Editing Brooklyn Bridge (section)

== History ==

=== Planning ===
[[File:BrooklynBridgeSchematic.jpg|thumb|alt=Early plan of one tower for the Brooklyn Bridge, drawn in 1867|Early Brooklyn Bridge tower plan, 1867]]

Proposals for a bridge between the then-separate cities of Brooklyn and New York had been suggested as early as 1800.<ref name="McCullough pp. 24-25">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=24–25}}</ref><ref name="nyt19291229" /> At the time, the only travel between the two cities was by [[List of ferries across the East River|a number of ferry lines]].<ref name="McCullough pp. 24-25" /><ref name="nyt19330521">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/05/21/archives/brooklyn-bridge-fifty-vivid-years-the-historic-span-ushered-in-the.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge:Fifty Vivid Years; The Historic Span Ushered in the Era of Manhattan's Ties With Neighbors|last=Brock|first=H. i|date=May 21, 1933|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 2, 2019|archive-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702145916/https://www.nytimes.com/1933/05/21/archives/brooklyn-bridge-fifty-vivid-years-the-historic-span-ushered-in-the.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Engineers presented various designs, such as chain or link bridges, though these were never built because of the difficulties of constructing a high enough fixed-span bridge across the extremely busy East River.<ref name="McCullough pp. 24-25" /><ref name="nyt19291229" /> There were also proposals for tunnels under the East River, but these were considered prohibitively expensive.<ref name="nyt18830524">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1883/05/24/archives/the-building-of-the-bridge-its-cost-and-the-difficulties-met-with.html|title=The Building of the Bridge; Its Cost and the Difficulties Met With-- Details of the History of a Great Engineering Triumph|date=May 24, 1883|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 26, 2019|archive-date=June 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190628104724/https://www.nytimes.com/1883/05/24/archives/the-building-of-the-bridge-its-cost-and-the-difficulties-met-with.html|url-status=live}}</ref> German immigrant engineer John Augustus Roebling proposed building a suspension bridge over the East River in 1857. He had previously designed and constructed shorter suspension bridges, such as [[Roebling's Delaware Aqueduct]] in [[Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania]], and the Niagara Suspension Bridge. In 1867, Roebling erected what became the [[John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge]] over the Ohio River between [[Cincinnati, Ohio]], and [[Covington, Kentucky]].<ref>{{cite web |title=John Augustus Roebling |url=https://www.asce.org/about-civil-engineering/history-and-heritage/notable-civil-engineers/john-augustus-roebling |access-date=June 17, 2019 |publisher=[[American Society of Civil Engineers]] |archive-date=September 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911163235/https://www.asce.org/about-civil-engineering/history-and-heritage/notable-civil-engineers/john-augustus-roebling/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In February 1867, the New York State Senate passed a bill that allowed the construction of a suspension bridge from Brooklyn to Manhattan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1867/02/15/archives/newyork-affairs-at-the-state-capital-consitutional.html|title=New-York; Affairs At The State Capital|date=April 18, 2018|website=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=April 23, 2018|archive-date=November 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108184339/https://www.nytimes.com/1867/02/15/archives/newyork-affairs-at-the-state-capital-consitutional.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Two months later, the New York and Brooklyn Bridge Company was incorporated with a board of directors (later converted to a board of trustees).<ref name="McCullough pp. 24-25" /><ref name="nybc-incorporation" /><ref name="nyt18720410" /> There were twenty trustees in total: eight each appointed by the mayors of New York and Brooklyn, as well as the mayors of each city and the auditor and comptroller of Brooklyn.<ref name="sun18910611" /> The company was tasked with constructing what was then known as the New York and Brooklyn Bridge.<ref name="McCullough pp. 24-25" /><ref name="nybc-incorporation">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/ldpd_11290456_000 |title=An Act to Incorporate the New York Bridge Company, For the Purpose of Constructing and Maintaining a Bridge over the East River, Between the Cities of New York and Brooklyn |date=April 16, 1867 |publisher=[[Brooklyn Savings Bank]]|access-date=April 23, 2018 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref name="nyt18720410">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1872/04/10/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-report-of-the-subcommittee-of-fifty-important.html|title=The Brooklyn Bridge; Report of the Subcommittee of Fifty Important Facts and Figures The New-York And Brooklyn Bridge.|date=April 10, 1872|website=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=April 23, 2018|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125003632/https://www.nytimes.com/1872/04/10/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-report-of-the-subcommittee-of-fifty-important.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Alternatively, the span was just referred to as the "Brooklyn Bridge", a name originating in a January 25, 1867, [[letter to the editor]] sent to the ''[[Brooklyn Eagle|Brooklyn Daily Eagle]].''<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/eagle/|title=The East River Bridge|author=E.P.D|date=January 25, 1867|newspaper=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=November 26, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071019230402/https://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/eagle/|archive-date=October 19, 2007|number=22|volume=27|page=2}}</ref> The act of incorporation, which became law on April 16, 1867, authorized the cities of New York (now Manhattan) and Brooklyn to subscribe to $5&nbsp;million in [[capital stock]], which would fund the bridge's construction.<ref name="nyt18830524" />

