New York City is home to many bridges and tunnels. Several agencies manage this network of crossings. The New York City Department of Transportation owns and operates almost 800. [1] The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, New York State Department of Transportation and Amtrak have many others.
Many of the city's major bridges and tunnels have broken or set records. Opened in 1927, the Holland Tunnel was the world's first mechanically ventilated underwater vehicular tunnel. The Brooklyn Bridge, Williamsburg Bridge, George Washington Bridge, and Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge were the world's longest suspension bridges when opened in 1883, [2] 1903, [3] 1931, [4] and 1964 [5] respectively. There are 789 bridges and tunnels in New York.
New York City's crossings date back to 1693, when its first bridge, known as the King's Bridge, was constructed over Spuyten Duyvil Creek between Manhattan and the Bronx, located in the present-day Kingsbridge neighborhood. The bridge, composed of stone abutments and a timber deck, was demolished in 1917. The oldest crossing still standing is High Bridge, built 1848 to carry the Croton Aqueduct from Manhattan to the Bronx over the Harlem River. [6] This bridge was built to carry water to the city as part of the Croton Aqueduct system.
Ten bridges and one tunnel serving the city have been awarded some level of landmark status. The Holland Tunnel was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1993 in recognition of its pioneering role as the first mechanically ventilated vehicular underwater tunnel, operating since 1927. The George Washington, High, Hell Gate, Queensboro, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Macombs Dam, Carroll Street, University Heights, and Washington Bridges have all received landmark status, as well. [6]
New York features bridges of many lengths and types, carrying vehicular, bicycle, pedestrian, and subway traffic. The George Washington Bridge, spanning the Hudson River between New York City and Fort Lee, New Jersey, is the world's busiest bridge in terms of vehicular traffic. [7] [8] The George Washington, Verrazzano-Narrows, and Brooklyn Bridges are noted for their architecture, while others are more well known for their functional importance, such as the Williamsburg Bridge with 8 vehicular lanes, 2 subway tracks, a bike lane, and pedestrian walkways.
From south to north:
Name | Opening year | Length | Carries | Comments | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
feet | meters | ||||
Brooklyn Bridge | 1883 | 5,988 | 1,825 | 5 lanes of roadway (2 Manhattan-bound, 3 Brooklyn-bound) | Oldest suspension bridge in NYC. Also oldest suspension/cable-stayed hybrid bridge. |
Manhattan Bridge | 1909 | 6,854 | 2,089 | 7 lanes of roadway and ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Double-decker bridge with 5 westbound lanes and 2 eastbound lanes. 3 of the westbound lanes and the subway are below the other 4 lanes. |
Williamsburg Bridge | 1903 | 7,308.0 | 2,227.48 | 8 lanes of roadway (4 in each direction) and ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
Queensboro Bridge | 1909 | 3,724 | 1,135 | 9 lanes of ![]() | Officially known as the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge. Also known as 59th Street Bridge. Reversible 4 lanes on the upper deck, and 2 westbound/3 eastbound lanes on the lower deck. |
Roosevelt Island Bridge | 1955 | 2,877.0 | 876.91 | 2 lanes of roadway (1 in each direction) | East channel only |
Triborough Bridge (Suspension Bridge) | 1936 | 2,790 | 850 | 8 lanes of ![]() | Officially known as the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge |
Hell Gate Bridge | 1916 | 1,020 | 310 | 3 rail tracks (2 of Northeast Corridor, 1 of New York Connecting Railroad) | |
Rikers Island Bridge | 1966 | 4,200.0 | 1,280.16 | 2 lanes of roadway | Only connects Rikers Island to Queens |
Bronx–Whitestone Bridge | 1939 | 3,770.0 | 1,149.10 | 6 lanes of ![]() | |
Throgs Neck Bridge | 1961 | 2,910.0 | 886.97 | 6 lanes of ![]() |
From south to north, east to west:
