NYC's Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge opened 60 years ago. Here's how it broke records and changed the city.
NEW YORK — Thursday marks exactly 60 years since the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge opened to much fanfare, connecting the borough of Staten Island to southern Brooklyn and permanently changing the fabric of New York City.
For six decades, the steel towers and swooping cables of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge have served as a symbol of connection and innovation.
Verrazzano-Narrows remains North America's longest suspension bridge
Construction on the Verrazzano began in 1959 and took five years to complete. The bridge's towers are farther apart at the top than at the base to compensate for the curvature of the Earth.
When it was opened in 1964, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. According to the MTA, it remains the longest suspension bridge in North America.
"One of the most unique features of the bridge is the design of the superstructure underneath the upper level. It's what allows the lower level to exist because, again, not a lot of bridges have that lower level," said Stuart Rankin, Vice President of Structural Engineering at WSP USA, the legacy company that designed the bridge.
Its most recent evaluation showed some signs of corrosion, so Rankin says there are plans to install a system to dehumidify the cables in an effort to extend their lifespan.
"Currently the TBTA has an engineering consultant doing the preliminary design for a main cable dehumidifier station system. Just next year, 2025, the plan is for that project to go to construction," he said.
The MTA says the bridge carried more than 80 million vehicles in 2023, making it one of the busiest in the New York metropolitan area.
Connecting Brooklyn to Staten Island
Sixty years ago, a ferry was the only thing that connected Brooklyn to Staten Island. That service between the two boroughs ended with the opening of the bridge.
In April, CBS News New York reported on a new effort from two city councilmembers to bring that ferry service back, so far to no avail.
"People live and work on both sides of the bridge and have family on both sides of the bridge, it's just a no-brainer," said Councilman Justin Brennan, who represents parts of southern Brooklyn.
Decades before the bridge was even a thought, there was another idea to connect the two boroughs. The city had long considered a tunnel running under the Narrows to connect Staten Island to the rest of the city by rail.
Despite part of it being built, it now sits abandoned somewhere under Owl's Head Park.
"Marvel of civil engineering"
Hobby photographer Dave Frieder is very passionate about bridges.
"It's sleek, has beautiful lines. It's massive," he said.
In the years before 9/11, the Queens native legally climbed and captured stunning images from nearly all the city's most famous bridges, including the Verrazzano, which he scaled at least five times. He even published a book with photos from his adventures climbing the city's bridges.
"It's an adrenaline rush because I love being up high. You get a great view. The average person just can't go up there. You look at this marvel of civil engineering. I mean, it wasn't just a bridge. It's an art form," Frieder said.
He knows nearly all its dimensions by heart and has an impressive collection of memorabilia.
"It's magnificent, very simple but it's beautiful," said Frieder.
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