[[File:The great East River bridge- to connect the cities of New York & Brooklyn LCCN2001704255 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Artists' conception, by [[Currier and Ives]], of the bridge while construction was underway, 1872]]
Roebling was subsequently named the chief engineer of the work and, by September 1867, had presented a master plan.<ref name="McCullough pp. 24-25" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/4203536/|title=The East River Bridge|date=September 10, 1867|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=2|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125003524/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-roebling-report/4203536/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1867/09/11/archives/local-inteligence-the-east-river-bridge-report-of-the-engineerthe.html|title=Local Intelligence; The East River Bridge|date=September 11, 1867|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 21, 2019|archive-date=June 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621143225/https://www.nytimes.com/1867/09/11/archives/local-inteligence-the-east-river-bridge-report-of-the-engineerthe.html|url-status=live}}</ref> According to the plan, the bridge would be longer and taller than any suspension bridge previously built.<ref name="McCullough pp. 29-31" /> It would incorporate roadways and [[Elevated railway|elevated rail]] tracks, whose tolls and fares would provide the means to pay for the bridge's construction. It would also include a raised promenade that served as a leisurely pathway.<ref name="McCullough pp. 32-33">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=32–33}}</ref> The proposal received much acclaim in both cities, and residents predicted that the New York and Brooklyn Bridge's opening would have as much of an impact as the [[Suez Canal]], the first [[transatlantic telegraph cable]] or the [[first transcontinental railroad]]. By early 1869, however, some individuals started to criticize the project, saying either that the bridge was too expensive, or that the construction process was too difficult.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=26–28}}</ref>

To allay concerns about the design of the New York and Brooklyn Bridge, Roebling set up a "Bridge Party" in March 1869, where he invited engineers and members of U.S. Congress to see his other spans.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=35–38}}</ref> Following the bridge party in April, Roebling and several engineers conducted final surveys. During the process, it was determined that the main span would have to be raised from {{Convert|130|to|135|ft|abbr=}} above MHW, requiring several changes to the overall design.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=85–89}}</ref> In June 1869, while conducting these surveys, Roebling sustained a crush injury to his foot when a [[ferry]] pinned it against a [[piling]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/15711246/|title=The Accident to Mr. Roebling|date=June 30, 1869|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=3|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125003628/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-john-roebling-f/15711246/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=90–91}}</ref> After amputation of his crushed toes, he developed a [[tetanus]] infection that left him incapacitated and resulted in his death the following month. [[Washington Roebling]], John Roebling's 32-year-old son, was then hired to fill his father's role.<ref>{{cite news |access-date=October 27, 2009 |date=May 24, 1883 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1883/05/24/archives/the-building-of-the-bridge-its-cost-and-the-difficulties-met-with.html |title=The Building Of The Bridge; Its Cost And The Difficulties Met With |newspaper=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190628104724/https://www.nytimes.com/1883/05/24/archives/the-building-of-the-bridge-its-cost-and-the-difficulties-met-with.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Wagner|2017|page=15}}</ref> [[Tammany Hall]] leader [[William M. Tweed]] also became involved in the bridge's construction because, as a major landowner in New York City, he had an interest in the project's completion.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=128–129}}</ref> The New York and Brooklyn Bridge Company—later known simply as the New York Bridge Company<ref>{{Cite web|title=Brooklyn Bridge|publisher=Historic Bridges|url=https://historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=newyork/brooklyn/|access-date=October 3, 2020|archive-date=October 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025135504/https://historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=newyork/brooklyn/|url-status=live}}</ref>—was actually overseen by Tammany Hall, and it approved Roebling's plans and designated him as chief engineer of the project.<ref>{{Cite web|date=September 11, 2012|title=The Curse of the Roeblings? The Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge|url=https://blog.mcny.org/2012/09/11/the-curse-of-the-roeblings-the-construction-of-the-brooklyn-bridge/|access-date=October 3, 2020|publisher=[[Museum of the City of New York]]|language=en|archive-date=October 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024061321/https://blog.mcny.org/2012/09/11/the-curse-of-the-roeblings-the-construction-of-the-brooklyn-bridge/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Construction===

==== Caissons ====
[[File:AmCyc Caisson - Caisson of East River Bridge.jpg|alt=Woodcut/drawing illustrating caisson used in the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge|left|thumb|Diagram of the caisson]]
Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge began on January 2, 1870.<ref name="sun18910611" /> The first work entailed the construction of two caissons, upon which the suspension towers would be built.<ref name="structure mag" /><ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 2" /> The Brooklyn side's caisson was built at the Webb & Bell shipyard in [[Greenpoint, Brooklyn]], and was launched into the river on March 19, 1870.<ref name="structure mag" /><ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 2" /> Compressed air was pumped into the caisson, and workers entered the space to dig the sediment until it sank to the bedrock. As one sixteen-year-old from Ireland, [[Frank Harris]], described the fearful experience:<ref name=":02">{{Cite book|last1=Roark|first1=James L.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1096495503|title=The American Promise: A History of the United States|last2=Johnson|first2=Michael P.|last3=Furstenburg|first3=Francois|last4=Cline Cohen|first4=Patricia|last5=Hartmann|first5=Susan M.|last6=Stage|first6=Sarah|last7=Igo|first7=Sarah E.|publisher=Bedford/St. Martin's|year=2020|isbn=978-1319208929|edition=Value Edition, 8th|volume=Combined Volume|location=Boston, MA|at=Kindle Locations 14108–14114|chapter=Chapter 19 The City and Its Workers: 1870–1900|type=Kindle|oclc=1096495503}}</ref><blockquote>The six of us were working naked to the waist in the small iron chamber with the temperature of about 80 degrees Fahrenheit: In five minutes the sweat was pouring from us, and all the while we were standing in icy water that was only kept from rising by the terrific pressure. No wonder the headaches were blinding.<ref name=":02" /> </blockquote>Once the caisson had reached the desired depth, it was to be filled in with vertical brick [[Pier (architecture)|piers]] and concrete.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/pneumatictowerf00roebgoog|title=Pneumatic Tower Foundations of the East River Suspension Bridge|last=Roebling|first=Washington|publisher=Averell & Peckett|year=1873|pages=[https://archive.org/details/pneumatictowerf00roebgoog/page/n52 46]}}</ref><ref name="McCullough p. 196" /> However, due to the unexpectedly high concentration of large boulders atop the riverbed, the Brooklyn caisson took several months to sink <!--at the desired rate---> to the desired depth.<ref name="McCullough p. 196">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=196}}</ref><ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 2" /> Furthermore, in December 1870, its timber roof caught fire, delaying construction further.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1870/12/03/archives/the-caisson-of-the-east-river-bridge-on-firethe-works-damaged-to.html|title=The Caisson of the East River Bridge on Fire—The Works Damaged to the Extent of $20,000|date=December 3, 1870|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 18, 2019|archive-date=March 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310081535/https://www.nytimes.com/1870/12/03/archives/the-caisson-of-the-east-river-bridge-on-firethe-works-damaged-to.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/32999854/|title=Fire Under Water|last=Copage|first=Eric V|date=December 3, 1870|work=New York Herald|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=14|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125003525/https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-herald-fire-under-water/32999854/|url-status=live}}</ref> The "Great Blowout", as the fire was called, delayed construction for several months, since the holes in the caisson had to be repaired.<ref name="McCullough pp. 242-245">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=242–245}}</ref> On March 6, 1871, the repairs were finished, and the caisson had reached its final depth of {{Convert|44.5|ft|m|abbr=}}; it was filled with concrete five days later.<ref name="McCullough pp. 242-245" /><ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 2" /> Overall, about 264 individuals were estimated to have worked in the caisson every day, but because of high worker [[Turnover (employment)|turnover]], the final total was thought to be about 2,500 men in total.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=202–203}}</ref> In spite of this, only a few workers were paralyzed. At its final depth, the caisson's air pressure was {{Convert|21|psi||abbr=}}.<ref name="Talbot p. 3">{{harvnb|ps=.|Talbot|2011|p=3}}</ref>