Name | Opening year | Length | Carries | Comments | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
feet | meters | ||||
Wards Island Bridge | 1951 | 937 | 285.6 | Pedestrians and bicycles only | |
Triborough Bridge (Vertical-Lift Bridge) | 1936 | 750 | 230 | 2 lanes of exit ramp from F.D.R. Drive | Officially known as the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge |
Willis Avenue Bridge | 1901 | 3,212 | 979 | 4 lanes of roadway | Northbound traffic only |
Third Avenue Bridge | 1898 | 2,800.0 | 853.44 | 5 lanes of roadway | Southbound traffic only |
Park Avenue Bridge | 1956 | 330 | 100 | 4 tracks of Metro-North | |
Madison Avenue Bridge | 1910 | 1,893 | 577 | 4 lanes of roadway | |
145th Street Bridge | 1905 | 1,604 | 489 | 4 lanes of roadway | |
Macombs Dam Bridge | 1895 | 2,539 | 774 | 4 lanes of roadway | |
High Bridge | 1848 | 2,000 | 600 | Pedestrian walkway and bicycle lanes | Oldest surviving bridge in New York City |
Alexander Hamilton Bridge | 1963 | 2,375 | 724 | 8 lanes of ![]() ![]() | |
Washington Bridge | 1888 | 2,375 | 723.9 | 6 lanes of roadway | |
University Heights Bridge | 1908 | 269 | 82 | 2 lanes of roadway | |
Broadway Bridge | 1962 | 558.0 | 170.08 | 4 lanes of Broadway/ ![]() ![]() | Also known as Harlem Ship Canal Bridge |
Henry Hudson Bridge | 1936 | 2,208 | 673 | 6 lanes of ![]() ![]() | Double-decked bridge |
Spuyten Duyvil Bridge | 1899 | 610 | 186 | 1 track of Empire Corridor | Swing bridge |
Name | Opening year | Length | Carries | Comments | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
feet | meters | ||||
George Washington Bridge | 1931 | 4,760.0 | 1,450.85 | 14 lanes of ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Double-deck, 8 lanes on upper level, 6 lanes on lower level. 7 lanes in each direction. |
Name | Opening year | Length | Carries | Comments | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
feet | meters | ||||
Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge | 1964 | 13,701 | 4,176 | 13 lanes of ![]() | Double-deck, 7 lanes on upper level; 3 in each direction and 1 reversible HOV 3+ lane. 6 lanes on lower level; three in each direction. |
Name | Opening year | Length | Carries | Comments | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
feet | meters | ||||
Kosciuszko Bridge | 2017, 2019 | 6,020 | 1,835 | 6 lanes of ![]() | Eastbound span opened in April 2017, and westbound span opened in August 2019. It replaces the original bridge |
Pulaski Bridge | 1954 | 2,820 | 860 | 6 lanes of McGuinness Boulevard | Drawbridge |
Greenpoint Avenue Bridge | 1987 [9] | 180 | 55 | 4 lanes of Greenpoint Avenue | a.k.a. J. J. Byrne Memorial Bridge Drawbridge |
Grand Street Bridge | 1903 [9] | 227 | 69.2 | 1 lane of Grand Avenue | Swing bridge; one-lane bridge |
Metropolitan Avenue Bridge | 1933 [9] | 111 | 33.8 | 4 lanes of Grand Street and Metropolitan Avenue | Drawbridge; Crosses English Kills, a tributary of Newtown Creek [9] |
Name | Opening year | Length | Carries | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bronx Kill | ||||
Robert F. Kennedy Bridge | 1936 | 1,610 feet (490 m) | 8 lanes of ![]() | Formerly known as the Triborough Bridge |
Hutchinson River (heading downriver) | ||||
Eastchester Bridge | 1926 | 0.4 miles | 4 lanes of Boston Road (![]() | |
I-95 bridge | 1961 | 5,280 feet | 6 lanes of ![]() | |
Hutchinson River Parkway Bridge | 1941 | 673 feet (205 m) | 6 lanes of ![]() | Drawbridge |
Pelham Bay Bridge | 1908 | 81 feet (25 m) | Northeast Corridor (Amtrak) | Also called Amtrak Pelham Bay Bridge |
Pelham Bridge | 1908 | 892 feet (272 m) | 4 lanes of Shore Road | Drawbridge |
Westchester Creek | ||||
Unionport Bridge | 1953 | 526 feet (160.3 m) | 7 lanes of ![]() ![]() | |
Bronx River | ||||
Eastern Boulevard Bridge | 1953 | 634 feet (193.2 m) | ![]() | Drawbridge |
Eastchester Bay | ||||
City Island Bridge | 1901 | 950 feet (290 m) | 3 lanes of City Island Avenue |
Name | Opening year | Length | Carries | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
Gowanus Canal | ||||
Union Street Bridge | 1905 [10] | 600 feet | 2 lanes of Union Street | Drawbridge |
