The Bronx
Home on Cypress Avenue, prior to demolition. August 1931. Eugene de Salignac. Municipal Archives, City of New York.
The original 1916 plan for the Triborough Bridge placed the Bronx arm of the bridge at St. Ann’s Avenue and Southern Boulevard. The block was the southernmost tip of the New York mainland. At the time, the area was noted for its heavy industry and rail facilities. By 1927 the plan had shifted the Bronx terminal of the bridge a block east to Cypress Avenue and Southern Boulevard, which accommodated both vehicular traffic and planned rail improvements.
When the bridge opened in 1936, plans also included traffic connections in the form of an improved Bruckner Boulevard and Whitlock Avenue, as well as a future “westerly approach,” which later became the Major Deegan Expressway.
Excavation of Whitlock Avenue, October 24, 1934. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of MTA Bridges and Tunnels Special Archive
The Bronx span is notable for its convertible quality. Although the Bronx Kills was not navigable when the bridge was built, the bridge’s design allowed it to be retrofitted into a lift bridge in the future. Instead, several generations of fill have narrowed the waterway.
The ferryboat Chelsea on the East River, with Bronx railroad facilities in the background. August 1931. Eugene de Salignac. Municipal Archives, City of New York.
Plaza and ramps leading to the Bronx crossing. The Randall’s Island Junction and Queens crossing can be seen in the background. September 14, 1936. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of MTA Bridges and Tunnels Special Archive.
Completed ramps and approaches leading to the bridge’s Bronx span. Rodney McCay Morgan. Courtesy of MTA Bridges and Tunnels.