Roosevelt Island BridgeIt was known as the Welfare Island Bridge when it was first opened to traffic in 1955. The bridge is the only means of vehicular access to Roosevelt Island.
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To access the island by foot you have to cross the Queensboro Bridge over the island to Queens and then double back — about 1.6 miles. More direct access is via tram or subway.
There are several ways to get to Roosevelt Island. From Manhattan, you can take the Roosevelt Island Tramway, located at East 59th Street and Second Avenue, for $2.75 one way. If you're coming from Queens, you can drive or walk onto the island via the Roosevelt Island Bridge, or take the Q102 bus line.
Unlike The Brooklyn Bridge, the Queensboro Bridge has two levels and supports its weight with 5 cantilever posts. A cantilever is an anchored vertical post that can support two long arms that reach across each section of the bridge.
No one had built neighborhoods there before, so there were no racial or ethnic enclaves (yet), and every unit on the island was rented or sold through affordable-housing programs designed for low- and middle-income New Yorkers.
I generally advise people to walk from Manhattan to Brooklyn, not vice versa, though both are of course possible. The entrance to the bridge for pedestrians is just across the street from City Hall in Manhattan.
Not just for fans of FDR, Roosevelt Island has something for anyone looking for views of midtown, and the peace that comes from green spaces surrounded by water. If you are a fan of the man, make a pilgrimage to the tip of the island and Four Freedoms Park.
NYC DOT owns, operates, and maintains 789 bridges and tunnels throughout New York, including the Brooklyn, Ed Koch Queensboro, Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges, 24 movable bridges, and four tunnels. There are no tolls on bridges operated by NYC DOT.
The Department of Transportation is responsible for maintaining Toll-Free Bridges in New York City. Some of the toll-free bridges within the City include: Brooklyn Bridge. Ed Koch Queensboro (59th Street) Bridge.
Accessibility: This paved (asphalt, brick, and cement) trail is typically at least 5 feet wide. There are also unpaved side trails but it is possible to stay along the pavement around the island.
It was renamed Roosevelt Island (in honor of Franklin D. Roosevelt) in 1973. Roosevelt Island is owned by the city but was leased to the New York State Urban Development Corporation for 99 years in 1969. Most of the residential buildings on Roosevelt Island are rental buildings.