Hell Gate Bridge

Planning At the end of the 19th century, there was no direct rail connection between New England and New Jersey, nor between Long Island and the rest of the continental United States. Trains traveling between any of these locations had to use barges,) allowed passenger trains to travel between Long Island and New Jersey, no railroad line yet existed between Long Island and New England. Passengers traveling along the modern-day Northeast Corridor had to take a ferry from New Jersey and walk across Manhattan to Grand Central Terminal, or vice versa, to continue their journey. 1890s progress The New York Connecting Railroad (NYCR), headed by Oliver W. Barnes, was incorporated in April 1892 to build the bridge. Throughout the 1890s, the New York State Legislature considered various bills that would give the NYCR a franchise to construct a bridge from Long Island to the U.S. mainland, but to no avail. The NYCR planned for the bridge to carry a line from Manhattan to Brooklyn. In March 1898, U.S. representative John H. Ketcham proposed legislation to allow the NYCR to erect a bridge with two or more tracks across the Bronx Kill, Little Hell Gate, and Hell Gate waterways, connecting the Bronx (on the U.S. mainland) with Randalls Island, Wards Island, and Long Island. Although the federal government of the United States required that the clearance below any bridge across the East River (of which the Hell Gate was part) be above mean high water, the bill permitted a bridge as low as above mean high water. The , bridge was to connect the New York Central Railroad and NH lines in the Bronx with the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and South Brooklyn Railway lines on Long Island. A state senator introduced a bill in February 1899 to incorporate the Wards Island Bridge Company to construct the bridge. Cantilever plan The New York State Legislature passed a bill in April 1900, authorizing the NYCR to build a bridge from the Port Morris station in the Bronx to the Bushwick Junction station in Queens, and New York governor Theodore Roosevelt signed the bill the next month. Alfred P. Boller drew up plans for a cantilever bridge. The cantilever span was to measure long, wide, and high; the project, including of approach tracks, was to cost $5.5 million. The cantilever design was selected because it was cheaper than a suspension bridge of the same length. Construction of the bridge was to have begun in September 1900 and be completed in five years. Merchants from Brooklyn supported the bridge, saying it would reduce the cost of delivering goods to that borough. The bridge would also enable passenger trains from upstate New York and New England to travel to New Jersey via the East River and North River tunnels. Freight traffic would still be required to use car floats, as trains would not be able to fit into the tunnels; Initially, the PRR did not intend to use the bridge, and the crossing was to connect with the trackage of the LIRR. Ultimately, in 1901, the PRR and NH bought the NYCR. This was part of a larger plan to improve rail infrastructure in the New York City area, including a "belt line" for freight (now the Fremont Secondary and Bay Ridge Branch), of which the bridge was to be a part. Work on the belt line was about to begin by early 1902, The PRR announced in February 1903 that it would build a double-tracked cantilever bridge, and it drew up a contract to order of steel from United States Steel. The bridge's central span would have been the world's longest cantilever span. The Port Chester Journal described the planned crossing as "an unusual bridge in point of engineering skill". PRR vice president Samuel Rea requested in March 1904 that the Rapid Transit Commission approve the bridge and belt line, and charge the PRR rent, so work could commence as soon as possible. That June, the Rapid Transit Commission granted a perpetual franchise for the bridge and belt line to the NYCR. The connecting railroad was to pay the New York City government a fee to cross the East River. this ruled out the original cantilever design, which required a straight "anchor span". Instead, Lindenthal first considered a continuous truss bridge, a suspension bridge, and a cantilever bridge across Hell Gate. After rejecting all three designs, Lindenthal studied designs for a spandrel arch and a cantilever arch, both of which would be cheaper than either the suspension or cantilever proposals. Ultimately, he chose a modified form of the spandrel-arch design. His assistant Othmar Ammann wrote that the arch design would allow the bridge to serve as a figurative portal to the Port of New York and New Jersey. In early 1905, the PRR sent engineers and workers to make borings for the bridge's foundation in Astoria. Work on the bridge's superstructure was delayed because the New York City Board of Aldermen would not approve several aspects of the franchise, prompting an unsuccessful proposal to remove the aldermen's ability to grant franchises. Among other things, the aldermen wanted trains on the bridge to use electric power exclusively, provide space for vehicles and pedestrians, and the city to be allowed to add utility wires to the