152-934: The Throgs Neck Bridge is a suspension bridge in New York City , carrying six lanes of Interstate 295 (I-295) over the East River where it meets the Long Island Sound . The bridge connects the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx with the Bay Terrace section of Queens . Opened on January 11, 1961, it is the newest bridge across the East River and was built to relieve traffic on the Bronx–Whitestone Bridge , 2 miles (3.2 km) to
304-410: A cable-stayed bridge in which the deck is in compression. Cable-stayed bridges and suspension bridges may appear to be similar, but are quite different in principle and in their construction. In suspension bridges, large main cables (normally two) hang between the towers and are anchored at each end to the ground. The main cables, which are free to move on bearings in the towers, bear the load of
456-519: A $ 666,000 refurbishment in 1998, and a bicycle path and roller hockey rink were installed in 1999 at a cost of $ 1.2 million. After a June 2005 inspection of the Throgs Neck Bridge, damage was found on the approach viaducts. The damage was found to be more severe away from the median barrier. As a result, heavy trucks carrying over 40 tons were permitted to use the bridge only between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., when traffic
608-460: A 200 feet span (also termed Beose Bridge) was constructed near Sagar, India during 1828–1830 by Duncan Presgrave, Mint and Assay Master. The Clifton Suspension Bridge (designed in 1831, completed in 1864 with a 214 m central span), is similar to the Sagar bridge. It is one of the longest of the parabolic arc chain type. The current Marlow suspension bridge was designed by William Tierney Clark and
760-697: A 5-inch-thick (13 cm) deck, which consists of dozens of panels that lie directly above the trusses. The Throgs Neck Bridge was one of the few that were not part of the plans for the Belt Parkway around Queens and Brooklyn. Instead, the bridge was built along with the Clearview Expressway in Queens and the eastern part of the Cross Bronx Expressway in the Bronx. The Throgs Neck Bridge carries Interstate 295 (I-295). On
912-600: A blue-grey back, barred white underparts, and a black head. The peregrine is renowned for its speed. It can reach over 320 km/h (200 mph) during its characteristic hunting stoop (high-speed dive), making it the fastest animal on the planet. According to a National Geographic TV program, the highest measured speed of a peregrine falcon is 389 km/h (242 mph). As is typical for bird-eating (avivore) raptors, peregrine falcons are sexually dimorphic , with females being considerably larger than males. The peregrine's breeding range includes land regions from
1064-735: A body length of 34 to 58 cm (13–23 in) and a wingspan from 74 to 120 cm (29–47 in). The male and female have similar markings and plumage but, as with many birds of prey , the peregrine falcon displays marked sexual dimorphism in size, with the female measuring up to 30% larger than the male. Males weigh 330 to 1,000 g (12–35 oz) and the noticeably larger females weigh 700 to 1,500 g (25–53 oz). In most subspecies, males weigh less than 700 g (25 oz) and females weigh more than 800 g (28 oz), and cases of females weighing about 50% more than their male breeding mates are not uncommon. The standard linear measurements of peregrines are:
1216-549: A breeding territory, a pair may have several nesting ledges; the number used by a pair can vary from one or two up to seven in a 16-year period. The peregrine falcon nests in a scrape, normally on cliff edges. The female chooses a nest site, where she scrapes a shallow hollow in the loose soil, sand, gravel, or dead vegetation in which to lay eggs. No nest materials are added. Cliff nests are generally located under an overhang, on ledges with vegetation. South-facing sites are favoured. In some regions, as in parts of Australia and on
1368-492: A bridge has a tendency to collapse simply because of the gravitational forces acting on the materials of which the bridge is made. Live load refers to traffic that moves across the bridge as well as normal environmental factors such as changes in temperature, precipitation, and winds. Dynamic load refers to environmental factors that go beyond normal weather conditions, factors such as sudden gusts of wind and earthquakes. All three factors must be taken into consideration when building
1520-468: A bridge. Silver Bridge (USA) was an eyebar chain highway bridge, built in 1928, that collapsed in late 1967, killing forty-six people. The bridge had a low-redundancy design that was difficult to inspect. The collapse inspired legislation to ensure that older bridges were regularly inspected and maintained. Following the collapse a bridge of similar design was immediately closed and eventually demolished. A second similarly-designed bridge had been built with
1672-788: A bridge. The principles of suspension used on a large scale also appear in contexts less dramatic than road or rail bridges. Light cable suspension may prove less expensive and seem more elegant for a cycle or footbridge than strong girder supports. An example of this is the Nescio Bridge in the Netherlands, and the Roebling designed 1904 Riegelsville suspension pedestrian bridge across the Delaware River in Pennsylvania. The longest pedestrian suspension bridge, which spans
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#17327663080291824-417: A falcon's nostrils are theorized to guide the powerful airflow away from the nostrils, enabling the bird to breathe more easily while diving by reducing the change in air pressure. To protect their eyes, the falcons use their nictitating membranes (third eyelids) to spread tears and clear debris from their eyes while maintaining vision. The distinctive malar stripe or 'moustache', a dark area of feathers below
1976-412: A few Arctic ground squirrels ( Urocitellus parryii ). Other small mammals including shrews , mice , rats , voles , and squirrels are more seldom taken. Peregrines occasionally take rabbits , mainly young individuals and juvenile hares . Additionally, remains of red fox kits and adult female American marten were found among prey remains. Insects and reptiles such as small snakes make up
2128-412: A height limit of 14 feet 7 inches (4.45 m) for southbound vehicles and 15 feet 1 inch (4.60 m) for northbound vehicles. The maximum width of any vehicle is 15 feet 0 inches (4.57 m). Tractor-trailers exceeding 53 feet and traveling between Long Island and the Bronx are required to use the Throgs Neck Bridge. A weight limit is imposed on heavy vehicles traveling on
2280-404: A high perch or from the air. Large congregations of migrants, especially species that gather in the open like shorebirds, can be quite attractive to a hunting peregrine. Once prey is spotted, it begins its stoop, folding back the tail and wings, with feet tucked. Prey is typically struck and captured in mid-air; the peregrine falcon strikes its prey with a clenched foot, stunning or killing it with
2432-403: A higher margin of safety and remained in service until 1991. The Tacoma Narrows Bridge , (USA), 1940, was vulnerable to structural vibration in sustained and moderately strong winds due to its plate-girder deck structure. Wind caused a phenomenon called aeroelastic fluttering that led to its collapse only months after completion. The collapse was captured on film. There were no human deaths in
2584-405: A larger geographic area owes its success to human-led introduction ; the domestic and feral pigeons are both domesticate forms of the rock dove , which are a major prey species for Eurasian Peregrine populations. Due to their prevalence over most other bird species in cities, feral pigeons support many peregrine populations as a staple food source, especially in urban settings . The peregrine
2736-577: A pedestrian suspension bridge over the Machchhu River in the city of Morbi, Gujarat, India collapsed, leading to the deaths of at least 141 people. Peregrine falcon 17–19, see text The peregrine falcon ( Falco peregrinus ), also known simply as the peregrine , and historically as the duck hawk in North America , is a cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family Falconidae . A large, crow -sized falcon , it has
2888-591: A peregrine falcon. The peregrine falcon has been designated the official city bird of Chicago . The Peregrine , by J. A. Baker , is widely regarded as one of the best nature books in English written in the twentieth century. Admirers of the book include Robert Macfarlane , Mark Cocker , who regards the book as "one of the most outstanding books on nature in the twentieth century" and Werner Herzog , who called it "the one book I would ask you to read if you want to make films", and said elsewhere "it has prose of