The Manhattan side's caisson was the next structure to be built. To ensure that it would not catch fire like its counterpart had, the Manhattan caisson was lined with fireproof plate iron.<ref name="nydh18710418" /> It was launched from Webb & Bell's shipyard on May 11, 1871,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33000245/|title=Brooklyn Bridge; Launch of the Colossal Caisson for the New York Shore Tower|date=May 9, 1871|work=New York Daily Herald|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=5|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125003526/https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-daily-herald-brooklyn-bridge-l/33000245/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 5" /> and maneuvered into place that September.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1871/09/12/archives/the-east-river-bridge-the-caisson-on-the-newyork-side-successfully.html|title=The East River Bridge; The Caisson on the New-York Side Successfully Moved to Its Proper Position. Diplomatic Changes|date=September 12, 1871|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 18, 2019|archive-date=August 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809205524/https://www.nytimes.com/1871/09/12/archives/the-east-river-bridge-the-caisson-on-the-newyork-side-successfully.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="structure mag" /> Due to the extreme underwater air pressure inside the much deeper Manhattan caisson, many workers became sick with "the bends"—[[decompression sickness]]—during this work,<ref name=":02" /> despite the incorporation of airlocks (which were believed to help with decompression sickness at the time).<ref name="Hudson">{{cite web|title=Hudson River Tunnel|url=https://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=1348|website=Engineering Timelines|access-date=December 4, 2016|archive-date=December 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220043250/http://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=1348|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1872/06/24/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-its-progressthe-newyork-piereffects-of-the.html|title=The Brooklyn Bridge; Its Progress—The New-York Pier-Effects Of the Compressed Air on the Workmen|date=June 24, 1872|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 19, 2019|archive-date=June 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190619144422/https://www.nytimes.com/1872/06/24/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-its-progressthe-newyork-piereffects-of-the.html|url-status=live}}</ref> This condition was unknown at the time and was first called "caisson disease" by the project physician, Andrew Smith.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/physiologicalpa00smitgoog|title=The Physiological, Pathological and Therapeutical Effects of Compressed Air|last=Smith|first=Andrew Heermance|publisher=George S. Davis|year=1886|access-date=April 17, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Acott|first=Chris|year=1999|title=A Brief History of Diving and Decompression Illness.|url=https://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/6004|magazine=[[South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society Journal]]|volume=29|issue=2|issn=0813-1988|oclc=16986801|access-date=April 17, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110905152645/https://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/6004|archive-date=September 5, 2011|url-status=usurped}}</ref> Between January 25 and May 31, 1872, Smith treated 110 cases of decompression sickness, while three workers died from the disease.<ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 5" /> When iron probes underneath the Manhattan caisson found the [[bedrock]] to be even deeper than expected, Washington Roebling halted construction due to the increased risk of decompression sickness.<ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 5" /><ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=294}}</ref> After the Manhattan caisson reached a depth of {{Convert|78.5|ft|m|abbr=}} with an air pressure of {{Convert|35|psi||abbr=|lk=out}},<ref name="Talbot p. 3" /> Washington deemed the sandy subsoil overlying the bedrock {{convert|30|ft|m}} beneath to be sufficiently firm, and subsequently infilled the caisson with concrete in July 1872.<ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 5" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33024302/|title=The Brooklyn Bridge; The Caisson Filled In|date=July 17, 1872|work=Brooklyn Union|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=3|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125003554/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-union-the-brooklyn-bridge/33024302/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Washington Roebling himself suffered a paralyzing injury as a result of caisson disease shortly after ground was broken for the Brooklyn tower foundation.<ref name="nyt19291229" /><ref>{{cite magazine |author=Butler |first=WP |title=Caisson Disease During the Construction of the Eads and Brooklyn Bridges: A Review |magazine=[[Undersea Hyperb Med]] |volume=31 |issue=4 |pages=445–59 |year=2004 |pmid=15686275 |url=http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/4028 |access-date=June 19, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110822120254/http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/4028 |archive-date=August 22, 2011 |url-status=usurped}}</ref> His debilitating condition left him unable to supervise the construction in person, so he designed the caissons and other equipment from his apartment, directing "the completion of the bridge through a telescope from his bedroom."<ref name=":02" /> His wife, [[Emily Warren Roebling]], not only provided written communications between her husband and the engineers on site,<ref name="McCullough pp. 297-298">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=297–298}}</ref> but also understood [[mathematics]], calculations of [[catenary]] curves, strengths of materials, bridge specifications, and the intricacies of cable construction. She spent the next 11 years helping supervise the bridge's construction,<ref name="Talbot p. 3" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asce.org/templates/person-bio-detail.aspx?id=11203 |title=Emily Warren Roebling |publisher=American Society of Civil Engineers |access-date=April 25, 2018 |archive-date=October 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022233216/https://www.asce.org/templates/person-bio-detail.aspx?id=11203 |url-status=dead }}</ref> taking over much of the chief engineer's duties, including day-to-day supervision and project management.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1883/05/23/archives/mrs-roeblings-skill-how-the-wife-of-the-brooklyn-bridge-engineer.html|title=Mrs. Roebling's Skill; How the Wife of the Brooklyn Bridge Engineer Has Assisted Her Husband|date=May 23, 1883|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 26, 2019|archive-date=June 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626151840/https://www.nytimes.com/1883/05/23/archives/mrs-roeblings-skill-how-the-wife-of-the-brooklyn-bridge-engineer.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Towers ====
[[File:Manhattan 1876.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|alt=View of Manhattan in 1876, showing the Brooklyn Bridge under construction|View of Manhattan in 1876, showing the Brooklyn Bridge under construction]]
After the caissons were completed, piers were constructed on top of each of them upon which masonry towers would be built. The towers' construction was a complex process that took four years. Since the masonry blocks were heavy, the builders transported them to the base of the towers using a [[pulley]] system with a continuous {{Convert|1.5|in|cm|abbr=|adj=on}}-diameter steel wire rope, operated by steam engines at ground level. The blocks were then carried up on a timber track alongside each tower and maneuvered into the proper position using a [[derrick]] atop the towers.<ref name="NRHI Nomination Form p. 5" /><ref name="McCullough p. 333">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=333}}</ref> The blocks sometimes vibrated the ropes because of their weight, but only once did a block  fall.<ref name="McCullough p. 333" />