Carroll Street Bridge | 1889 [10] | 300 feet | 2 lanes of Carroll Street | New York City Designated Landmark and one of four retractable bridges in the country [11] |
Third Street Bridge | 1905 [10] | 350 feet | Third Street | |
Ninth Street Bridge | 1999 [10] | 700 feet | Ninth Street | Vertical Lift Bridge |
Culver Viaduct | 1933 [12] | 0.6 miles | ![]() ![]() ![]() | passes over the Ninth Street Bridge, carrying 4 tracks, 2 express and 2 local |
Hamilton Avenue Bridge | 1942 [10] | 0.7 miles | Hamilton Avenue | passes under the Gowanus Expressway and carries four lanes of traffic in each direction |
Gowanus Expressway | 1941 [13] | 9 lanes of ![]() | ||
Mill Basin | ||||
Mill Basin Bridge | 2017 | 6 lanes of ![]() | The bridge has a combined bicycle and pedestrian pathway on the eastbound side of the bridge which carries the Jamaica Bay Greenway | |
Mill Basin Drawbridge (demolished) | 1940 | 825 ft | 6 lanes of ![]() | Twin-leaf bascule bridge; demolished in 2018 and replaced by Mill Basin Bridge |
Rockaway Inlet (Brooklyn and Queens) | ||||
Marine Parkway–Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge | 1937 | 1226 m | 4 lanes of Flatbush Avenue | also has a narrow combined bicycle and pedestrian path on the southbound side of the bridge |
Name | Opening year | Length | Carries | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dutch Kills | ||||
Borden Avenue Bridge | 1908 [9] | 100 feet | 2 lanes of Borden Avenue | One of four retractable bridges in the country [11] |
Hunters Point Avenue Bridge | 1910 [9] | 500 feet | Hunters Point Avenue | |
Cabin M Bridge | 1 track of the Montauk Cutoff | There is another abandoned track on the bridge | ||
DB Cabin Bridge | 1 track of the Montauk Branch | The bridge was originally built to carry three tracks | ||
Jamaica Bay | ||||
Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge | 1970 | 0.7 miles | 6 lanes Cross Bay Boulevard | |
Joseph P. Addabbo Memorial Bridge | 1971 | 0.7 miles | 6 lanes of Cross Bay Boulevard | |
North Channel Swing Bridge | ![]() | Not actually a movable bridge. Howard Beach to Broad Channel. | ||
Beach Channel Drawbridge | ![]() ![]() | Broad Channel to The Rockaways | ||
102nd Street Bridge | Connecting Hamilton Beach at Russell Street with Howard Beach, also known as "Lenihan's Bridge". | |||
Hawtree Creek Bridge | 163rd Avenue and 99th Street in Howard Beach across to Hamilton Beach at Rau Court and Davenport Court | Also known as "Joel Miele Sr. Bridge". | ||
Rockaway Inlet (Brooklyn and Queens) | ||||
Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge | 1937 | 1226 m | 4 lanes of Flatbush Avenue |
Name | Opening year | Length | Carries | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
Arthur Kill | ||||
Goethals Bridge | 2018 [14] [15] | 2225.04 m | 6 lanes of ![]() | Replaced the old Goethals Bridge (completed 1928); the two new spans are a cable-stayed design |
Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge | 1959 | 170.08 m | CSX and M&E rail lines | |
Outerbridge Crossing | 1928 | 3093 m | 4 lanes of ![]() ![]() | |
Kill Van Kull | ||||
Bayonne Bridge | 1931 | 1761.74 m | 4 lanes of ![]() ![]() | raised and rebuilt in 2019 |
Each of the tunnels that run underneath the East and Hudson Rivers were marvels of engineering when first constructed. The Holland Tunnel is the oldest of the vehicular tunnels, opening to great fanfare in 1927 as the first mechanically ventilated underwater tunnel. The Queens Midtown Tunnel was opened in 1940 to relieve the congestion on the city's bridges. Each of its tubes were designed 1.5 feet (0.46 m) wider than the Holland Tunnel in order to accommodate the wider cars of the period. When the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel opened in 1950, it was the longest continuous underwater vehicular tunnel in North America, a title it still holds. [16] The Lincoln Tunnel has three tubes linking midtown Manhattan to New Jersey, a configuration that provides the flexibility to provide four lanes in one direction during rush hours, or three lanes in both direction.