3040-647: A proposal by Robert Stevenson for a bridge over the River Almond near Edinburgh . Roebling's Delaware Aqueduct (begun 1847) consists of three sections supported by cables. The timber structure essentially hides the cables; and from a quick view, it is not immediately apparent that it is even a suspension bridge. The main suspension cables in older bridges were often made from a chain or linked bars, but modern bridge cables are made from multiple strands of wire. This not only adds strength but improves reliability (often called redundancy in engineering terms) because
3192-541: A sequence generally described as follows. Depending on length and size, construction may take anywhere between a year and a half (construction on the original Tacoma Narrows Bridge took only 19 months) up to as long as a decade (the Akashi-Kaikyō Bridge's construction began in May 1986 and was opened in May 1998 – a total of twelve years). Suspension bridges are typically ranked by the length of their main span. These are
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#17327663080293344-607: A small proportion of the diet, and salmonid fish have been taken by peregrines. The peregrine falcon hunts most often at dawn and dusk, when prey are most active, but also nocturnally in cities, particularly during migration periods when hunting at night may become prevalent. Nocturnal migrants taken by peregrines include species as diverse as yellow-billed cuckoo , black-necked grebe , virginia rail , and common quail . The peregrine requires open space in order to hunt, and therefore often hunts over open water, marshes , valleys , fields, and tundra , searching for prey either from
3496-541: A technique called hacking . Finally, after years of close work with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, a limited take of wild peregrines was allowed in 2004, the first wild peregrines taken specifically for falconry in over 30 years. The development of captive breeding methods has led to peregrines being commercially available for falconry use, thus mostly eliminating the need to capture wild birds for support of falconry. The main reason for taking wild peregrines at this point
3648-499: A temporary walkway. Poured sockets are used to make a high strength, permanent cable termination. They are created by inserting the suspender wire rope (at the bridge deck supports) into the narrow end of a conical cavity which is oriented in-line with the intended direction of strain. The individual wires are splayed out inside the cone or 'capel', and the cone is then filled with molten lead-antimony-tin (Pb80Sb15Sn5) solder. Most suspension bridges have open truss structures to support
3800-466: A variety of pigeons. Among pigeons, the rock dove or feral pigeon comprises 80% or more of the dietary intake of peregrines. Other common city birds are also taken regularly, including mourning doves , common wood pigeons , common swifts , northern flickers , eurasian collared doves , common starlings , American robins , common blackbirds , and corvids such as magpies , jays or carrion , house , and American crows . Coastal populations of
3952-506: Is a 0.6–0.7% genetic distance in the peregrine falcon-Barbary falcon ("peregrinoid") complex. The peregrine falcon lives mostly along mountain ranges , river valleys , coastlines , and increasingly in cities . In mild-winter regions, it is usually a permanent resident, and some individuals, especially adult males, will remain on the breeding territory. Only populations that breed in Arctic climates typically migrate great distances during
4104-432: Is a highly successful example of urban wildlife in much of its range, taking advantage of tall buildings as nest sites and an abundance of prey such as pigeons and ducks. Both the English and scientific names of this species mean "wandering falcon", referring to the migratory habits of many northern populations. Experts recognize 17 to 19 subspecies , which vary in appearance and range; disagreement exists over whether
4256-701: Is adapted to available prey in different regions. However, it typically feeds on medium-sized birds such as pigeons and doves , waterfowl , gamebirds , songbirds , parrots , seabirds , and waders . Worldwide, it is estimated that between 1,500 and 2,000 bird species, or roughly a fifth of the world's bird species, are predated somewhere by these falcons. The peregrine falcon preys on the most diverse range of bird species of any raptor in North America, with over 300 species and including nearly 100 shorebirds . Its prey can range from 3 g (0.11 oz) hummingbirds ( Selasphorus and Archilochus ssp.) to
4408-482: Is at the tip of Throggs Neck, and the towers are located in the middle of the Long Island Sound. The Queens anchorage is located off the shore of Fort Totten , in the East River. The suspension towers of the bridge are of closed-box construction with arched struts at the top of each tower. The tops of the suspension towers are sharp and blocky atop the struts, and there are flattened segmental arches on
4560-645: Is considered the last remaining Inca rope bridge and is rebuilt annually. The first iron chain suspension bridge in the Western world was the Jacob's Creek Bridge (1801) in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania , designed by inventor James Finley . Finley's bridge was the first to incorporate all of the necessary components of a modern suspension bridge, including a suspended deck which hung by trusses. Finley patented his design in 1808, and published it in
4712-456: Is from the larger females of the largest subspecies to the smaller males of the smallest subspecies, approximately five to one (approximately 1500 g to 300 g). The males of smaller and medium-sized subspecies, and the females of the smaller subspecies, excel in the taking of swift and agile small game birds such as dove, quail, and smaller ducks. The females of the larger subspecies are capable of taking large and powerful game birds such as
Throgs Neck Bridge - Misplaced Pages Continue
4864-508: Is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridges , which lack vertical suspenders, have a long history in many mountainous parts of the world. Besides the bridge type most commonly called suspension bridges, covered in this article, there are other types of suspension bridges . The type covered here has cables suspended between towers , with vertical suspender cables that transfer
5016-421: Is not clear, as the issue is complicated by widespread hybridization confounding mtDNA sequence analyses. One genetic lineage of the saker falcon ( F. cherrug ) is known to have originated from a male saker ancestor producing fertile young with a female peregrine ancestor, and the descendants further breeding with sakers. Today, peregrines are regularly paired in captivity with other species such as
5168-459: Is plucked before consumption. A 2016 study showed that the presence of peregrines benefits non-preferred species while at the same time causing a decline in its preferred prey. As of 2018, the fastest recorded falcon was at 242 mph (nearly 390 km/h). Researchers at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and at Oxford University used 3D computer simulations in 2018 to show that
5320-514: Is supported by two main cables, which suspend the deck and are held up by the suspension towers. Each main cable contains 37 strands, with each strand made of 296 individual wires, for a total of 10,952 wires per main cable. The main cables weigh 1,790 short tons (1,600 long tons; 1,620 metric tons) each. At each end of the suspension span are two anchorages that hold the main cables, both of which are freestanding concrete structures measuring 250 by 350 feet (76 by 107 m). The bridge's Bronx anchorage
5472-492: Is the third vehicular bridge to be constructed between Queens and the Bronx, after the Triborough and Bronx–Whitestone Bridges. Each three-lane roadway is 37 feet (11 m) wide, and the two directions of traffic are divided by a 4-foot-wide (1.2 m) barrier. The roadway is paved with asphalt. There is no pedestrian or bicyclist access of any kind. The Throgs Neck Bridge is a toll bridge ; it originally had tollbooths on
5624-454: Is to maintain healthy genetic diversity in the breeding lines. Hybrids of peregrines and gyrfalcons are also available that can combine the best features of both species to create what many consider to be the ultimate falconry bird for the taking of larger game such as the sage-grouse . These hybrids combine the greater size, strength, and horizontal speed of the gyrfalcon with the natural propensity to stoop and greater warm weather tolerance of