Construction on the suspension towers started in mid-1872, and by the time work was halted for the winter in late 1872, parts of each tower had already been built.<ref name="McCullough pp. 297-298" /> By mid-1873, there was substantial progress on the towers' construction. The Brooklyn side's tower had reached a height of {{Convert|164|ft|m|abbr=}} above mean high water (MHW), while the tower on the Manhattan side had reached {{Convert|88|ft|m|abbr=}} above MHW.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33025080/|title=The Brooklyn Bridge; Annual Meeting of the Company|date=June 3, 1873|work=New York Daily Herald|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=5|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125003629/https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-daily-herald-the-brooklyn-bridg/33025080/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1873/06/03/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-official-statement-of-the-progress-of-the.html|title=The Brooklyn Bridge; Official Statement of the Progress of the Work—The Annual Meeting|date=June 3, 1873|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 19, 2019|archive-date=June 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190619144425/https://www.nytimes.com/1873/06/03/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-official-statement-of-the-progress-of-the.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The arches of the Brooklyn tower were completed by August 1874.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1874/08/01/archives/the-east-river-bridge-completion-of-the-arches-of-the-brooklyn-pier.html|title=The East River Bridge; Completion of the Arches of the Brooklyn Pier the Work on the New-York Side|date=August 1, 1874|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 19, 2019|archive-date=June 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190619144427/https://www.nytimes.com/1874/08/01/archives/the-east-river-bridge-completion-of-the-arches-of-the-brooklyn-pier.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The tower was substantially finished by December 1874 with the erection of saddle plates for the main cables at the top of the tower. However, the ornamentation on the Brooklyn tower could not be completed until the Manhattan tower was finished.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/33024962/|title=The Bridge Tower; Its Practical Completion on the Brooklyn Side To-Day|date=December 15, 1874|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=3|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125003629/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-the-bridge-towe/33024962/|url-status=live}}</ref> The last stone on the Brooklyn tower was raised in June 1875 and the Manhattan tower was completed in July 1876.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=325}}</ref> The saddle plates atop both towers were also raised in July 1876.<ref name="McCullough p. 338">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=338}}</ref> The work was dangerous: by 1876, three workers had died having fallen from the towers, while nine other workers were killed in other accidents.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=335–336}}</ref>

[[File:Brainerd, From Bridge Tower. 1996.164.2-1425.jpg|thumb|left|alt=George Bradford Brainerd's painting "From Bridge Tower", circa 1872|[[George Bradford Brainerd]], ''From Bridge Tower'', {{c.|1872}}, [[Brooklyn Museum]]]]
In 1875, while the towers were being constructed, the project had depleted its original $5&nbsp;million budget. Two bridge commissioners, one each from Brooklyn and Manhattan, petitioned New York state lawmakers to allot another $8&nbsp;million for construction. Ultimately, the legislators passed a law authorizing the allotment with the condition that the cities would buy the stock of Brooklyn Bridge's private stockholders.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Barnes|1883|p=16}}</ref>