All four underwater road tunnels were built by Ole Singstad: the Holland Tunnel's original chief engineer Clifford Milburn Holland died, as did his successor, Milton H. Freeman, after which Singstad became chief engineer, finishing the Holland Tunnel and then building the remaining tunnels.
From south to north:
Name | Opening year | Length | Carries | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel | 1950 | 2,779 m (9,117 ft) | 4 lanes of ![]() | Officially known as the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel |
Joralemon Street Tunnel | 1908 | 2,709 m (8,888 ft) | ![]() ![]() | |
Montague Street Tunnel | 1920 | 2,136 m (7,009 ft) | ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
Clark Street Tunnel | 1919 | 1,800 m (5,900 ft) | ![]() ![]() | |
Cranberry Street Tunnel | 1933 | ![]() ![]() | ||
Rutgers Street Tunnel | 1936 | ![]() ![]() | ||
14th Street Tunnel | 1924 | ![]() | ||
East River Tunnels | 1910 | 1,204 m (3,949 ft) | part of the New York Tunnel Extension Amtrak and Long Island Rail Road (Northeast Corridor) | |
Queens–Midtown Tunnel | 1940 | 1,955 m (6,414 ft) | 4 lanes of ![]() | |
Steinway Tunnel | 1915 | ![]() ![]() | ||
53rd Street Tunnel | 1933 | ![]() ![]() | ||
60th Street Tunnel | 1920 | ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||
63rd Street Tunnel | 1989 | 960 m (3,140 ft) | Upper level: ![]() ![]() Lower level: LIRR to Grand Central Madison | |
Ravenswood Tunnel | 1892 | Electricity, natural gas, steam, and number 6 fuel oil | First tunnel under the East River and Roosevelt Island, between Big Allis power plant in Astoria and Upper East Side [17] [18] |
From south to north:
Name | Opening year | Length | Carries | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
Lexington Avenue Tunnel | 1918 | 391 m (1,283 ft) | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
149th Street Tunnel | 1905 | 195 m (641 ft) | ![]() | |
Concourse Tunnel | 1933 | ![]() ![]() |
From south to north:
Name | Opening year | Length | Carries | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
Downtown Hudson Tubes | 1909 | 1,720 m (5,650 ft) | Montgomery-Cortlandt Tunnels Port Authority Trans-Hudson | |
Holland Tunnel | 1927 | south tube: 2,551 m (8,371 ft) north tube: 2,608 m (8,558 ft) | 4 lanes of ![]() ![]() | |
Uptown Hudson Tubes | 1908 | 1,700 m (5,500 ft) | Hoboken-Morton Tunnels Port Authority Trans-Hudson | |
North River Tunnels | 1910 | 1,900 m (6,100 ft) | part of New York Tunnel Extension Amtrak and New Jersey Transit (Northeast Corridor) | |
Lincoln Tunnel | north tube: 1945 center tube: 1937 south tube: 1957 | south tube: 2,440 m (8,006 ft) center tube: 2,504 m (8,216 ft) north tube: 2,281 m (7,482 ft) | 6 lanes of ![]() ![]() |
Name | Opening year | Carries | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Greenpoint Tube | 1933 | ![]() |
![]() |
Brooklyn is a borough of New York City. Located on the westernmost end of Long Island, it is coextensive with Kings County in the U.S. state of New York. With 2,736,074 residents as of the 2020 United States census, Kings County is the most populous of the five boroughs of New York City and the most populous county in the State of New York. The population density of Brooklyn was 37,339.9 inhabitants per square mile (14,417.0/km2) in 2022, making it the second-most-densely-populated county in the United States, behind Manhattan, and it had the ninth-highest population of any county nationwide. Were Brooklyn still an independent city, it would be the fourth most populous in the U.S. after the rest of New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
The Holland Tunnel is a vehicular tunnel under the Hudson River that connects Hudson Square and Lower Manhattan in New York City in the east to Jersey City, New Jersey in the west. The tunnel is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and carries Interstate 78. The New Jersey side of the tunnel is the eastern terminus of New Jersey Route 139. The Holland Tunnel is one of three vehicular crossings between Manhattan and New Jersey; the two others are the Lincoln Tunnel and George Washington Bridge.