bridge. New York Governor Frank W. Higgins signed a bill in mid-1905, allowing the start of construction to be postponed by several months. That November, the NYCR asked the Rapid Transit Commission to renew its application for a franchise, citing delays from the Board of Aldermen. The negotiations over the franchise sometimes turned contentious, but the PRR ultimately was promised a franchise from the city in December 1906. By then, the bridge was planned to fit four tracks, though only two would be used initially. The original two-track plan had been changed after the architects found that the cost of converting a two-track bridge to four tracks would be much higher than the upfront cost of a four-track bridge. The New York City Board of Estimate approved the NYCR's franchise in February 1907. Rea submitted plans for the arch bridge in May 1907 to the city's Municipal Art Commission. The arch would have a clear span of , the longest of its kind in the world, and would carry two passenger tracks and two freight tracks. The remainder of the bridge would be a viaduct made of reinforced concrete and steel plate girders. The plans were drawn up by consulting engineer Gustav Lindenthal and architects Palmer and Hornbostel. That June, the Rapid Transit Commission voted to amend the NYCR's franchise. The franchise allowed the NYCR to construct a viaduct across Wards Island, placing the railroad in possible conflict with the New York State Hospital Commission, which had leased the island from the city, although the hospital commission ultimately did allow engineers to survey the island. The Municipal Art Commission rejected the original bridge plans in July 1907 as "not artistic". Land acquisition and finalization of plans During the late 1900s, the NH and PRR acquired land for the bridge's right-of-way. The first house in the bridge's right-of-way was relocated at the beginning of 1908. The Pennsylvania Railroad announced in December 1908 that, as soon as Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan was completed, the railroad would begin constructing the bridge. The bridge was to cost up to $20 million. at which point the cost of the bridge had increased to $25 million. The NYCR's engineers prepared new plans for the main span's piers the same year. That December, the PRR and NH agreed to share the cost of the bridge's construction. The Hell Gate Bridge was to be the fifth bridge across the East River (after the Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg, and Queensboro bridges), as well as the first built by a private company rather than the city government. By early 1910, the plans for the arch's piers were being revised, and surveyors were studying the route of the bridge and its approaches. The plans for the steelwork were revised the same year to accommodate a heavier type of trackbed. The PRR, NH, and LIRR were concurrently finalizing contracts for the construction of the NYCR line, which had commenced in mid-1910. The revised plans for the main span were not submitted to the Municipal Art Commission until early 1911, and a contract for the bridge's steel had still not been awarded. The PRR took title to the last remaining land lots in Queens in June 1911. By the end of the year, the designs for the Bronx Kill and Little Hell Gate spans were still being revised, and land condemnation for the bridge was nearly finished. Lindenthal estimated in late 1911 that the bridge would cost $18 million and be completed in 1914. The Municipal Art Commission ultimately approved the revised plans. and were nearly completed by the end of the year. while the McClintic-Marshall Company was hired to manufacture steel for the other parts of the bridge. The Carnegie Steel Company was hired in early 1912 to roll the steel plates for the bridge. Later that year, Patrick Ryan, the Manhattan Bridge's main contractor, received a $2 million contract to build the bridge's foundation, while John A. Gray received a contract to complete test borings for the bridge. Masonry contracts were awarded to Patrick Ryan (who partnered with U.S. Realty to build the Hell Gate spans' towers), as well as Arthur McMullin and T. A. Gillespie. Harold W. Hudson was the chief construction engineer. Work formally commenced on the Bronx and Queens approach viaducts in July 1912, and work on the foundations of the main span's towers began that September, though no above-ground work had commenced. By October 1912, workers were preparing to lower caissons for the main span's Wards Island tower, as the underlying layer of rock was over deep and was covered by layers of sand, coarse gravel, and boulders. The caissons were larger and deeper than those used in the construction of the tallest buildings in New York City at the time. It ultimately took seven months to sink the caissons and ensure that the tower would not be susceptible to settlement. In November 1912, a New York Supreme Court justice enjoined the contractors from erecting abutments on Wards Island. The injunction was lifted in January 1913, when the State Supreme Court ruled that the law permitting the bridge's construction overrode the law that restricted railroads above the grounds of a hospital. Pier