The Queensboro Bridge turns 100!
It's extremely rare you get to cross one of New York City's major bridges by foot using the main roadway, but early Sunday morning that's just what happened as the Queensboro Bridge turned a hardy 100!
The NYC Bridge Centennial Commission is in the midst of celebrating the completion dates of six major NYC bridges and holding events to honor the magnificent stories behind them. And boy does Master of Ceremonies, "Gridlock" Sam Schwartz, have a doozy for the Queensboro: touring the bridge with politicians back in the 1980s, he used a hammer to knock holes in its rusted beams to demonstrate its dire need of repair. As the B-52s might say: "Tin roof, RUSTED!"
Mayor Bloomberg was on hand at center span to reenact the ceremony from 1909 as marching bands played, vintage automobiles ferried borough presidents from their respective sides, and there was ample picture taking and handshakes. But the moment of the day had to be when Sam Schwartz unveiled a sign replica dating to the bridge's opening. If you didn't know already folks - the Queensboro Bridge once had a 10 cent toll for automobiles. Oh, where did we go wrong?