Route 139 is a state highway in Jersey City, New Jersey in the United States that heads east from the Pulaski Skyway over Tonnele Circle to the state line with New Jersey and New York in the Holland Tunnel, which is under the Hudson River, to New York City. The western portion of the route is a two-level highway that is charted by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) as two separate roadways: The 1.45-mile (2.33 km) lower roadway (Route 139) between U.S. Route 1/9 (US 1/9) over Tonnele Circle and Interstate 78 (I-78) at Jersey Avenue, and the 0.83-mile (1.34 km) upper roadway running from County Route 501 and ending where it joins the lower highway as part of the 12th Street Viaduct, which ends at Jersey Avenue. The lower roadway is listed on the federal and NJ state registers of historic places since 2005. The eastern 1.32 miles (2.12 km) of the route includes the Holland Tunnel approach that runs concurrent with Interstate 78 on the one-way pair of 12th Street eastbound and 14th Street westbound. Including the concurrency, the total length of Route 139 is 2.77 miles (4.46 km).
The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, also referred to as the Narrows Bridge, the Verrazzano Bridge, and simply the Verrazzano, is a suspension bridge connecting the New York City boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn. It spans the Narrows, a body of water linking the relatively enclosed New York Harbor with Lower New York Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. It is the only fixed crossing of the Narrows. The double-deck bridge carries 13 lanes of Interstate 278: seven on the upper level and six on the lower level. The span is named for Giovanni da Verrazzano, who in 1524 was the first European explorer to enter New York Harbor and the Hudson River.
Interstate 278 (I-278) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in New Jersey and New York in the United States. The road runs 35.62 miles (57.32 km) from US Route 1/9 (US 1/9) in Linden, New Jersey, northeast to the Bruckner Interchange in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The majority of I-278 is in New York City, where it serves as a partial beltway and passes through all five of the city's boroughs. I-278 follows several freeways, including the Union Freeway in Union County, New Jersey; the Staten Island Expressway (SIE) across Staten Island; the Gowanus Expressway in southern Brooklyn; the Brooklyn–Queens Expressway (BQE) across Northern Brooklyn and Queens; a small part of the Grand Central Parkway in Queens; and a part of the Bruckner Expressway in the Bronx. I-278 also crosses multiple bridges, including the Goethals, Verrazzano-Narrows, Kosciuszko, and Robert F. Kennedy bridges.
The Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel, officially the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel and commonly referred to as the Battery Tunnel or Battery Park Tunnel, is a tolled tunnel in New York City that connects Red Hook in Brooklyn with the Battery in Manhattan. The tunnel consists of twin tubes that each carry two traffic lanes under the mouth of the East River. Although it passes just offshore of Governors Island, the tunnel does not provide vehicular access to the island. With a length of 9,117 feet (2,779 m), it is the longest continuous underwater vehicular tunnel in North America.
The Queens–Midtown Tunnel is a vehicular tunnel under the East River in New York City, connecting the boroughs of Manhattan and Queens. The tunnel consists of a pair of tubes, each carrying two lanes. The west end of the tunnel is located on the East Side of Midtown Manhattan, while the east end of the tunnel is located in Long Island City in Queens. The tunnel carries Interstate 495 (I-495) for its entire length; I-495's western terminus is at the Manhattan portal of the tunnel.
The Pulaski Bridge in New York City connects Long Island City in Queens to Greenpoint in Brooklyn over Newtown Creek. It was named after Polish military commander and American Revolutionary War fighter Casimir Pulaski in homage to the large Polish-American population in Greenpoint. It connects 11th Street in Queens to McGuinness Boulevard in Brooklyn.
