A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge ) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span , or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- or double-leafed.
6-818: The Pelham Bridge is a bascule bridge located in the New York City borough of the Bronx , just downstream of the railroad Pelham Bay Bridge . It carries Shore Road and a walkway along the downstream side, over the Hutchinson River . The bridge is operated and maintained by the New York City Department of Transportation . Crossing the mouth of the river, it is variously called Pelham Bay Bridge and Pelham Bridge. The BL45 to/from Eastchester in Westchester County as well as
12-571: A "Chicago" bascule) rotates around a large axle that raises the span(s). The Chicago bascule name derives from the location where it is widely used, and is a refinement by Joseph Strauss of the fixed-trunnion. The rolling lift trunnion (sometimes a "Scherzer" rolling lift), raises the span by rolling on a track resembling a rocking-chair base. The "Scherzer" rolling lift is a refinement patented in 1893 by American engineer William Donald Scherzer . The rarer Rall type combines rolling lift with longitudinal motion on trunnions when opening. It
18-453: The Bx29 , which operates between City Island and Co-op City , operates over this bridge. The Pelham Bridge opens for maritime traffic frequently; in 2014, it opened 724 times. The watercraft traffic under that bridge is greater than for any other drawbridge in the city. The first bridge at the site, a stone bridge built in 1815, was destroyed in a storm on April 12, 1816. Another bridge
24-537: The city $ 5,323.93. The bridge was completed on February 17, 1909. at a total cost of $ 605,274.06. The bridge was reconstructed in 1985. A celebration of the bridge's centennial took place on October 28, 2008. Bascule bridge The name comes from the French term for balance scale , which employs the same principle. Bascule bridges are the most common type of movable span because they open quickly and require relatively little energy to operate, while providing
30-425: The possibility for unlimited vertical clearance for marine traffic. Bascule bridges have been in use since ancient times, but until the adoption of steam power in the 1850s, very long, heavy spans could not be moved quickly enough for practical application. There are three types of bascule bridge and the counterweights to the span may be located above or below the bridge deck. The fixed- trunnion (sometimes
36-429: Was not built at the site for eighteen years. The current bridge replaced an older one that required constant, expensive maintenance. The new bridge was opened to traffic on October 15, 1908 before it was fully completed, in order to save costs on maintaining the old bridge. During construction, the water main for City Island and Pelham Bay Park had to be interrupted, so water was imported from New Rochelle , costing
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