5776-462: The Arctic tundra to the tropics . It can be found nearly everywhere on Earth, except extreme polar regions , very high mountains, and most tropical rainforests ; the only major ice-free landmass from which it is entirely absent is New Zealand . This makes it the world's most widespread raptor and one of the most widely found wild bird species . In fact, the only land-based bird species found over
5928-584: The Barbary falcon of the Canary Islands and coastal North Africa to be two subspecies ( pelegrinoides and babylonicus ) of Falco peregrinus , rather than a distinct species, F. pelegrinoides . The following map shows the general ranges of these 19 subspecies. The Barbary falcon is a subspecies of the peregrine falcon that inhabits parts of North Africa; namely, from the Canary Islands to
6080-836: The Mahakam River , located in Kutai Kartanegara Regency , East Kalimantan district on the Indonesia island of Borneo , was built in 1995, completed in 2001 and collapsed in 2011. Dozens of vehicles on the bridge fell into the Mahakam River . As a result of this incident, 24 people died and dozens of others were injured and were treated at the Aji Muhammad Parikesit Regional Hospital. Meanwhile, 12 people were reported missing, 31 people were seriously injured, and 8 people had minor injuries. Research findings indicate that
6232-631: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). The Throgs Neck Bridge is a six lane suspension bridge , with three in each direction. It was designed by structural engineer Othmar Ammann , who also designed the George Washington , Bronx–Whitestone , Verrazzano-Narrows , and Triborough Bridges in New York City. It connects the boroughs of Queens to the south and the Bronx to the north, and
Throgs Neck Bridge - Misplaced Pages Continue
6384-931: The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds . The RSPB estimated that there were 1,402 breeding pairs in the UK in 2011. In Canada, where peregrines were identified as endangered in 1978 (in the Yukon territory of northern Canada that year, only a single breeding pair was identified ), the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada declared the species no longer at risk in December 2017. Peregrines now breed in many mountainous and coastal areas, especially in
6536-486: The great horned owl and the Eurasian eagle-owl . When reintroductions have been attempted for peregrines, the most serious impediments were these two species of owls routinely picking off nestlings, fledglings and adults by night. Peregrines defending their nests have managed to kill raptors as large as golden eagles and bald eagles (both of which they normally avoid as potential predators) that have come too close to
6688-523: The lanner falcon ( F. biarmicus ) to produce the " perilanner ", a bird popular in falconry as it combines the peregrine's hunting skill with the lanner's hardiness, or the gyrfalcon to produce large, strikingly coloured birds for the use of falconers. Numerous subspecies of Falco peregrinus have been described, with 19 accepted by the 1994 Handbook of the Birds of the World , which considers
6840-448: The live and dead loads of the deck below, upon which traffic crosses. This arrangement allows the deck to be level or to arc upward for additional clearance. Like other suspension bridge types, this type often is constructed without the use of falsework . The suspension cables must be anchored at each end of the bridge, since any load applied to the bridge is transformed into tension in these main cables. The main cables continue beyond
6992-525: The prairie falcon ( F. mexicanus ). This lineage probably diverged from other falcons towards the end of the Late Miocene or in the Late Pliocene , about 3–8 million years ago (mya). As the peregrine-hierofalcon group includes both Old World and North American species, it is likely that the lineage originated in western Eurasia or Africa. Its relationship to other falcons
7144-433: The spinal column at the neck. An immature bird is much browner, with streaked, rather than barred, underparts, and has a pale bluish cere and orbital ring. A study shows that their black malar stripe exists to reduce glare from solar radiation , allowing them to see better. Photos from The Macaulay Library and iNaturalist showed that the malar stripe is thicker where there is more solar radiation. That supports
7296-638: The " tiercel ") and the female (simply called the "falcon") both leave the nest to gather prey to feed the young. The hunting territory of the parents can extend a radius of 19 to 24 km (12 to 15 mi) from the nest site. Chicks fledge 42 to 46 days after hatching, and remain dependent on their parents for up to two months. The peregrine falcon is a highly admired falconry bird, and has been used in falconry for more than 3,000 years, beginning with nomads in central Asia . Its advantages in falconry include not only its athleticism and eagerness to hunt, but an equable disposition that leads to it being one of
7448-602: The 3.1 kg (6.8 lb) sandhill crane , although most prey taken by peregrines weigh between 20 g (0.71 oz) (small passerines ) and 1,100 g (2.4 lb) ( ducks , geese , loons , gulls , capercaillies , ptarmigans and other grouse ). Smaller hawks (such as sharp-shinned hawks ) and owls are regularly predated, as well as smaller falcons such as the American kestrel , merlin and, rarely, other peregrines. In urban areas, where it tends to nest on tall buildings or bridges, it subsists mostly on
7600-478: The Arabian Peninsula. There is discussion concerning the taxonomic status of the bird, with some considering it a subspecies of the peregrine falcon and others considering it a full species with two subspecies (White et al. 2013). Compared to the other peregrine falcon subspecies, Barbary falcons sport a slimmer body and a distinct plumage color pattern. Despite numbers and range of these birds throughout
7752-474: The Bronx and Queens are located on low elevations. The bridge has a 3,900-foot (1,200 m) approach ramp in the Bronx, curving over the SUNY Maritime College at Fort Schuyler on the Throggs Neck peninsula, as well as a 2,800-foot (850 m) ramp directly east of Cryder's Point in Bay Terrace, Queens . Including approaches, the bridge spans more than 2.1 miles (3.4 km). The span
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#17327663080297904-545: The Bronx side, but they were replaced by open road tolling gantries in 2017. The Throgs Neck Bridge did not have to accommodate large vessels of specific dimensions and as a result, did not need to be as long as other Ammann-designed bridges in New York City. The center span is 1,800 feet (550 m), and the distance between each suspension tower and anchorage is 555 feet (169 m), with an anchorage-to-anchorage total length of 2,910 feet (887 m). The bridge contains two long approach ramps, one on either bank, because both
8056-485: The Canary Islands generally increasing, they are considered endangered, with human interference through falconry and shooting threatening their well-being. Falconry can further complicate the speciation and genetics of these Canary Islands falcons, as the practice promotes genetic mixing between individuals from outside the islands with those originating from the islands. Population density of the Barbary falcons on Tenerife,
8208-631: The E-ZPass lanes from the Harding Avenue entrance to the bridge, as the E-ZPass lanes were located toward the center of the tollbooth, while the bridge entrance was on the far-right side. Open-road cashless tolling began on September 30, 2017. The tollbooths, which were at the Bronx end of the bridge, have been gradually dismantled, and drivers are no longer able to pay cash at the bridge. Instead, cameras and E-ZPass readers are mounted on new overhead gantries manufactured by TransCore near where
8360-557: The MTA to reverse its decision. In September 1983, Cuomo signed an executive order mandating the use of American steel, and the MTA narrowly voted to reverse its prior decision. The construction of the Throgs Neck Bridge's Queens approaches bisected Clearview Park (renamed Little Bay Park in 1973), which had been established by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation in 1950. The park's athletic fields received
8512-573: The New York E‑ZPass Customer Service Center pay $ 6.94 per car or $ 3.02 per motorcycle. Mid-Tier NYCSC E-Z Pass users pay $ 8.36 per car or $ 3.57 per motorcycle. All E-ZPass users with transponders not issued by the New York E-ZPass CSC will be required to pay Toll-by-mail rates. Originally, the toll plaza of the Throgs Neck Bridge, located on the Bronx side, contained 14 toll lanes. By 1996, the year that E-ZPass
