ. $6 inbound to the city.
• Lincoln Tunnel. Connecting Midtown Manhattan to Weehawken, NJ, it is the world's only three-tube underwater vehicular tunnel facility. $6 inbound to the city.
• Outerbridge Crossing. Named for the first Chairman of the Port Authority, it links Perth Amboy, NJ with the Tottenville section of Staten Island. $6 from NJ to Staten Island.