construction The construction of piers on Randalls and Wards Islands and in Queens began in February 1913. The contractor built a dock on Wards Island to load and unload material. Derricks carried solid materials from the dock to a conveyor belts, which in turn led to covered storage bins, while cement was poured down a chute to a cement house next to the storage bins. Sand, stone, and cement from the bins were dumped into "charging cars" and carried to a mixing plant, where the material was mixed into concrete. The next month, the PRR and NH announced that the NYCR would issue a $30 million mortgage and $11 million in bonds to fund the construction of the Hell Gate Bridge and associated lines; the railroads had spent $8.6 million to date on the bridge. The bonds were issued later that year. During a site visit in mid-1914, a local civic group noted that a temporary span had been finished across Bronx Kill and that piers were being built within the riverbed of Little Hell Gate. The main span's towers had reached the height of the deck by the end of 1914, while almost all of the other piers had been completed by then. Steelwork and completion Steel girders and plates for the Little Hell Gate and Bronx Kill spans were being installed by late 1914. The arched main span above Hell Gate was technically challenging because Hell Gate was a navigable waterway, and the arch could not be constructed using falsework. To accommodate the backstays, the tops of the towers and some adjacent piers could not be completed until after the Hell Gate span was finished. After the backstays were constructed, movable derricks were installed atop the backstays. One thousand workers and 40 engineers began installing the steelwork of the arch in November 1914; many of the laborers were Mohawk Native American ironworkers from Quebec and upstate New York. Work proceeded in two sections from either shore toward the middle of Hell Gate. The main span consisted of 23 panels, Each piece was delivered to the site via car floats, then transported up via derricks. and both halves were officially joined on October 1. The gap between the two parts of the arch was just . The completion of the arch made the Hell Gate span the longest steel arch in the world. Finishing touches were placed on the bridge during late 1916. In total, the bridge cost $18.5 million. Before the bridge's official opening, police forces patrolled it to prevent sabotage during World War I. == Operational history ==

Opening The first train ran across the bridge at a dedication ceremony on March 9, 1917, on a track constructed for the occasion. The Hell Gate Bridge was not complete; workers were still laying tracks, Intercity passenger trains began running on April 1 with the rerouting of the NH's Federal Express via the bridge. The Hell Gate span was the world's longest steel arch bridge until the Bayonne Bridge, between New York and New Jersey, was completed in 1931. Its completion enabled passengers to travel the length of the Northeast Corridor without having to transfer to a ferry. In mid-1917, NYCR applied for permission to issue $1.5 million in bonds to finish the bridge. The bridge started carrying other routes in late 1917, such as the PRR's Colonial Express, the Washington-Bar Harbor Express, and a short-lived St. Louis–Pittsburgh–Boston route. Commuter services continued to run to Grand Central Terminal. Though the bridge only carried rail traffic when it opened, it could also be adapted for pedestrian and car traffic. By the end of 1917, all four tracks were complete, and freight trains began running across the bridge in January 1918. At the time, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle wrote that the bridge would be able to accommodate 240 freight cars daily. The passenger tracks were also electrified by 1918. During World War I, when the federal government took control of railroad lines in the U.S., the New York Central began using the Hell Gate Bridge, allowing Long Island merchants to send products directly to the mainland via any railroad. The bridge was carrying only four passenger trains per day by September 1918, amid the war. As late as 1919, the bridge was still carrying very limited passenger service because of wartime restrictions that diverted train traffic. The New York Central stopped using the bridge in November 1920 after the PRR and NH raised the bridge's freight-transport fees, and the New York Central began using car floats to Long Island instead. a proposal that he repeated in 1924. Civic organizations across the city supported the extra deck, and the engineering firm of Robinson and Steinman conducted a study, finding that it was feasible to add the deck. In late 1926, mayor Jimmy Walker appointed a committee to consider the plan. Albert Goldman, the Commissioner of Plant and Structures, estimated that the Hell Gate Bridge only had enough space for five lanes of roadway, so a new bridge would have to be constructed parallel to it. Accordingly, the Triborough Bridge was proposed as an entirely new bridge in March 1927, and that span would open in 1936. Meanwhile, the Port of New York Authority, which sought to increase the number of freight trains