8664-519: The PCB concentrations found in these falcons is dependent upon the age of the falcon. While high levels are still found in young birds (only a few months old) and even higher concentrations are found in more mature falcons, further increasing in adult peregrine falcons. These pesticides caused falcon prey to also have thinner eggshells (one example of prey being the Black Petrels). In several parts of
8816-777: The Philadelphia journal, The Port Folio , in 1810. Early British chain bridges included the Dryburgh Abbey Bridge (1817) and 137 m Union Bridge (1820), with spans rapidly increasing to 176 m with the Menai Bridge (1826), "the first important modern suspension bridge". The first chain bridge on the German speaking territories was the Chain Bridge in Nuremberg . The Sagar Iron Suspension Bridge with
8968-585: The Queens side, the bridge connects to the southbound Clearview Expressway (I-295) and the southbound Cross Island Parkway . There is no direct connection to the northbound Cross Island Parkway or from the Cross Island Parkway service roads in either direction. On the Bronx side, there are connections to and from the community of Throggs Neck. The northbound entrance and exit leads to the Throgs Neck Expressway service road, while
9120-552: The River Paiva, Arouca Geopark , Portugal, opened in April 2021. The 516 metres bridge hangs 175 meters above the river. Where such a bridge spans a gap between two buildings, there is no need to construct towers, as the buildings can anchor the cables. Cable suspension may also be augmented by the inherent stiffness of a structure that has much in common with a tubular bridge . Typical suspension bridges are constructed using
9272-686: The TBTA as part of the Port Authority's Joint Study of Arterial Facilities, a $ 600 million plan to improve highway access in the New York City area (equal to $ 6.12 billion in 2023). The plan also included the construction of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, the addition of a second deck to the George Washington Bridge, and the completion of connecting highways in and around the city. The Throgs Neck Bridge
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#17327663080299424-610: The Throgs Neck Bridge could not be approved for construction until an approach route was finalized. The revised approach routes for both the Narrows and the Throgs Neck bridges were approved that June, which allowed construction on both crossings to begin. As a result of the revisions to the Clearview Expressway approach, the cost estimate for the Throgs Neck Bridge increased to $ 126 million. The city approved
9576-473: The Throgs Neck Bridge had been completed, and the first 1,800 feet (550 m) wire between the two suspension towers had been installed. This cable marked the location of the future bridge deck, but in the interim, it would be one of six wires that would support temporary catwalks between the suspension towers. The spinning of the main cables between the tops of each suspension tower began in March. The wires for
9728-411: The Throgs Neck Bridge. Each section measured 82 by 93 feet (25 by 28 m) and weighed 200 short tons (180 long tons; 180 metric tons). The sections were installed on the bridge at a rate of two per day. Installation of the deck started at each suspension tower and continued outward in either direction, extending toward the center and the approach viaducts on each side. Afterward, concrete was poured atop
9880-648: The US were captive-bred from the progeny of falcons taken before the US Endangered Species Act was enacted and from those few infusions of wild genes available from Canada and special circumstances. Peregrine falcons were removed from the United States' endangered species list in 1999. The successful recovery program was aided by the effort and knowledge of falconers – in collaboration with The Peregrine Fund and state and federal agencies – through
10032-521: The approach route for the Throgs Neck and Narrows Bridges without the city's knowledge. The city then decided to defer any decision on either bridge for a year because both bridges' approaches would require potentially controversial home relocations. One plan had the Throgs Neck Bridge approach in Queens connect directly to a road paralleling the Cross Island Parkway , rather than to the proposed Clearview Expressway. TBTA officials warned that
10184-516: The approach would descend to a point east of the Clearview Golf Course, approximately between 206th and 207th Streets, and continue south as the Clearview Expressway. This routing would displace 421 homes, compared to 860 in the original plan. Shortly after the arterial plan was approved, drivers on the Triborough and Bronx–Whitestone Bridges were surveyed in order to assess demand for the Throgs Neck Bridge. However, by February 1956,
10336-443: The back but with thin clean bars, is long, narrow, and rounded at the end with a black tip and a white band at the very end. The top of the head and a "moustache" along the cheeks are black, contrasting sharply with the pale sides of the neck and white throat. The cere is yellow, as are the feet, and the beak and claws are black. The upper beak is notched near the tip, an adaptation which enables falcons to kill prey by severing
10488-415: The biggest of the seven major Canary Islands, was found to be 1.27 pairs/100 km , with the mean distance between pairs being 5869 ± 3338 m. The falcons were only observed near large and natural cliffs with a mean altitude of 697.6 m. Falcons show an affinity for tall cliffs away from human-mediated establishments and presence. Barbary falcons have a red neck patch, but otherwise differ in appearance from
10640-647: The bird associated with princes in formal hierarchies of birds of prey, just below the gyrfalcon associated with kings . It was considered "a royal bird, more armed by its courage than its claws". Terminology used by peregrine breeders also used the Old French term gentil , "of noble birth; aristocratic", particularly with the peregrine. Since 1927, the peregrine falcon has been the official mascot of Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio . The 2007 U.S. Idaho state quarter features
10792-442: The booths were located. A vehicle without E-ZPass has a picture taken of its license plate and a bill for the toll is mailed to its owner. For E-ZPass users, sensors detect their transponders wirelessly. A truck with faulty brakes ran into the bridge's toll booths on May 31, 1995. The next day, the same truck ran into the tollbooths again. Only the driver was injured. On July 10, 2009, during early-morning maintenance work to replace
10944-432: The bridge deck. Before the deck is installed, the cables are under tension from their own weight. Along the main cables smaller cables or rods connect to the bridge deck, which is lifted in sections. As this is done, the tension in the cables increases, as it does with the live load of traffic crossing the bridge. The tension on the main cables is transferred to the ground at the anchorages and by downwards compression on
11096-614: The bridge to be constructed over the college. TBTA chairman Moses commissioned Othmar Ammann for the construction of the Throgs Neck Bridge. This was Ammann's first long-span bridge project since 1931, which saw the dedication of the George Washington Bridge over the Hudson River . A groundbreaking ceremony for the Throgs Neck Bridge occurred at the SUNY Maritime College on October 22, 1957. At
11248-551: The bridge were being installed, and a definite opening date had been set for the next month. The Throgs Neck Bridge opened with a short ceremony on January 11, 1961; its total construction cost had been $ 92 million. The bridge opened along with a segment of the Clearview Expressway southward to 73rd Avenue in Fresh Meadows , as well as the Cross Bronx and Throgs Neck Expressways in the Bronx. The bridge's opening
11400-426: The bridge. The MTA allows 6 and 7-axle trucks with less than 105,000 lb (48,000 kg) of gross vehicle weight, and 5-axle trucks with less than 102,000 lb (46,000 kg) of gross vehicle weight, if they have valid divisible-load permits. Trucks carrying less than 80,000 lb (36,000 kg) may also use the bridge, but all heavy loads are speed-restricted to 30 miles per hour (48 km/h) and must use
11552-407: The cables were spun from reels near the base of the bridge, and then pulled across to the opposite side by two wheels, one at each bridge tower. The cables were fully spun by June 1960, and the vertical suspender cables connecting the main cables with the deck were installed. The steel girder sections that comprised the bridge deck were prefabricated at another location and then shipped to the site of
