Uniting the Boroughs
The Triborough Bridge
A COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE MUNICIPAL ARCHIVES AND MTA Bridges and Tunnels
Aerial photograph of the modern bridge and surrounding areas, March 5, 2020. NearMap.
Uniting the Boroughs focuses on the story of the evolving design and construction of the bridge, and the work of civil engineer Othmar Ammann to redesign the structure, overcoming multiple engineering difficulties to open in July 1936, twenty years after its original conception. The exhibit uses original documents, photos and footage from the Municipal Archives and the Bridges and Tunnels’ Special Archive and includes a large model of the Triborough Bridge and surrounding areas commissioned in 1935. Uniting the Boroughs documents how the bridge contributed to the development of the city, including the history of Randalls and Wards Islands as parks.