Work proceeded concurrently on the anchorages on each side.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=307}}</ref> The Brooklyn anchorage broke ground in January 1873<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33025518/|title=The Brooklyn Bridge; Work on the Anchorage Commenced|date=January 24, 1873|work=Brooklyn Times Union|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=2|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004133/https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-the-brooklyn-bridge-work-on/33025518/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="McCullough pp. 330-331" /> and was subsequently substantially completed in August 1875.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/33025598/|title=The Bridge; Completion of the Brooklyn Anchorage|date=August 16, 1875|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=4|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004143/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-the-bridge-com/33025598/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="McCullough pp. 330-331" /> The Manhattan anchorage was built in less time, having started in May 1875, it was mostly completed in July 1876.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|National Park Service|1966|p=6}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33026059/|title=The Towers and the Anchorages Complete, And the Cables Ready|date=July 24, 1876|work=Brooklyn Times-Union|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=3|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004136/https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-the-towers-and-the-anchorage/33026059/|url-status=live}}</ref> The anchorages could not be fully completed until the main cables were spun, at which point another {{convert|6|ft}} would be added to the height of each {{convert|80|foot|adj=on}} anchorage.<ref name="nyt18770911">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1877/09/11/archives/the-suspension-bridge-progress-of-the-great-work-the-archways-east.html|title=The Suspension Bridge; Progress of the Great Work. The Archways East and West of the Anchorage Piers the Laying of Strands of the Great Cables Demolition of Buildings in Both Cities a Doomed Church the Line of the Road Way in New-York|date=September 11, 1877|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 22, 2019|archive-date=June 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622170216/https://www.nytimes.com/1877/09/11/archives/the-suspension-bridge-progress-of-the-great-work-the-archways-east.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Cables====
The first temporary wire was stretched between the towers on August 15, 1876,<ref name="McCullough p. 338" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1876/08/15/archives/the-east-river-bridge-the-first-wires-stretched-between-the-newyork.html|title=The East River Bridge; The First Wires Stretched Between the New-York And Brooklyn Towers|date=August 15, 1876|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 21, 2019|archive-date=June 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621143228/https://www.nytimes.com/1876/08/15/archives/the-east-river-bridge-the-first-wires-stretched-between-the-newyork.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="bde18760811">{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/50368739/|title=The Bridge. Some Interesting Facts About the Great Enterprise|date=August 11, 1876|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=4|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004146/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-post-crescent/50368739/|url-status=live}}</ref> using [[chrome steel]] provided by the Chrome Steel Company of Brooklyn.<ref name="McCullough p. 338" /><ref name="bde18760811" /> The wire was then stretched back across the river, and the two ends were [[Rope splicing|spliced]] to form a traveler, a lengthy loop of wire connecting the towers, which was driven by a {{Convert|30|hp||abbr=}} steam hoisting engine at ground level.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=358–359}}</ref> The wire was one of two that were used to create a temporary footbridge for workers while cable spinning was ongoing.<ref name="nyt18760830" /> The next step was to send an engineer across the completed traveler wire in a [[Bosun's chair|boatswain's chair]] slung from the wire, to ensure it was safe enough. The bridge's master mechanic, E.F. Farrington, was selected for this task, and an estimated crowd of 10,000 people on both shores watched him cross.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=360}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1876/08/26/archives/a-ride-over-east-river-the-bridge-machinery-working-the-traveler.html|title=A Ride Over East River – The Bridge Machinery Working|date=August 26, 1876|work=The New York Times|access-date=June 22, 2019|page=8|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=June 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622142408/https://www.nytimes.com/1876/08/26/archives/a-ride-over-east-river-the-bridge-machinery-working-the-traveler.html|url-status=live}}</ref> A second traveler wire was then stretched across the span, a task that was completed by August 30.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33127318/|title=Another Rope Across The River|date=August 30, 1876|work=New-York Tribune|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=2|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004139/https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-tribune-another-rope-across-the/33127318/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="nyt18760830">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1876/08/30/archives/local-miscellany-work-on-the-east-river-bridge-another-wire-carried.html|title=Local Miscellany; Work on the East River Bridge. Another Wire Carried from Anchorage to Anchorage the Operation of Cutting the Lashings a Large Number of Curious Spectators Present|date=August 30, 1876|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 22, 2019|archive-date=June 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622142409/https://www.nytimes.com/1876/08/30/archives/local-miscellany-work-on-the-east-river-bridge-another-wire-carried.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The temporary footbridge, located some {{Convert|60|ft|m|abbr=}} above the elevation of the future deck, was completed in February 1877.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=397}}</ref>

{{multiple image
| align = right
| direction = horizontal
| total_width = 500
| image1 = Construction of Brooklyn Bridge, ca. 1872-1887. (5832930865).jpg
| caption1 = Under construction, {{circa|1872|1877}}
| image2 = View from Tower to Tower, 1877.jpg
| caption2 = "From Tower to Tower—the suspension bridge over the East River—view from the Brooklyn Tower" (1877)
| alt1 = Under construction, circa 1872–1887
| alt2 = "From Tower to Tower—the suspension bridge over the East River—view from the Brooklyn Tower", an 1877 artwork
}}