11704-489: The center lane of the bridge. Heavy trucks carrying more than 80,000 lb without permits are prohibited from using the Throgs Neck Bridge. The name of "Throgs Neck" in the bridge's name derives from John Throckmorton , who first settled Throggs Neck. The traditionally correct spelling is with two "g"s. Robert Moses —chairman of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA), which built the bridge—likely chose
11856-491: The chains are not attached to abutments as is usual, but instead are attached to the main girders, which are thus in compression. Here, the chains are made from flat wrought iron plates, eight inches (203 mm) wide by an inch and a half (38 mm) thick, rivetted together. The first wire-cable suspension bridge was the Spider Bridge at Falls of Schuylkill (1816), a modest and temporary footbridge built following
12008-401: The chicks fledged. In Oregon , Portland houses ten percent of the state's peregrine nests, despite only covering around 0.1 percent of the state's land area. Due to its striking hunting technique, the peregrine has often been associated with aggression and martial prowess. The Ancient Egyptian solar deity Ra was often represented as a man with the head of a peregrine falcon adorned with
12160-631: The collapse of James Finley's nearby Chain Bridge at Falls of Schuylkill (1808). The footbridge's span was 124 m, although its deck was only 0.45 m wide. Development of wire-cable suspension bridges dates to the temporary simple suspension bridge at Annonay built by Marc Seguin and his brothers in 1822. It spanned only 18 m. The first permanent wire cable suspension bridge was Guillaume Henri Dufour 's Saint Antoine Bridge in Geneva of 1823, with two 40 m spans. The first with cables assembled in mid-air in
12312-529: The collapse was largely caused by the construction failure of the vertical hanging clamp. It was also found that poor maintenance, fatigue in the cable hanger construction materials, material quality, and bridge loads that exceed vehicle capacity, can also have an impact on bridge collapse. In 2013 the Kutai Kartanegara Bridge rebuilt the same location and completed in 2015 with a Through arch bridge design. On 30 October 2022, Jhulto Pul ,
12464-522: The collapse; several drivers escaped their cars on foot and reached the anchorages before the span dropped. Yarmouth suspension bridge (England) was built in 1829 and collapsed in 1845, killing 79 people. Peace River Suspension Bridge (Canada), which was completed in 1943, collapsed when the north anchor's soil support for the suspension bridge failed in October 1957. The entire bridge subsequently collapsed. Kutai Kartanegara Bridge (Indonesia) over
12616-602: The concrete deck with a steel deck as part of a $ 336 million project. Work on replacing the deck began in September 2020. Five of the bridge's six lanes remained open for the duration of the project. The MTA installed a movable barrier , providing three lanes in the peak direction during weekday rush hours (toward the Bronx in the morning and toward Queens in the afternoon). As of August 6, 2023, drivers pay $ 11.19 per car or $ 4.71 per motorcycle for tolls by mail/non-NYCSC E-Z Pass. E-ZPass users with transponders issued by
12768-751: The construction of the bridge that July. A final obstacle was removed in August, when the United States Senate passed a bill stating that the construction of the proposed bridge over the SUNY Maritime College at Fort Schuyler was not a breach of a prior land conveyance , and authorized the United States Army to give the New York state government some land for the bridge's construction. The SUNY Maritime College would receive 7 acres (2.8 ha) of land in exchange for an easement to allow
12920-421: The contract for the towers' concrete went to Merrit, Chapman and Scott for $ 7.5 million. The suspension cables would then be built by U.S. Steel for $ 6.3 million. Work on the Queens anchorage began in March 1958. The 162-by-72-foot (49 by 22 m) steel caissons for the Throgs Neck Bridge were shipped up the East River that summer. The 73-short-ton (65-long-ton; 66-metric-ton) steel assembly for
13072-402: The deck, a construction worker's blow torch sparked a three-alarm fire on the bridge. The fire closed the bridge for much of the day, sending traffic in both directions to the nearby Whitestone Bridge . Most of the lanes were quickly reopened, but the third lane remained closed for repairs for a month. Suspension bridge A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck
13224-501: The delegation attended the opening of a World's Fair attraction at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. The bridge's opening drew protests from homeowners in Queens who had been forced to relocate due to the construction of the Clearview Expressway. Several dozen women walked across the bridge, holding signs and attempting to block the first vehicles driving on the bridge. It was expected that the Throgs Neck Bridge's opening would initially cause 15 million vehicles annually to be diverted to
13376-525: The distinctive Barbary falcon is represented by two subspecies of Falco peregrinus or is a separate species, F. pelegrinoides . The two species' divergence is relatively recent, during the time of the Last Ice Age , therefore the genetic differential between them (and also the difference in their appearance) is relatively tiny. They are only about 0.6–0.8% genetically differentiated. Although its diet consists almost exclusively of medium-sized birds,
13528-503: The early 1970s, populations have recovered, supported by large-scale protection of nesting places and releases to the wild. The peregrine falcon is a well-respected falconry bird due to its strong hunting ability, high trainability, versatility, and availability via captive breeding . It is effective on most game bird species, from small to large. It has also been used as a religious, royal, or national symbol across multiple eras and areas of human civilization. The peregrine falcon has
13680-444: The easier falcons to train. The peregrine falcon has the additional advantage of a natural flight style of circling above the falconer ("waiting on") for game to be flushed, and then performing an effective and exciting high-speed diving stoop to take the quarry . The speed of the stoop not only allows the falcon to catch fast flying birds, it also enhances the falcon's ability to execute maneuvers to catch highly agile prey, and allows
13832-416: The eggs are lost early in the nesting season, the female usually lays another clutch, although this is extremely rare in the Arctic due to the short summer season. Generally three to four eggs, but sometimes as few as one or as many as five, are laid in the scrape. The eggs are white to buff with red or brown markings. They are incubated for 29 to 33 days, mainly by the female, with the male also helping with
13984-461: The eyes, is thought to reduce solar glare and improve contrast sensitivity when targeting fast moving prey in bright light condition; the malar stripe has been found to be wider and more pronounced in regions of the world with greater solar radiation supporting this solar glare hypothesis. Peregrine falcons have a flicker fusion frequency of 129 Hz (cycles per second), very fast for a bird of its size, and much faster than mammals. A study testing
14136-584: The failure of a few flawed strands in the hundreds used pose very little threat of failure, whereas a single bad link or eyebar can cause failure of an entire bridge. (The failure of a single eyebar was found to be the cause of the collapse of the Silver Bridge over the Ohio River .) Another reason is that as spans increased, engineers were unable to lift larger chains into position, whereas wire strand cables can be formulated one by one in mid-air from
14288-521: The falcon to deliver a knockout blow with a fist-like clenched talon against game that may be much larger than itself. Additionally the versatility of the species, with agility allowing capture of smaller birds and a strength and attacking style allowing capture of game much larger than themselves, combined with the wide size range of the many peregrine subspecies, means there is a subspecies suitable to almost any size and type of game bird. This size range, evolved to fit various environments and prey species,
14440-423: The female in mid-air. To make this possible, the female actually flies upside-down to receive the food from the male's talons. During the breeding season, the peregrine falcon is territorial; nesting pairs are usually more than 1 km (0.62 mi) apart, and often much farther, even in areas with large numbers of pairs. The distance between nests ensures sufficient food supply for pairs and their chicks. Within
