Welcome to the Brooklyn Bridge!
We first share a brief history, from NYC DOT:
The Brooklyn Bridge was designed by John A. Roebling. Construction began in 1869 and was completed in 1883. At the time, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. The Brooklyn Bridge connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River.
Because of the elevation of the span above the East River and the relatively low-lying shores, the rest of the bridge, sloping down to ground level, extends quite far inland on both sides of the river.
Between 1944 and 1954, a comprehensive reconstruction took place. The inner and outer trusses were strengthened, new horizontal stays were installed between the four main cables, the railroad and trolley tracks were removed, the roadways were widened from two lanes to three lanes, and new approach ramps were constructed. Additional approach ramps to the FDR Drive were opened to traffic in 1969.
The Brooklyn Bridge was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964 and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1972. The bridge and multiple Manhattan and Brooklyn lots comprising the approaches were designated as NYC Landmarks in 1967. In recent decades, the structure has been refurbished to handle the traffic demands during its second century.
In September 2021, a two-way protected bike lane opened along the Brooklyn Bridge, repurposing one lane of vehicular traffic to accommodate the rise of cycling in NYC.
Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge was one of the first tourist-y things I did when I came to New York many years ago. I hope you enjoy the scenery and history on this bridge.
If you're walking from Manhattan to Brooklyn, these requirements go in 1-2-3 order across the bridge.
- At the Manhattan Tower is a plaque with a timeline of important events related to the Brooklyn Bridge. Who is shown crossing the East River in 1876? How did they do it?!
- Take a photo of yourself or a personal item at the Middle waypoint. Your face is not required to be in the photo. Please include this photo with your log entry.
- At the Brooklyn Tower, the plaque identifies some buildings in Manhattan visible from this vantage point. Can you spot three of them in the Manhattan skyline? Take note of 3 buildings you saw from here.
Either Message Center or email are OK for the answers to 1 and 3.
Thanks for visiting the Brooklyn Bridge!
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.