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America’s great bridges — stamped

By Robert T. Voss, P.E., P.L.S.

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The current focus on infrastructure rehabilitation will certainly include many bridges, large and small. The following are a few of America’s great bridges that have been celebrated on U.S. postage stamps.

© United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.
Brooklyn Bridge — 1883
Construction work on the Brooklyn Bridge began on Jan. 2, 1870, and it was opened on May 24, 1883, when it was crossed by 150,300 pedestrians and 1,800 vehicles. Designed by the German engineer, John A. Roebling, it is one of the most famous bridges in the world. The bridge connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn, and has a center span of 1,595.5 feet and a total length of 5,989 feet.
© United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.
Upper Steel Arch Bridge - Niagara Falls — 1897
Built in 1897 and opened to traffic in 1898, the Upper Steel Arch Bridge at Niagara Falls was also known as Honeymoon Bridge or Fallsview Bridge. It spanned 840 feet and stood about 500 feet south of the modern Rainbow Bridge. A severe ice storm caused the structure to collapse on Jan. 27, 1938.
© United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.
George Washington Bridge — 1931
Construction began in Oct. 1927, and the George Washington Bridge opened for traffic in Oct. 1931. When it opened, the center span of 3,500 feet was the longest in the world. A lower deck was added and opened for traffic on Aug. 29, 1962. In 2008, the bridge had a total traffic volume of 105,894,000 vehicles.
© United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.
Mackinac Bridge - 1957
Construction began on the Mackinac Bridge on May 7, 1954, and the structure was opened to traffic on Nov. 1, 1957. With a total length of 26,372 feet, it is currently the third longest suspension bridge in the world and the longest in the western hemisphere. Connecting the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan across the Straits of Mackinac, it had a total traffic volume of 3,695,128 vehicles in 2008.
© United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.
Verrazano-Narrows Bridge – 1964
Construction began on Aug. 13, 1959, and the upper deck of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge was opened on Nov. 21, 1964; the lower deck was opened on June 28, 1969. From its unveiling through 1981, it held the title of the longest suspension bridge in the world. Its monumental 693-foot-high towers are 1-5/8 inches farther apart at their tops than at their bases because the 4,260-foot distance between them made it necessary to compensate for the earth’s curvature.

References

All stamps are from the author’s collection. Robert T. Voss, P.E., P.L.S., can be contacted at bob@bobvoss.net.
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