14592-487: The first of the two suspension towers were installed in April 1959. Afterward, the suspension towers were installed in pieces. Each piece measured 23.5 feet (7.2 m) tall by 11 by 9 feet (3.4 by 2.7 m) around. Work on the towers proceeded quickly; by September 1959, the Bronx suspension tower was fully completed, and the Queens tower was 60% completed. However, a steelworkers' strike in October 1959 threatened to delay further completion. By January 1960, both towers of
14744-523: The flight physics of an "ideal falcon" found a theoretical speed limit at 400 km/h (250 mph) for low-altitude flight and 625 km/h (388 mph) for high-altitude flight. In 2005, Ken Franklin recorded a falcon stooping at a top speed of 389 km/h (242 mph). The life span of peregrine falcons in the wild is up to 19 years 9 months. Mortality in the first year is 59–70%, declining to 25–32% annually in adults. Apart from such anthropogenic threats as collision with human-made objects,
14896-413: The funding for the Throgs Neck Bridge had not yet been acquired. In January 1957, the Port Authority provided $ 13 million in funding for the New York City arterial plan, and the New York state government gave another $ 469 million. With funding secured, the Throgs Neck Bridge was ready for the start of construction. Then, at the end of March 1957, the New York state legislature suddenly changed
15048-511: The genetic diversity of this species. Since peregrine falcon eggs and chicks are still often targeted by illegal poachers, it is common practice not to publicize unprotected nest locations. Populations of the peregrine falcon have bounced back in most parts of the world. In the United Kingdom, there has been a recovery of populations since the crash of the 1960s. This has been greatly assisted by conservation and protection work led by
15200-434: The high speed allows peregrines to gain better maneuverability and precision in strikes. The peregrine falcon is sexually mature at one to three years of age, but in larger populations they breed after two to three years of age. A pair mates for life and returns to the same nesting spot annually. The courtship flight includes a mix of aerial acrobatics, precise spirals, and steep dives. The male passes prey it has caught to
15352-432: The highway, which may be supported by suspender cables or their own trusswork . In cases where trusswork supports the spans, there will be very little arc in the outboard main cables. The earliest suspension bridges were ropes slung across a chasm, with a deck possibly at the same level or hung below the ropes such that the rope had a catenary shape. The Tibetan siddha and bridge-builder Thangtong Gyalpo originated
15504-561: The impact, then turns to catch it in mid-air. If its prey is too heavy to carry, a peregrine will drop it to the ground and eat it there. If they miss the initial strike, peregrines will chase their prey in a twisting flight. Although previously thought rare, several cases of peregrines contour-hunting, i.e., using natural contours to surprise and ambush prey on the ground, have been reported and even rare cases of prey being pursued on foot. In addition, peregrines have been documented preying on chicks in nests, from birds such as kittiwakes. Prey
15656-509: The inclusion of non-native subspecies was justified to optimize the genetic diversity found within the species as a whole. During the 1970s, peregrine falcons in Finland experienced a population bottleneck as a result of large declines associated with bio-accumulation of organochloride pesticides. However, the genetic diversity of peregrines in Finland is similar to other populations, indicating that high dispersal rates have maintained
15808-426: The incubation of the eggs during the day, but only the female incubating them at night. The average number of young found in nests is 2.5, and the average number that fledge is about 1.5, due to the occasional production of infertile eggs and various natural losses of nestlings. After hatching, the chicks (called " eyases " ) are covered with creamy-white down and have disproportionately large feet. The male (called
15960-683: The large subspecies pealei feed almost exclusively on seabirds . In the Brazilian mangrove swamp of Cubatão , a wintering falcon of the subspecies tundrius was observed successfully hunting a juvenile scarlet ibis . Among mammalian prey species, bats in the genera Eptesicus , Myotis , Pipistrellus and Tadarida are the most common prey taken at night. Though peregrines generally do not prefer terrestrial mammalian prey, in Rankin Inlet , peregrines largely take northern collared lemmings ( Dicrostonyx groenlandicus ) along with
16112-461: The largest of duck species, pheasant, and grouse. Peregrine falcons handled by falconers are also occasionally used to scare away birds at airports to reduce the risk of bird-plane strikes , improving air-traffic safety. They were also used to intercept homing pigeons during World War II. Peregrine falcons have been successfully bred in captivity, both for falconry and for release into the wild. Until 2004 nearly all peregrines used for falconry in
16264-534: The live loads. In an underspanned suspension bridge, also called under-deck cable-stayed bridge, the main cables hang entirely below the bridge deck, but are still anchored into the ground in a similar way to the conventional type. Very few bridges of this nature have been built, as the deck is inherently less stable than when suspended below the cables. Examples include the Pont des Bergues of 1834 designed by Guillaume Henri Dufour ; James Smith's Micklewood Bridge; and
16416-639: The modern method was Joseph Chaley 's Grand Pont Suspendu in Fribourg , in 1834. In the United States, the first major wire-cable suspension bridge was the Wire Bridge at Fairmount in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Designed by Charles Ellet Jr. and completed in 1842, it had a span of 109 m. Ellet's Niagara Falls suspension bridge (1847–48) was abandoned before completion. It was used as scaffolding for John A. Roebling 's double decker railroad and carriage bridge (1855). The Otto Beit Bridge (1938–1939)
16568-422: The name was used as juvenile birds were taken while journeying to their breeding location (rather than from the nest), as falcon nests are often difficult to get at. The Latin term for falcon, falco , is related to falx , meaning " sickle ", in reference to the silhouette of the falcon's long, pointed wings in flight. The peregrine falcon belongs to a genus whose lineage includes the hierofalcons and
16720-526: The natural cliff ledges that the peregrine prefers for its nesting locations. The pair defends the chosen nest site against other peregrines, and often against ravens , herons , and gulls , and if ground-nesting, also such mammals as foxes , wolverines , felids , bears , wolves , and mountain lions . Both nests and (less frequently) adults are predated by larger-bodied raptorial birds like eagles , large owls , or gyrfalcons . The most serious predators of peregrine nests in North America and Europe are
16872-712: The nest by ambushing them in a full stoop. In one instance, when a snowy owl killed a newly fledged peregrine, the larger owl was in turn killed by a stooping peregrine parent. The date of egg-laying varies according to locality, but is generally from February to March in the Northern Hemisphere , and from July to August in the Southern Hemisphere , although the Australian subspecies macropus may breed as late as November, and equatorial populations may nest anytime between June and December. If
17024-411: The northern winter. The peregrine falcon reaches faster speeds than any other animal on the planet when performing the stoop, which involves soaring to a great height and then diving steeply at speeds of over 320 km/h (200 mph), hitting one wing of its prey so as not to harm itself on impact. The air pressure from such a dive could possibly damage a bird's lungs , but small bony tubercles on
17176-622: The origins of captive breeding stock used by the Peregrine Fund in the recovery of peregrine falcons throughout the contiguous United States. Several peregrine subspecies were included in the breeding stock, including birds of Eurasian origin. Due to the extirpation of the eastern population of Falco peregrinus anatum , the near-extirpation of anatum in the Midwest and the limited gene pool within North American breeding stock,