that used the Hell Gate Bridge, hosted hearings in late 1924 to determine whether New York Central freight trains should be allowed to use the bridge, while the LIRR, NH, and PRR opposed it. The Port Authority ordered the PRR and NH to allow New York Central trains on the bridge in February 1925. The order was modified to exclude freight to and from New England, but the PRR and NH still refused to allow the New York Central to use the bridge after thirty days. A spur route from the bridge, which would have allowed trains from the Bronx to travel to a new terminal in Long Island City, was proposed the same year. PRR officials opposed the plan because it would strain the capacity of the bridge's two western tracks, and ultimately the spur was canceled. By the end of 1925, the bridge was carrying 1,200 freight cars per day. In early 1926, the Port Authority asked the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to allow all freight trains on the bridge. The PRR and NH again opposed the move, and the PRR argued that allowing other railroads' trains on the bridge would discourage railroads from improving routes used by competitors. ICC examiners recommended opening the bridge only to freight trains toward Long Island; at the time, traffic to Long Island constituted 88 percent of the island's freight traffic volume. The Port Authority continued to advocate for allowing all railroads to use the bridge in both directions. The freight tracks were electrified in 1927. The Port Authority also asked the ICC to lower the fees charged on freight trains using the bridge. The ICC ruled in 1928 that the railroads were not required to lower their rates but that they were required to allow other railroads to use the bridge during emergencies or when other routes were congested. 1930s to 1960s By 1932, residents of Long Island were advocating for the construction of a second rail link between their island and the Bronx, due to the lack of direct freight service to eastern Long Island via the Hell Gate Bridge. The same year, the ICC hosted hearings over whether to run passenger trains over the bridge between eastern Long Island and New England; the ICC ultimately rejected a Long Island–New England passenger train as impractical, inconvenient, and of little benefit. In 1934, the NH put up its share of the bridge as collateral for a $6 million loan from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. The NH was allowed to take back its portion of the bridge even if the RFC foreclosed on the loan; the NH declared bankruptcy the next year, remaining under trusteeship until 1947. During World War II, in 1940, officials disarmed a live bomb under the Hell Gate Bridge. The bridge's economic value made it a target of Operation Pastorius, a Nazi sabotage plan, which was thwarted in 1942. The NYCR began leasing out land around the bridge's approach viaducts to nearby property owners in the 1940s. Additionally, passengers had to pay a surcharge on tickets for train trips that used the bridge, unless they were traveling to or from New York City; the surcharge had resulted an estimated $20.9 million in revenue for the bridge from 1920 to 1950. The surcharge prompted investigations from the ICC in the mid-1940s and again in 1951, but the surcharge was upheld both times. The NH had declared bankruptcy in 1961 but continued to own a 50% stake in the bridge. A feasibility study on the possible liquidation of the NH found that the bridge's salvage value was equal to the theoretical cost of demolition. The PRR's own issues compelled it to merge with New York Central in 1968, forming the Penn Central Transportation Company, which also included the NH. During the 1960s and early 1970s, there were suggestions to transfer ownership of the bridge to the New York City Transit Authority In addition, there had been concerns about the bridge's upkeep as early as 1967, when debris from the bridge fell to the ground near Astoria Park. The freight tracks were de-electrified in 1969. One of the bridge's freight tracks was abandoned during that decade as well. New York state voters approved a bond issue in 1974, which provided $250 million for numerous upgrades to New York City's railroads. The upgrades included modifications to allow double-stack freight trains to use the Hell Gate Bridge, thereby reducing the need for cargo trucks to travel through the city. Amtrak took over the bridge itself, and the passenger services that used it, by 1975, while Conrail began operating additional freight trains over it during the same decade. Due to poor drainage, water had seeped through the viaducts, causing rocks to come loose. City councilman Peter Vallone Sr. and U.S. representative Mario Biaggi advocated for Amtrak to repair the viaducts, saying the conditions threatened local residents' lives. When the project resumed in 1980, workers added welded steel plates on the trackbeds to prevent objects from falling. Even after the repairs were finished, local residents continued to express concerns about the viaduct's structural integrity. Additionally, the bridge's paint was peeling off by the late 1980s. Sources disagree on whether the bridge had last been repainted in 1939 Vallone