Manhattan Bridge opened to traffic December 31, 1909. Rosetta was about a month-and-a-half old.

Historic Milestones

Under construction in March 1909

Rosetta was not quite a month and a half old on Dcember 31, 1909, the day the Manhattan Bridge. a suspension bridge that crosses the East River in New York City, connecting Lower Manhattan at Canal Street with Brooklyn at the Flatbush Avenue Extension officially opened.

At 2:00 pm, the 6,855-foot-long (2,089 m) Manhattan Bridge was opened to traffic, after eight years and 26 million dollars had been spent on its construction. New York City Mayor George Brinton McClellan, Jr., who was on the last day of his term of office, rode in the first automobile of a motorcade from Manhattan to Brooklyn.

Full span with the Brooklyn Bridge below it

The Manhattan Bridge was the last of the three suspension bridges built across the lower East River, following the Brooklyn and the Williamsburg bridges. It has four vehicle lanes on the upper level, split between two roadways. The lower level has three lanes, four subway tracks, a walkway and a bikeway. The upper level, originally used for streetcars, has two lanes in each direction, and the lower level is one-way and has three lanes in peak direction. The bridge once carried New York State Route 27 and later was planned to carry Interstate 478.