The Hell Gate Bridge (originally the New York Connecting Railroad Bridge or The East River Arch Bridge) is a 1,017-foot (310 m) steel through arch railroad bridge between Astoria in the borough of Queens, Randall's/Wards Island (which are now joined into one island and are politically part of Manhattan), and The Bronx in New York City, over a portion of the East River known as Hell Gate.
The Hell Gate Bridge runs parallel to the Queens span of the RFK-Triborough Bridge, which connects Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan, and drivers can see the length of the bridge just east of the roadway.
The great arch bridge is the largest of three bridges, along with more than 17,000 feet (3.2 mi; 5.2 km) long of approach spans and viaducts, that form the Hell Gate complex. An inverted bowstring truss bridge with four 300-foot (91.4 m) spans crosses the Little Hell Gate (now filled in); and a 350-foot (106.7 m) fixed truss bridge crosses the Bronx Kill (now narrowed by fill).
This bridge was the inspiration for the design of Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia which is about 60% bigger.
Read more about Hell Gate Bridge: History
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““. . . Me miserable! which way shall I fly
Infinite wrath and infinite despair?
Which way I fly is Hell; myself am Hell;
And, in the lowest deep, a lower deep
Still threat’ning to devour me opens wide,
To which the Hell I suffer seems a Heaven.”
—John Milton (1608–1674)
“The sucking milk from this our body sends through
jolts of light; the son, the father,
sharing mother’s joy
That brings a softness to the flower of the awesome
open curling lotus gate I cup and kiss”
—Gary Snyder (b. 1930)
“In bridge clubs and in councils of state, the passions are the same.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)