asked the federal government to fix the bridge after falling debris broke a car's window in 1988. though Amtrak officials denied that there was deterioration. The New York Times described the bridge in 1991 as "a flaking and crumbling symbol of urban decay and decline". Moynihan convened a United States Senate hearing in 1990 after attempting to contact Amtrak officials about the bridge; at the hearing, Amtrak officials testified that the bridge did not need repainting. The officials also estimated the cost of repainting at $43 million, though Moynihan disputed these estimates. The United States Congress allocated $55 million to renovate the bridge in late 1991, which included $42 million for repainting and $13 million for structural improvements. In exchange, the New York State Department of Transportation had to provide matching funds for 20 percent of the federal allocation. At the time, 20 Amtrak trains used the bridge every day. at Moynihan's request, the Municipal Art Society asked six architects and artists to decide the color in which the bridge should be painted. The bridge was repainted a deep red hue known as Hell Gate Red. The repainting was completed in 1996, and graffiti began to appear on the viaducts shortly afterward. Beginning in the 1990s, local residents and students painted several murals under the Queens approach viaduct. Providence and Worcester Railroad freight trains carrying stone from quarries in Connecticut began using the bridge in 1996 to reach Long Island. The Oak Point Link near the bridge's Bronx end was completed in 1998, allowing freight trains from the Hudson Line (to the west) to access the bridge without having to make multiple tight turns. In addition, as part of the 1998 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, Congress allocated $15 million to repaint the bridge. By then, 34 Amtrak trains used the bridge daily. 2000s to present In the first decade of the 21st century, the bridge carried around 41 passenger trains per weekday, as well as less frequent freight-train service. and Vallone said in 2001 that the paint had started to peel off. Security on the bridge was increased following the September 11 attacks. In 2002, state government officials announced plans to spend $11.8 million to replace the bridge's freight track so it could support heavier trains. After Peter Vallone Jr. was elected to his father's city council seat, the younger Vallone also unsuccessfully requested that Amtrak repaint the bridge throughout much of the 2000s. Following further reports of cracks and falling debris, Amtrak workers installed steel plates on the trackbed in the mid-2000s. Amtrak proposed raising rental fees for the land under the bridge's approach viaducts in 2006, in some cases as much as 100,000 percent. The bridge's paint continued to fade during the 2010s. By early 2016, several local politicians were advocating for Amtrak to repaint the bridge in advance of its centennial, citing the fact that various parts of the spans had become discolored. That year, Amtrak increased rental fees for the land under the bridge from tens of dollars to as much as $40,000 a year. The railroad reversed the rent increases following outcry from local residents. The Greater Astoria Historical Society, in conjunction with Amtrak, celebrated the centennial of the bridge's opening in 2017. As part of Penn Station Access, in the 2020s, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) began upgrading the Hell Gate Line to accommodate the Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line. ==Description==

The Hell Gate Bridge was originally known as the New York Connecting Railroad Bridge Including approach viaducts in the Bronx and Queens, the Hell Gate Bridge is composed of seven sections. or long. Gustav Lindenthal was the chief engineer for the bridge; he was assisted by the engineers Othmar Ammann and David B. Steinman. In addition, Henry Hornbostel was the bridge's architect. The Hell Gate Bridge is used exclusively as a railroad bridge, carrying passenger trains traveling between New York Penn Station and the Bronx, as well as freight trains heading between Queens and the Bronx. The Hell Gate Bridge parallels the Hell Gate and Bronx Kill legs of the Robert F. Kennedy (formerly Triborough) Bridge to the west. The span across Hell Gate is oriented roughly from northwest to southeast, while the other two spans are oriented from northeast to southwest. The bridge was built with provisions for an upper level if the need arose. The decks of each span are all made of concrete panels, which carry track beds with ballast; this was intended to reduce noise pollution and is unusual for a railroad bridge. The February 2005 issue of Discover magazine estimated that, if humans were to disappear, the bridge could last for at least a millennium; most other bridges would fall in about 300 years. Main span The main span is a spandrel arch across the Hell Gate strait, When the main span was completed, it was sometimes referred to specifically as the Hell Gate Bridge The main span was intended to carry a total load of approximately 76,000 pounds per lineal foot, or kilograms per lineal meter. In total, the main