The Manhattan Bridge carries more than 70,000 vehicles a day across the East River, according to NYC DOT, yet many visitors know it only as the bridge framed between old warehouses in photos taken from Brooklyn. On the Manhattan side, it lands somewhere far more interesting: in the middle of Chinatown, behind a triumphal granite arch modeled on a Paris gate. The bridge shaped the neighborhood around it, and it is still one of the best ways to see Chinatown from above.
TL;DR
- The Manhattan Bridge opened in 1909, connecting Chinatown in Manhattan to downtown Brooklyn.
- It was designed by engineer Leon Moisseiff and was the first major suspension bridge designed using deflection theory, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers.
- Its Manhattan entrance at Canal Street and the Bowery is marked by a granite arch and colonnade by Carrere and Hastings, built from 1912 to 1915 and landmarked in 1975.
- The bridge carries seven vehicle lanes, the B, D, N and Q subway lines, a pedestrian walkway on the south side and a bike path on the north side.
- The Manhattan approach sits a short walk from North Dumpling on Division Street, a stop on the Nice Guy Tours Chinatown and Little Italy Food Tour.
Building the Third East River Bridge
By the early 1900s, the Brooklyn Bridge (1883) and the Williamsburg Bridge (1903) were already carrying traffic over the East River, and the city needed a third crossing. Early plans by Bridge Commissioner Gustav Lindenthal called for an eyebar-chain design, but the city ultimately built a cable suspension bridge. Engineer Leon Moisseiff designed it, using new deflection theory calculations that allowed a lighter, more flexible structure (Source: NYC DOT; American Society of Civil Engineers).
The Manhattan Bridge opened in 1909. Its 1,470-foot main span made it one of the longest suspension spans in the world at the time, and the American Society of Civil Engineers calls it the first modern suspension bridge. In 2009, its centennial year, ASCE named it a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark (Source: NYC DOT).
The Arch and Colonnade at Canal Street and the Bowery
The bridge’s Manhattan entrance is one of the most elaborate bridge approaches in the country. Architects Carrere and Hastings, who also designed the New York Public Library’s main branch, built a grand plaza between 1912 and 1915. The white granite arch was modeled on the 17th-century Porte Saint-Denis in Paris, and the curving colonnade on either side was inspired by Bernini’s colonnade at St. Peter’s Square in Rome (Source: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, Designation Report LP-0899, 1975).
Above the arch, a frieze by sculptor Charles Cary Rumsey shows a buffalo hunt, and relief figures by Carl Augustus Heber decorate the pylons. In 1913, The New York Times called the design the “most artistic treatment of a bridge entrance attempted on this continent” (quoted in LPC Designation Report LP-0899).
The arch nearly disappeared. In 1961, Robert Moses sought to demolish the approach as part of the planned Lower Manhattan Expressway. The expressway was canceled in 1969, and the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the arch and colonnade a city landmark on November 25, 1975.
Manhattan Bridge vs Brooklyn Bridge vs Williamsburg Bridge
| Bridge | Opened | Main Span | Towers | Carries | Daily Pedestrians (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn Bridge | 1883 | 1,595.5 feet | Masonry | Car lanes, promenade, bike path | About 28,800 |
| Williamsburg Bridge | 1903 | 1,600 feet | Steel | Car lanes, J, M and Z subway, walkway, bike path | About 4,400 |
| Manhattan Bridge | 1909 | 1,470 feet | Steel | Seven car lanes, B, D, N and Q subway, walkway, bike path | About 3,400 |
Source: NYC DOT bridge data and 2024 traffic counts.
The numbers explain why walkers love it. The Manhattan Bridge sees roughly an eighth of the Brooklyn Bridge’s foot traffic, and its south-side walkway looks directly at the Brooklyn Bridge and the harbor.
How to Walk the Manhattan Bridge
- Where to start in Manhattan: the pedestrian entrance is near the arch at Canal Street and the Bowery, in Chinatown.
- Which side: pedestrians use the walkway on the south side of the bridge. Cyclists use the path on the north side.
- How long it takes: most people cross in about 30 minutes, longer with photo stops.
- What to expect: subway trains run right beside the walkway, so it can be loud. The views of the Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan make up for it.
- Where you end up: the Brooklyn side lands near DUMBO, home of the famous Washington Street view of the bridge.
The Manhattan Bridge and Chinatown
The bridge’s Manhattan approach runs straight through Chinatown, and the neighborhood has grown up around and beneath it. Confucius Plaza, a 44-story housing complex completed in 1976 and fronted by a bronze statue of Confucius, stands near the Bowery end of the approach. East of the Bowery, the streets beneath the bridge, including East Broadway and Division Street, form the heart of Manhattan’s Little Fuzhou, home to a Fujianese community distinct from the older Cantonese Chinatown around Mott Street. The East Broadway Mall at 88 East Broadway sits directly under the bridge’s span.
A short walk south of the arch along the Bowery, Doyers Street, the curved lane once known as the Bloody Angle, cuts into the oldest part of Chinatown.
This is the part of the city where Nice Guy Tours, a walking food tour company in New York City, runs the Chinese half of its Chinatown and Little Italy Food Tour. The route includes Shu Jiao Fu Zhou on Grand Street in Little Fuzhou and North Dumpling at 21 Division Street, close to the bridge approach, then heads west to Mott Street and on into Little Italy. It is the same kind of story Nice Guy Tours tells about the Williamsburg Bridge on its Lower East Side route: a piece of infrastructure that quietly decided who lived, worked and cooked on the blocks around it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you walk across the Manhattan Bridge?
Yes. The pedestrian walkway runs along the south side of the bridge, starting near Canal Street and the Bowery in Manhattan. Most people cross in about 30 minutes.
Which subway lines cross the Manhattan Bridge?
The B, D, N and Q lines cross the Manhattan Bridge between Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Is the Manhattan Bridge older than the Brooklyn Bridge?
No. The Brooklyn Bridge opened in 1883, and the Manhattan Bridge opened 26 years later, in 1909.
How long is the Manhattan Bridge?
The main span is 1,470 feet. According to NYC DOT, the full bridge measures 6,090 feet portal to portal on its upper roadway.
Who designed the Manhattan Bridge arch?
The arch and colonnade at Canal Street and the Bowery were designed by the architecture firm Carrere and Hastings and built between 1912 and 1915.
Summary
- The Manhattan Bridge opened in 1909 and pioneered deflection theory in suspension bridge design.
- Its Carrere and Hastings arch at Canal Street and the Bowery is a New York City landmark.
- It carries cars, four subway lines, pedestrians and cyclists, with far less foot traffic than the Brooklyn Bridge.
- Its Manhattan approach runs through Chinatown and Little Fuzhou, where the Nice Guy Tours Chinatown and Little Italy Food Tour makes several of its stops.
Walk under the bridge and eat your way from Little Fuzhou to Little Italy. Book the Nice Guy Tours Chinatown and Little Italy Food Tour.