Ole Knutsen Singstad was a Norwegian-American civil engineer best known for his work on underwater vehicular tunnels in New York City. Singstad designed the ventilation system for the Holland Tunnel, which subsequently became commonly used in other automotive tunnels, and advanced the use of the immersed tube method of underwater vehicular tunnel building, a system of constructing the tunnels with prefabricated sections.
The transportation system of New York City is a network of complex infrastructural systems. New York City, being the most populous city in the United States, has a transportation system which includes one of the largest and busiest subway systems in the world; the world's first mechanically ventilated vehicular tunnel; and an aerial tramway. New York City is home to an extensive bus system in each of the five boroughs; citywide and Staten Island ferry systems; and numerous yellow taxis and boro taxis throughout the city. Private cars are less used compared to other cities in the rest of the United States.
The Alexander Hamilton Bridge is an eight-lane steel arch bridge that carries traffic over the Harlem River between the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx in New York City. The bridge connects the Trans-Manhattan Expressway in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan with the Cross Bronx Expressway as part of Interstate 95 and U.S. 1.
The Washington Bridge is a 2,375-foot (724 m)-long arch bridge over the Harlem River in New York City between the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. The crossing, opened in 1888, connects 181st Street and Amsterdam Avenue in Washington Heights, Manhattan, with University Avenue in Morris Heights, Bronx. It carries six lanes of traffic, as well as sidewalks on both sides. Ramps at either end of the bridge connect to the Trans-Manhattan Expressway and the Cross Bronx Expressway, and serves as a connector/highway to the highway itself.
The New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) is the agency of the government of New York City responsible for the management of much of New York City's transportation infrastructure. Ydanis Rodriguez is the Commissioner of the Department of Transportation, and was appointed by Mayor Eric Adams on January 1, 2022. Former Commissioners have included Polly Trottenberg, Janette Sadik-Khan, and Iris Weinshall. The NYCDOT has a training center in eastern Queens.
Interstate 78 (I-78) is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs from Union Township, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, to New York City. In the US state of New York, I-78 extends 1⁄2 mile (800 m). The entirety of I-78 consists of the Holland Tunnel, which crosses under the Hudson River from New Jersey and ends at an exit rotary in Lower Manhattan. The tunnel and its approaches are maintained by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ).
Transportation in New York is made up of some of the most extensive and one of the oldest transportation infrastructures in the country. Engineering difficulties because of the terrain of the State of New York and the unique issues of New York City brought on by urban crowding have had to be overcome since the state was young. Population expansion of the state generally followed the path of the early waterways, first the Hudson River and then the Erie Canal. Today, railroad lines and the New York State Thruway follow the same general route.
Grand Street and Grand Avenue are the respective names of a street which runs through the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, United States. Originating in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Grand Street runs roughly northeast until crossing Newtown Creek into Queens, whereupon Grand Street becomes Grand Avenue, continuing through Maspeth where it is a main shopping street, until reaching its northern end at Queens Boulevard in Elmhurst.
Transportation in New York City has ranged from strong Dutch authority in the 17th century, expansionism during the industrial era in the 19th century and half of the 20th century, to cronyism during the Robert Moses era. The shape of New York City's transportation system changed as the city did, and the result is an expansive modern-day system of industrial-era infrastructure. New York City, being the most populous city in the United States, has a transportation system which includes one of the largest subway systems in the world; the world's first mechanically ventilated vehicular tunnel; and an aerial tramway.
Nearly every major type of transportation serves Long Island, including three major airports, railroads and subways, and several major highways. The New York City Subway only serves the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. There are historic and modern bridges, recreational and commuter trails, and ferries, that connect the boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn to Manhattan, the south shore with Fire Island and Long Island's north shore and east end with the state of Connecticut.
The Staten Island Tunnel is an abandoned, incomplete railway and subway tunnel in Staten Island, New York City. It was intended to connect railways on Staten Island to the BMT Fourth Avenue Line of the New York City Subway, in Brooklyn, via a new crossing under the Narrows. Planned to extend 10,400 feet (3,200 m), the tunnel would have been among the world's longest at the time of its planning, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.