Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge site features
Last updated on October 6, 2026The bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge and its approaches run for 1.83 kilometres between Brooklyn and Manhattan. The river section is centred on a 486-metre suspended span, with a granite tower near each shore. The towers rise about 84.4 metres above high water, while the deck clears the river by 41.2 metres at mid-span.
From either borough, the pedestrian route begins as a long incline. Masonry approach arches give way to open steelwork, and the walking surface rises above the traffic lanes. Ahead, each tower fills the route as two pointed arches divided by a central stone pier; beyond it, the second tower repeats the frame at a smaller apparent scale.
Four thick main cables pass over the tower tops in paired curves. Slender vertical rods fall from them to the deck, crossed by straight diagonal stays that fan outward from each tower. This mesh is densest near the stonework and opens toward the centre of the span, where water and skyline become more visible.
The wooden promenade follows the bridge’s centre line and averages about 4.9 metres wide, though several passages contract below 1.5 metres. Looking west, the Manhattan skyline rises behind the cable pattern; looking south opens a longer view toward New York Harbor. Traffic moves below, and bicycles occupy a protected roadway lane rather than the pedestrian deck.
Key highlights
Granite towers
. Two masonry pylons rise about 84.4 metres above high water. Paired pointed arches divide each tower, while sloping buttresses narrow as they climb and transfer the main-cable forces into the foundations.
Four main cables
. Each cable is about 40 centimetres in diameter and contains 5,434 parallel wires. They curve between anchorages and tower tops, carrying vertical suspenders and crossing the diagonal stays.
Elevated promenade
. The central footway rises above the vehicle deck and passes directly through the tower arches. Its changing width makes the towers, cable geometry, traffic and river visible in a continuous sequence.
Masonry approaches
. Long arcades carry the bridge down to low ground on both shores. Rounded Renaissance-style arches, rusticated walls and brick infill give these sections a different rhythm from the suspended span.
Roebling plaque
. The plaque honours John A. Roebling, Washington A. Roebling and Emily Warren Roebling. It is a small but important correction to an engineering story once told mainly through the two men.
Protected bicycle path
. A two-way cycle lane occupies a former vehicle lane on the roadway. Its creation removed most bicycle traffic from the elevated promenade and restored the upper route primarily to pedestrians.