By December 1876, a steel contract for the permanent cables still had not been awarded.<ref name="nyt18761228">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1876/12/28/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-opening-of-the-bids-for-the-wire-for-the-main.html|title=The Brooklyn Bridge: Opening Of The Bids For The Wire For The Main Cables—The Contract Not Yet Awarded|date=December 28, 1876|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 21, 2019|archive-date=June 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621143228/https://www.nytimes.com/1876/12/28/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-opening-of-the-bids-for-the-wire-for-the-main.html|url-status=live}}</ref> There was disagreement over whether the bridge's cables should use the as-yet-untested [[Bessemer steel]] or the well-proven [[crucible steel]].<ref name="Talbot p. 4" /><ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=369}}</ref> Until a permanent contract was awarded, the builders ordered {{Convert|30|ST|LT|abbr=}} of wire in the interim, 10 tons each from three companies, including Washington Roebling's own steel mill in Brooklyn.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=381}}</ref> In the end, it was decided to use number 8 [[Birmingham gauge]] (approximately 4&nbsp;mm or 0.165 inches in diameter) crucible steel, and a request for bids was distributed, to which eight companies responded.<ref name="nyt18761228" /> In January 1877, a contract for crucible steel was awarded to [[J. Lloyd Haigh]],<ref name="Talbot p. 4" /><ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=393}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1877/01/16/archives/the-east-river-bridge-decision-of-the-trustees-in-favor-of-the-use.html|title=The East River Bridge; Decision of the Trustees in Favor of the Use of Crucible Cast-Steel Cables Award of the Contract to Mr. J. Lloyd Haigh|date=January 16, 1877|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 21, 2019|archive-date=June 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621143227/https://www.nytimes.com/1877/01/16/archives/the-east-river-bridge-decision-of-the-trustees-in-favor-of-the-use.html|url-status=live}}</ref> who was associated with bridge trustee [[Abram Hewitt]], whom Roebling distrusted.<ref name="nyt19860308" /><ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=396}}</ref>

The spinning of the wires required the manufacture of large coils of it which were galvanized but not oiled when they left the factory. The coils were delivered to a yard near the Brooklyn anchorage. There they were dipped in [[linseed oil]], hoisted to the top of the anchorage, dried out and spliced into a single wire, and finally coated with red zinc for further galvanizing.<ref name="McCullough pp. 400-401">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=400–401}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1877/07/07/archives/the-east-river-bridge-satisfactory-progress-of-the-work-how-the.html|title=The East River Bridge; Satisfactory Progress of the Work How the Wires Are Laid and the Strands Formed|date=July 7, 1877|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 22, 2019|archive-date=June 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622165435/https://www.nytimes.com/1877/07/07/archives/the-east-river-bridge-satisfactory-progress-of-the-work-how-the.html|url-status=live}}</ref> There were thirty-two drums at the anchorage yard, eight for each of the four main cables. Each drum had a capacity of {{Convert|60,000|ft|m|abbr=}} of wire.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1877/05/27/archives/the-east-river-bridge-slow-but-satisfactory-work-placing-the-great.html|title=The East River Bridge; Slow but Satisfactory Work Placing the Great Cables in Position a New Iron Staircase at the Brooklyn Tower|date=May 27, 1877|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 22, 2019|archive-date=June 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622165432/https://www.nytimes.com/1877/05/27/archives/the-east-river-bridge-slow-but-satisfactory-work-placing-the-great.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The first experimental wire for the main cables was stretched between the towers on May 29, 1877, and spinning began two weeks later.<ref name="McCullough pp. 400-401" /> All four main cables were being strung by that July. During that time, the temporary footbridge was unofficially opened to members of the public, who could receive a visitor's pass; by August 1877 several thousand visitors from around the world had used the footbridge.<ref name="McCullough pp. 405-408">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=405–408}}</ref> The visitor passes ceased that September after a visitor had an [[epileptic seizure]] and nearly fell off.<ref name="McCullough pp. 405-408" /><ref name="bde18771002">{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/33132897/|title=The Bridge; Regular Monthly Meeting of the Trustees|date=October 2, 1877|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=2|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004138/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-the-bridge-reg/33132897/|url-status=live}}</ref>

As the wires were being spun, work also commenced on the demolition of buildings on either side of the river for the Brooklyn Bridge's approaches; this work was mostly complete by September 1877.<ref name="nyt18770911" /> The following month, initial contracts were awarded for the suspender wires, which would hang down from the main cables and support the deck.<ref name="bde18771002" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1877/10/02/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-first-fall-meeting-of-the-trustees-a-discussion.html|title=The Brooklyn Bridge; First Fall Meeting of the Trustees a Discussion as to the Use of Bessemer or Cast Steel for the Wire Rope|date=October 2, 1877|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 22, 2019|archive-date=June 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622180826/https://www.nytimes.com/1877/10/02/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-first-fall-meeting-of-the-trustees-a-discussion.html|url-status=live}}</ref> By May 1878, the main cables were more than two-thirds complete.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1878/05/21/archives/work-on-the-east-river-bridge-the-main-cables-more-than-twothirds.html|title=Work on the East River Bridge; The Main Cables More Than Two-Thirds Completed Method of Transit and Fares a Separate Bridge Railway Favored by the Directors|date=May 21, 1878|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 22, 2019|archive-date=June 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622165433/https://www.nytimes.com/1878/05/21/archives/work-on-the-east-river-bridge-the-main-cables-more-than-twothirds.html|url-status=live}}</ref> However, the following month, one of the wires slipped, killing two people and injuring three others.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=438–440}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1878/06/15/archives/killed-by-a-cable-strand-fatal-crash-at-the-brooklyn-bridge-the.html|title=Killed by a Cable Strand; Fatal Crash at the Brooklyn Bridge|date=June 15, 1878|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 22, 2019|archive-date=June 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622180830/https://www.nytimes.com/1878/06/15/archives/killed-by-a-cable-strand-fatal-crash-at-the-brooklyn-bridge-the.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33133201/|title=The Bridge Accident|date=June 15, 1878|work=Brooklyn Times Union|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=2|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004141/https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-the-bridge-accident/33133201/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1877, Hewitt wrote a letter urging against the use of Bessemer steel in the bridge's construction.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Brooklyn Bridge |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43118341/ |newspaper=New York Daily Herald |date=January 14, 1877 |page=14 |via=newspapers.com |access-date=April 26, 2018 |archive-date=January 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004140/https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-daily-herald-the-brooklyn-bridg/43118341/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |publisher=[[Simon and Schuster]] |isbn=978-0-7432-1831-3 |last=McCullough |first=David |title=The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge |date=May 31, 2007}}</ref> Bids had been submitted for both crucible steel and Bessemer steel; [[John A. Roebling's Sons]] submitted the lowest bid for Bessemer steel,<ref>{{cite news |title=Monthly Meeting of the Trustees |url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/19592569/brooklyn_daily_eagle_the_bridge/ |newspaper=Brooklyn Daily Eagle |date=January 12, 1877 |page=2 |via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com |access-date=April 26, 2018 |archive-date=January 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200127201424/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/19592569/brooklyn_daily_eagle_the_bridge/ |url-status=live }}</ref> but at Hewitt's direction, the contract was awarded to Haigh.<ref>{{cite book | last=Reier | first=Sharon | title=Bridges of New York | publisher=[[Dover Publications]] | year=2012 | isbn=978-0-486-13705-6 | oclc=868273040 | page=20}}</ref><ref name="McCullough pp. 443-444" />