17328-594: The peregrine falcon proper merely according to Gloger's rule , relating pigmentation to environmental humidity . The Barbary falcon has a peculiar way of flying, beating only the outer part of its wings as fulmars sometimes do; this also occurs in the peregrine falcon, but less often and far less pronounced. The Barbary falcon's shoulder and pelvis bones are stout by comparison with the peregrine falcon and its feet are smaller. Barbary falcons breed at different times of year than neighboring peregrine falcon subspecies, but they are capable of interbreeding. There
17480-728: The peregrine may be killed by larger hawks and owls . The peregrine falcon is host to a range of parasites and pathogens . It is a vector for Avipoxvirus , Newcastle disease virus , Falconid herpesvirus 1 (and possibly other Herpesviridae ), and some mycoses and bacterial infections . Endoparasites include Plasmodium relictum (usually not causing malaria in the peregrine falcon), Strigeidae trematodes , Serratospiculum amaculata ( nematode ), and tapeworms . Known peregrine falcon ectoparasites are chewing lice , Ceratophyllus garei (a flea ), and Hippoboscidae flies ( Icosta nigra , Ornithoctona erythrocephala ). The peregrine falcon's diet varies greatly and
17632-402: The peregrine will sometimes hunt small mammals, small reptiles, or even insects. Reaching sexual maturity at one year, it mates for life and nests in a scrape , normally on cliff edges or, in recent times, on tall human-made structures. The peregrine falcon became an endangered species in many areas because of the widespread use of certain pesticides, especially DDT . Since the ban on DDT from
17784-417: The peregrine. The peregrine falcon became an endangered species over much of its range because of the use of organochlorine pesticides , especially DDT , during the 1950s, '60s, and '70s. Pesticide biomagnification caused organochlorine to build up in the falcons' fat tissues, reducing the amount of calcium in their eggshells. With thinner shells, fewer falcon eggs survived until hatching. In addition,
17936-406: The pillars to deck-level supports, and further continue to connections with anchors in the ground. The roadway is supported by vertical suspender cables or rods, called hangers. In some circumstances, the towers may sit on a bluff or canyon edge where the road may proceed directly to the main span. Otherwise, the bridge will typically have two smaller spans, running between either pair of pillars and
18088-407: The plan was officially approved by the New York state legislature two weeks later. Initially, the bridge approach on the Queens side was controversial because of the number of people who would be displaced, and there were proposals to scrap the bridge entirely. In September 1956, Queens borough leaders agreed on the location for the Queens approach of the Throgs Neck Bridge. From the Queens anchorage,
18240-413: The railing and the walking layer of Gyalpo's bridges used wires. The stress points that carried the screed were reinforced by the iron chains. Before the use of iron chains it is thought that Gyalpo used ropes from twisted willows or yak skins. He may have also used tightly bound cloth. The Inca used rope bridges , documented as early as 1615. It is not known when they were first made. Queshuachaca
18392-612: The roadbed, particularly owing to the unfavorable effects of using plate girders, discovered from the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (1940) bridge collapse. In the 1960s, developments in bridge aerodynamics allowed the re-introduction of plate structures as shallow box girders , first seen on the Severn bridge , built 1961–1966. In the picture of the Yichang Bridge , note the very sharp entry edge and sloping undergirders in
18544-592: The solar disk, although most Egyptologists agree that it is most likely a Lanner falcon . Native Americans of the Mississippian culture (c. 800–1500) used the peregrine, along with several other birds of prey, in imagery as a symbol of "aerial (celestial) power" and buried men of high status in costumes associating to the ferocity of raptorial birds. In the late Middle Ages , the Western European nobility that used peregrines for hunting, considered
18696-399: The solar glare hypothesis. Falco peregrinus was first described under its current binomial name by English ornithologist Marmaduke Tunstall in his 1771 work Ornithologia Britannica . The scientific name Falco peregrinus is a Medieval Latin phrase that was used by Albertus Magnus in 1225. Peregrinus is Latin, meaning "one from abroad" or "coming from foreign parts". It is likely
18848-495: The southbound exit and entrance leads from the intersection of the Throgs Neck Expressway service road and Harding Avenue. Immediately afterward, the highway splits into the Throgs Neck Expressway ( I-695 ), which connects to northbound I-95 ; and I-295, which connects to southbound I-95, westbound I-278 , and northbound Hutchinson River Parkway at the Bruckner Interchange . As of 2015, the Throgs Neck Bridge has
19000-593: The southern terminus of the Clearview Expressway. I-78 was to continue south and west across Queens, Brooklyn , and Manhattan to the Holland Tunnel . Ultimately, nearly all sections of I-78 between the Holland Tunnel and Hillside Avenue were canceled by Governor Nelson Rockefeller in 1971. This resulted in the renumbering of all of I-78 north of Hillside Avenue, including the Throgs Neck Bridge, to I-295 on January 1, 1970. The Throgs Neck Bridge's deck
19152-566: The span from other bridges, and by 1981, the bridge would carry 37.5 million vehicles annually. Within the first twelve hours of the bridge's opening, 20,000 vehicles had used the bridge. The Throgs Neck Bridge had carried 16.4 million vehicles by the end of the year, and the Bronx–Whitestone Bridge recorded a corresponding 40% decline in traffic in 1961. The Throgs Neck Bridge was originally designated as part of I-78 , which extended south to Hillside Avenue ( NY 25 ),
19304-405: The species in captivity. The chicks are usually fed through a chute or with a hand puppet mimicking a peregrine's head, so they cannot see to imprint on the human trainers. Then, when they are old enough, the rearing box is opened, allowing the bird to train its wings. As the fledgling gets stronger, feeding is reduced, forcing the bird to learn to hunt. This procedure is called hacking back to
19456-405: The steel sections. The steelwork for the roadway was completed in summer 1960, and work on constructing the Throgs Neck Bridge's approaches progressed simultaneously. The Queens approach viaduct had been completed up to the suspension span in September 1960. The final work on the bridge consisted of sheathing the main cables, as well as paving the roadway with asphalt. By December 1960, tollbooths for
19608-401: The suspension bridge shown. This enables this type of construction to be used without the danger of vortex shedding and consequent aeroelastic effects, such as those that destroyed the original Tacoma Narrows bridge. Three kinds of forces operate on any bridge: the dead load, the live load, and the dynamic load. Dead load refers to the weight of the bridge itself. Like any other structure,
19760-514: The ten bridges with the longest spans, followed by the length of the span and the year the bridge opened for traffic: (Chronological) Broughton Suspension Bridge (England) was an iron chain bridge built in 1826. One of Europe's first suspension bridges, it collapsed in 1831 due to mechanical resonance induced by troops marching in step. As a result of the incident, the British Army issued an order that troops should "break step" when crossing
19912-419: The time, the approach roads alone were expected to cost $ 51 million, nearly half of the total bridge cost. It was expected that the bridge would be complete by 1961. A month later, six construction contracts worth $ 42.5 million were awarded, representing nearly half of the span's cost. The contract for the suspension towers' metal was awarded to Bethlehem Steel at a cost of $ 10.2 million, and
20064-404: The tops of the towers resembled their natural habitat of high cliffs. Instead of employing a rather streamlined-looking plate-girder system, Ammann constructed the bridge with 28-foot-deep (8.5 m) stiffening transverse trusses under the deck. These served as counterweights to the bridge and allowed any wind to simply blow through, instead of against, the bridge. The asphalt roadway lies atop
20216-489: The towers. In cable-stayed bridges, the towers are the primary load-bearing structures that transmit the bridge loads to the ground. A cantilever approach is often used to support the bridge deck near the towers, but lengths further from them are supported by cables running directly to the towers. By design, all static horizontal forces of the cable-stayed bridge are balanced so that the supporting towers do not tend to tilt or slide and so must only resist horizontal forces from
