Manhattan is connected to the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn across the Harlem and East Rivers by more than a dozen bridges, but only one bridge is limited to foot traffic and it links Wards Island to East Harlem. The 103rd Street Footbridge has been closed for two years, undergoing an extensive $17 million renovation after 60 years in service as a lift bridge—its center span can be raised on cables to accommodate passing ship traffic between the Harlem River and the East River. Now Manhattan will be reconnected to Randalls Island by the alternately named Wards Island Bridge twenty-four hours a day. Wards and Randalls Islands used to be two islands separated by a small creek that was filled at the direction of Robert Moses. The combined islands have recently become a recreation outlet for the Upper East Side, with the construction of many new playing fields. According to the Daily News, prior to the renovation the bridge was only open 7 months a year and access limited to daylight hours. This will be the first time the bridge will remain continuously open since the early 1980s.
· Footbridge Linking East Harlem to Randalls Island to Re-open After 2-year, $16.8M Makeover [NYDN]
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