A subsequent investigation discovered that Haigh had substituted inferior quality wire in the cables. Of eighty rings of wire that were tested, only five met standards, and it was estimated that Haigh had earned $300,000 from the deception.<ref name="McCullough pp. 443-444">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=443–444, 447}}</ref><ref name="Mensch 2018 p. 114" /> At this point, it was too late to replace the cables that had already been constructed. Roebling determined that the poorer wire would leave the bridge only four times as strong as necessary, rather than six to eight times as strong. The inferior-quality wire was allowed to remain and 150 extra wires were added to each cable.<ref name="Talbot p. 4" /><ref name="McCullough pp. 443-444" /><ref name="Mensch 2018 p. 114">{{cite book | last=Mensch | first=B.G. | title=In the Shadow of Genius: The Brooklyn Bridge and Its Creators | publisher=Fordham University Press | year=2018 | isbn=978-0-8232-8105-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8L-IDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA114 | access-date=February 12, 2020 | page=114 | archive-date=January 25, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004547/https://books.google.com/books?id=8L-IDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA114#v=onepage&q&f=false | url-status=live }}</ref> To avoid public controversy, Haigh was not fired, but instead was required to personally pay for higher-quality wire.<ref name="Mensch 2018 p. 114" />{{efn|By 1880, Haigh was incarcerated in [[Sing Sing]] prison for an unrelated crime.<ref name="Mensch 2018 p. 114" />}} The contract for the remaining wire was awarded to the John A. Roebling's Sons, and by October&nbsp;5, 1878, the last of the main cables' wires went over the river.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=451}}</ref>

==== Nearing completion ====
{{Multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| total_width       = 240
| image1            = Currier and Ives Brooklyn Bridge2.jpg
| alt1              = A colored lithograph of the completed Brooklyn Bridge looking towards Manhattan
| caption1          = [[Chromolithograph]] of the "Great East River Suspension Bridge" by Currier and Ives, created in 1883.
| image2            = View from the Manhattan Bridge 008.jpg
| alt2              = A photograph of the bridge from a similar angle as the lithograph, with the skyscrapers of Lower Manhattan in view
| caption2          = Similar view, 2023
}}
After the suspender wires had been placed, workers began erecting steel crossbeams to support the roadway as part of the bridge's overall superstructure.<ref name="Talbot p. 4" /> Construction on the bridge's superstructure started in March 1879,<ref name="concise-description" /> but, as with the cables, the trustees initially disagreed on whether the steel superstructure should be made of Bessemer or crucible steel.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1879/07/02/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-will-the-trustees-get-good-or-bad-steel-for-the.html|title=The Brooklyn Bridge; Will the Trustees Get Good or Bad Steel for the Superstructure?|date=July 2, 1879|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 23, 2019|archive-date=June 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190623164111/https://www.nytimes.com/1879/07/02/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-will-the-trustees-get-good-or-bad-steel-for-the.html|url-status=live}}</ref> That July, the trustees decided to award a contract for {{Convert|500|ST|LT}} of Bessemer steel<ref name="gazette18800412">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40735704/|title=The Steel for Brooklyn Bridge|date=April 12, 1880|work=The Daily Gazette|access-date=December 17, 2019|page=1|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004657/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-gazette-the-steel-for-brooklyn/40735704/|url-status=live}}</ref> to the Edgemoor (or Edge Moor) Iron Works, based in [[Philadelphia]], to be delivered by 1880.<ref name="gazette18800412" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33162797/|title=The Edgemoor Iron Works|date=July 10, 1879|work=Brooklyn Times-Union|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=2|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004542/https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-the-edgemoor-iron-works/33162797/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1879/07/08/archives/controller-steinmetzs-letter-hon-henry-o-murphy-president-board.html|title=Controller Steinmetz's Letter; Hon. Henry O. Murphy, President Board Trustees of the New-York And Brooklyn Bridge: SIR: At the Last Meeting of the Executive Committee the Following Resolution Was Passed by a Majority Vote|date=July 8, 1879|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 23, 2019|archive-date=June 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190623164110/https://www.nytimes.com/1879/07/08/archives/controller-steinmetzs-letter-hon-henry-o-murphy-president-board.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The trustees later passed another resolution for another {{Convert|500|ST|LT}} of Bessemer steel.<ref name="gazette18800412" /> However, by February 1880 the steel deliveries had not started.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1880/02/03/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-an-important-steel-contract-discussed-salaries.html|title=The Brooklyn Bridge; An Important Steel Contract Discussed --Salaries Raised|date=February 3, 1880|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 23, 2019|archive-date=June 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190623164108/https://www.nytimes.com/1880/02/03/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-an-important-steel-contract-discussed-salaries.html|url-status=live}}</ref> That October, the bridge trustees questioned Edgemoor's president about the delay in steel deliveries.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33192926/|title=The Edgemoor Iron Works|date=October 5, 1880|work=New-York Tribune|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=8|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004557/https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-tribune-meeting-of-the-bridge-t/33192926/|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite Edgemoor's assurances that the contract would be fulfilled, the deliveries still had not been completed by November 1881.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1881/11/09/archives/steel-for-the-brooklyn-bridge.html|title=Steel for the Brooklyn Bridge|date=November 9, 1881|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 24, 2019|archive-date=June 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624140837/https://www.nytimes.com/1881/11/09/archives/steel-for-the-brooklyn-bridge.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Brooklyn mayor [[Seth Low]], who became part of the board of trustees in 1882, became the chairman of a committee tasked to investigate Edgemoor's failure to fulfill the contract. When questioned, Edgemoor's president stated that the delays were the fault of another contractor, the [[Cambria Iron Company]], who was manufacturing the eyebars for the bridge trusses; at that point, the contract was supposed to be complete by October 1882.<ref name="McCullough p. 485">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=485}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1882/06/25/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-again.html|title=The Brooklyn Bridge Again|date=June 25, 1882|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 24, 2019|archive-date=June 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624140838/https://www.nytimes.com/1882/06/25/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-again.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Further complicating the situation, Washington Roebling had failed to appear at the trustees' meeting in June 1882, since he had gone to [[Newport, Rhode Island]].<ref name="McCullough p. 485" /> After the news media discovered this, most of the newspapers called for Roebling to be fired as chief engineer, except for the ''Daily State Gazette'' of [[Trenton, New Jersey]], and the ''Brooklyn Daily Eagle''.<ref name="McCullough pp. 494-495">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=494–495}}</ref> Some of the longstanding trustees, including [[Henry C. Murphy]], [[James S. T. Stranahan]], and [[William C. Kingsley]], were willing to vouch for Roebling, since construction progress on the Brooklyn Bridge was still ongoing. However, Roebling's behavior was considered suspect among the younger trustees who had joined the board more recently.<ref name="McCullough pp. 494-495" />