span required between of rolled steel. On either side of the deck is an upper chord, with an inverted U-shaped cross section, and a lower chord, with a box-shaped cross section. The two chords are apart at either shore of Hell Gate, narrowing to apart at the middle of the river. The upper chord is thinner and functions like a stiffening truss; or above mean high water. Beams run vertically and diagonally between the upper and lower chords. Eight stringers, or girders, run parallel to and under the tracks for the entire length of the deck. Four additional stringers were intended to support unbuilt walkways or trolley tracks on either side. Towers Hornbostel was responsible for the towers on either shore of Hell Gate, which were designed to resemble castle keeps. Steel girders inside the towers support the tracks, The viaduct across Randalls Island is about long The inverted bowstring truss span is long, as measured from the centers of the abutments on either side. Bronx Kill span A fixed truss bridge crosses the Bronx Kill strait. The span is supported by a central pier between the two trusses, as well as by "tower piers" at either end. The piers are clad with granite below the mean water level and concrete above. Although the center and south piers are placed on solid rock, the north pier is placed on spread footings because the underlying layer of rock descends sharply to the north. Approach viaducts The height of the arch above Hell Gate required that the line be placed on an elevated viaduct between Long Island City and Port Morris. The viaduct is almost entirely composed of steel and concrete, except for small segments at either end, where the line is carried on an embankment with retaining walls. The Bronx viaduct merges with the former four-track Port Morris Branch (now the one-track Oak Point Link) at 142nd Street in Port Morris. Separate ramps carry the western and eastern pairs of tracks down to the level of the Port Morris Branch. The western ramp crosses over the Port Morris Branch's former eastern pair of tracks from 132nd to 133rd Street and is supported by large steel cross-girders. The section from 29th to 44th Street measures long and was originally called the eastern viaduct. and three-centered arches were used at two locations where a flatter arch was required. Warren truss bridges carry the line diagonally above intersections. The truss-bridge segments typically measure long East of 44th Street, the viaduct ends, and the line descends onto an embankment. The passenger and freight tracks branch off in western Queens, past the end of the viaduct. ==Usage==

The bridge carries two passenger rail tracks, which are part of Amtrak's electrified Northeast Corridor line, and one freight rail track, which is part of the New York Connecting Railroad's Fremont Secondary line. The bridge uses a track gauge of , the U.S. standard gauge. The passenger tracks are electrified by overhead wire, Services Passenger rail The bridge's two western tracks are part of the Hell Gate Line and are used for Acela Express and Northeast Regional service between New York and Boston. The bridge has traditionally been used by long-distance trains. It has also hosted occasional commuter services, such as special Metro-North services from Connecticut to the Meadowlands station in New Jersey. all Amtrak trains traveling from New York Penn Station to upstate New York and New England had to use the bridge. In 1962, a regional transportation committee proposed running commuter rail trains from Connecticut to New York Penn Station via the Hell Gate Bridge, The proposal was again studied in 1969 and 1973, A plan to run some New Haven Line trains over the bridge was again proposed in the 1990s; the main obstacle to the plan was a lack of track space at Penn Station. Amtrak and the MTA reached an agreement regarding track usage rights in 2019, and construction on Penn Station Access commenced in 2022, after the completion of East Side Access freed up space at Penn Station. , New Haven Line trains were expected to begin running to Penn Station in 2028. There have been proposals for the bridge to carry rapid transit as well. In 1950 and again in 1954, Bronx borough president James J. Lyons proposed running a subway line between Manhattan and the Bronx via the bridge. The Triboro RX subway line, between the Bronx and Brooklyn, was proposed in the 1990s and would have used the Hell Gate Bridge. The Triboro RX plan was scaled down after the MTA determined that it would not be feasible to operate rapid transit on the bridge when Penn Station Access was finished. Another track was abandoned in the 1970s Freight trains had to switch between electric and steam-powered locomotives at Oak Point Yard. The New York State Legislature passed the Kaufman Act in 1923, mandating the electrification of all railways in New York City, including the freight routes on the Hell Gate Bridge, by January 1, 1926. The freight tracks were still not electrified in late 1925, and was given until mid-1928 to fully electrify the line. Electric freight service began in July 1927. The passenger tracks were originally electrified using a 11 kV, 25 Hz overhead catenary traction power system, as