20368-438: The underside of the struts. Both suspension towers are located on artificial concrete islands in the East River, which are 20 feet (6.1 m) above mean high water. Each suspension tower rises 326 feet (99 m) above the islands, or 346 feet (105 m) above mean high water. Peregrine falcons have lived high on a suspension tower since at least 1983, when they were first spotted. They are thought to have nested there because
20520-568: The use of iron chains in his version of simple suspension bridges . In 1433, Gyalpo built eight bridges in eastern Bhutan . The last surviving chain-linked bridge of Gyalpo's was the Thangtong Gyalpo Bridge in Duksum en route to Trashi Yangtse , which was finally washed away in 2004. Gyalpo's iron chain bridges did not include a suspended-deck bridge , which is the standard on all modern suspension bridges today. Instead, both
20672-577: The variant with one "g" because it was easier to spell. Plans for a bridge between Throggs Neck and Queens date to a 1932 study by engineer J. Franklin Perrine. However, he discarded the proposed Throggs Neck-to-Queens span because it would have required the construction of new highways at either end. The Throgs Neck Bridge's construction was announced in January 1955, by the Port Authority and
20824-423: The weight of the cables is small compared to the weight of the deck. One can see the shape from the constant increase of the gradient of the cable with linear (deck) distance, this increase in gradient at each connection with the deck providing a net upward support force. Combined with the relatively simple constraints placed upon the actual deck, that makes the suspension bridge much simpler to design and analyze than
20976-472: The west and north, and nest in some urban areas, capitalising on the urban feral pigeon populations for food. Additionally, falcons benefit from artificial illumination, which allows the raptors to extend their hunting periods into the dusk when natural illumination would otherwise be too low for them to pursue prey. In England , this has allowed them to prey on nocturnal migrants such as redwings , fieldfares , starlings , and woodcocks . In many parts of
21128-513: The west coast of northern North America, large tree hollows are used for nesting. Before the demise of most European peregrines, a large population of peregrines in central and western Europe used the disused nests of other large birds. In remote, undisturbed areas such as the Arctic, steep slopes and even low rocks and mounds may be used as nest sites. In many parts of its range, peregrines now also nest regularly on tall buildings or bridges; these human-made structures used for breeding closely resemble
21280-410: The west. The Throgs Neck Bridge is also the easternmost crossing of the East River . Due to this and its proximity to I-95 , it is the closest route from Long Island to New Jersey via the George Washington Bridge , as well as points north. The Throgs Neck Bridge is owned by the government of New York City and operated by the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA), an affiliate agency of
21432-491: The wild . To release a captive-bred falcon, the bird is placed in a special cage at the top of a tower or cliff ledge for some days or so, allowing it to acclimate itself to its future environment. Worldwide recovery efforts have been remarkably successful. The widespread restriction of DDT use eventually allowed released birds to breed successfully. The peregrine falcon was removed from the U.S. Endangered Species list on 25 August 1999. Some controversy has existed over
21584-480: The wing chord measures 26.5 to 39 cm (10.4–15.4 in), the tail measures 13 to 19 cm (5.1–7.5 in) and the tarsus measures 4.5 to 5.6 cm (1.8–2.2 in). The back and the long pointed wings of the adult are usually bluish black to slate grey with indistinct darker barring (see "Subspecies" below ); the wingtips are black. The white to rusty underparts are barred with thin clean bands of dark brown or black. The tail, coloured like
21736-491: The world peregrine falcons have adapted to urban habitats, nesting on cathedrals , skyscraper window ledges, tower blocks, and the towers of suspension bridges . Many of these nesting birds are encouraged, sometimes gathering media attention and often monitored by cameras. In England , peregrine falcons have become increasingly urban in distribution, particularly in southern areas where inland cliffs suitable as nesting sites are scarce. The first recorded urban breeding pair
21888-652: The world, such as the eastern United States and Belgium , this species became extirpated (locally extinct) as a result. An alternate point of view is that populations in the eastern North America had vanished due to hunting and egg collection. Following the ban of organochlorine pesticides, the reproductive success of Peregrines increased in Scotland in terms of territory occupancy and breeding success, although spatial variation in recovery rates indicate that in some areas Peregrines were also impacted by other factors such as persecution. Peregrine falcon recovery teams breed
22040-401: Was attended by Robert Moses, as well as mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. , lieutenant governor Malcolm Wilson , City Council president Abe Stark , and Queens borough president John T. Clancy . The opening of the Throgs Neck Bridge had been accelerated in advance of the start of the 1964 New York World's Fair at nearby Flushing Meadows–Corona Park . Immediately after the bridge's opening ceremony,
22192-661: Was built between 1829 and 1832, replacing a wooden bridge further downstream which collapsed in 1828. It is the only suspension bridge across the non-tidal Thames. The Széchenyi Chain Bridge , (designed in 1840, opened in 1849), spanning the River Danube in Budapest, was also designed by William Clark and it is a larger-scale version of Marlow Bridge. An interesting variation is Thornewill and Warham 's Ferry Bridge in Burton-on-Trent , Staffordshire (1889), where
22344-426: Was introduced, it had been expanded to 20 lanes. The initial rollout of E-ZPass at the Throgs Neck Bridge caused large delays, as some of the toll lanes were dedicated exclusively to E-ZPass users, unlike at other MTA crossings that did not have dedicated E-ZPass lanes. In February 1998, the MTA discontinued the sale of toll tokens on the Throgs Neck Bridge. Throggs Neck residents stated that they could not easily access
22496-415: Was lightest. The program was canceled in 2007, and overweight vehicles were only allowed to use the bridge with a special permit. As of 2018, heavy trucks carrying less than 40 short tons (36 long tons; 36 metric tons), as well as selected heavy trucks carrying more than 40 tons with permits, may use the Throgs Neck Bridge; all other trucks are restricted. In 2019, the MTA announced that it would replace
22648-529: Was observed nesting on the Swansea Guildhall in the 1980s. In Southampton , a nest prevented restoration of mobile telephony services for several months in 2013, after Vodafone engineers despatched to repair a faulty transmitter mast discovered a nest in the mast, and were prevented by the Wildlife and Countryside Act – on pain of a possible prison sentence – from proceeding with repairs until
22800-462: Was renovated in 1983. That July, the MTA initially signed a contract to use steel imported from Japan and South Korea, around the same time that Governor Mario Cuomo signed a "Buy American" law giving preference to American steel. The contract was controversial because, although importing Asian steel would have been $ 3.5 million cheaper than buying American steel, it would have also disadvantaged American workers. Subsequently, Cuomo tried to get
22952-404: Was the first modern suspension bridge outside the United States built with parallel wire cables. Two towers/pillars, two suspension cables, four suspension cable anchors, multiple suspender cables, the bridge deck. The main cables of a suspension bridge will form a catenary when hanging under their own weight only. When supporting the deck, the cables will instead form a parabola , assuming
23104-436: Was to cost $ 93 million. The span was needed because of increasing congestion on the Bronx–Whitestone Bridge 2 miles (3.2 km) west, which was nearing its traffic capacity by the late 1950s. Traffic loads on the Triborough and Bronx–Whitestone Bridges had more than doubled on both bridges after World War II . The city and Port Authority came to a provisional agreement for the highway arterial plan in late March 1955, and
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