they were part of the NH's electrification system. After Amtrak took over the Northeast Corridor in the 1970s, it announced plans to upgrade the line to a 25 kV, 60 Hz traction power system. Ultimately, the section of track over the Hell Gate Bridge was upgraded to 12.5 kV, 60 Hz electric traction. Just south of the bridge's Queens terminus, the Hell Gate Line transitions to Amtrak's 12 kV, 25 Hz traction power system, as that part of the route was electrified by the PRR. Power is supplied by substations along the Hell Gate Line. During the winter, the catenary wires could be defrosted by increasing the current coming from the substations. Fees and surcharges Fees were originally charged on freight trains that used the Hell Gate Bridge. For instance, in the 1910s, the New Haven Railroad charged a fee of three cents for every of cargo that was transported via the bridge, a fee that was raised to five cents after World War I. The surcharge, imposed on all passengers who were not departing or arriving at New York Penn Station, was originally 75 cents but was raised to 90 cents in 1920. To avoid the surcharge, passengers transiting through New York City frequently chose to buy a ticket from their original departure point to Penn Station, then another from Penn Station to their destination. an ICC examiner recommended that the PRR and NH stop charging the fee, but the ICC rejected the recommendation. The ICC launched another inquiry into the surcharge in 1951. but the ICC also rejected the proposal. == Impact ==

Critical reception When the bridge was being built, The New York Times wrote that the bridge's abutments would dwarf the buildings on Wards Islands but that "it will give the idea of lightness and symmetry as well as almost immovable strength". After the main arch was completed, a writer for the New-York Tribune said: "Perhaps never in human history has a mechanical triumph of such magnitude been launched with so little fanfare", A 1972 almanac described the Hell Gate Bridge as one of 84 "notable modern bridges" across the world. Jeffrey Kroessler and Nina Rappaport, the authors of the 1990 book Historic Preservation in Queens, described the Hell Gate Bridge as one of 35 structures in Queens that they believed were worth designating as official New York City landmarks. At the end of the 20th century, the Engineering News-Record wrote that, "Its name notwithstanding, Hell Gate Bridge over the East River in New York City is considered to be one of the world's most beautiful bridges." but that the bridge was rarely noticed by those on the ground. At the bridge's centennial, Greater Astoria Historical Society director Bob Singleton called the Hell Gate Bridge "a school for 20th-century bridge making" and attributed the bridge's relative obscurity to the fact that it did not accommodate vehicles or pedestrians. Effect on development and commerce When the Hell Gate Bridge and the NYCR line were proposed, the Brooklyn Times reported that the bridge and line would shift New York City's freight rail traffic from Manhattan to Brooklyn, and PRR president Alexander Cassatt said the project would be second only to the Panama Canal in its impact on trade. The bridge would also enable residents of towns along the New Haven railroad to commute to Penn Station, at a time when the railroad used Grand Central Terminal to access Manhattan. The New-York Tribune wrote in 1908 that, "for the first time in the history of this city, [there will be] an all-rail route through New York between New England and the South". After work had begun, The New York Times called the bridge and the NYCR line "one of the greatest improvements under way toward the industrial development of Queens", while the Sun said the bridge would increase Long Island's population and economy by making Queens into an industrial hub. The Times also predicted in 1913 that the bridge's completion would increase real-estate values in western Queens and the South Bronx. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle predicted that the completion of the bridge, along with the proposed Cross-Harbor Rail Tunnel, would reduce shipping times to and from Brooklyn by a full day. The Railway Age Gazette similarly predicted that freight rail would benefit most from the Hell Gate Bridge. Its design influenced the designs of others around the world. The design of the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, was derived from the Sydney Harbour Bridge and, by extension, the Hell Gate Bridge. When the bridge was completed, the architect Hugh Ferriss drew a cover for the Queens Chamber of Commerce's monthly magazine Queensborough, which depicted the main span. and the 1991 film Queens Logic, as well as TV shows such as Orange Is the New Black. The bridge's name inspired the name of the 2000 film Under Hellgate Bridge by Michael Sergio. In addition, the bridge has inspired works of art such as Hell Gate, a model of the main span by the artist Chris Burden. The New York Botanical Garden's annual Christmas train show also includes a replica of the Hell Gate Bridge. The cooperatively-owned local news site Hell Gate NYC takes its name and visual identity from the bridge. ==See also==