Construction on the bridge itself was noted in formal reports that Murphy presented each month to the mayors of New York and Brooklyn. For example, Murphy's report in August 1882 noted that the month's progress included 114 intermediate cords erected within a week, as well as 72 diagonal stays, 60 posts, and numerous floor beams, bridging trusses, and stay bars.<ref name="McCullough pp. 494-495" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1882/08/24/archives/progress-of-the-brooklyn-bridge.html|title=Progress of the Brooklyn Bridge|date=August 24, 1882|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 24, 2019|archive-date=June 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624140837/https://www.nytimes.com/1882/08/24/archives/progress-of-the-brooklyn-bridge.html|url-status=live}}</ref> By early 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was considered mostly completed and was projected to open that June.<ref name="nyt18830213">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1883/02/13/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-bids-for-lighting-the-structure-by-electricity.html|title=The Brooklyn Bridge; Bids for Lighting the Structure by Electricity|date=February 13, 1883|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 25, 2019|archive-date=June 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190625015632/https://www.nytimes.com/1883/02/13/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-bids-for-lighting-the-structure-by-electricity.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Contracts for bridge lighting were awarded by February 1883,<ref name="nyt18830213" /> and a toll scheme was approved that March.<ref name="nyt18830313">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1883/03/13/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-a-schedule-of-tolls-reportedthe-future-control.html|title=The Brooklyn Bridge; A Schedule of Tolls Reported|date=March 13, 1883|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 25, 2019|archive-date=June 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190625015632/https://www.nytimes.com/1883/03/13/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-a-schedule-of-tolls-reportedthe-future-control.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Opposition====

There was substantial opposition to the bridge's construction from shipbuilders and merchants located to the north, who argued that the bridge would not provide sufficient clearance underneath for ships.<ref name="McCullough p. 424">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=424}}</ref> In May 1876, these groups, led by Abraham Miller, filed a lawsuit in the [[United States District Court for the Southern District of New York]] against the cities of New York and Brooklyn.<ref name="McCullough p. 424" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1883/11/07/archives/the-big-brooklyn-bridge-the-supreme-court-asked-to-call-it-an.html|title=The Big Brooklyn Bridge; The Supreme Court Asked to Call It an Obstruction|date=November 7, 1883|work=The New York Times|access-date=June 26, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004541/https://www.nytimes.com/1883/11/07/archives/the-big-brooklyn-bridge-the-supreme-court-asked-to-call-it-an.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1879, an Assembly Sub-Committee on Commerce and Navigation began an investigation into the Brooklyn Bridge. A seaman who had been hired to determine the height of the span, testified to the committee about the difficulties that ship masters would experience in bringing their ships under the bridge when it was completed. Another witness, [[Edward Wellman Serrell]], a civil engineer, said that the calculations of the bridge's assumed strength were incorrect.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1879/03/21/archives/city-and-suburban-news-newyork-brooklyn-newjersey.html|title=The Obstacles to the Bridge, Views Of New Yorkers—Its Supposed Shakiness|date=March 21, 1879|work=The New York Times|access-date=January 24, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308202139/https://www.nytimes.com/1879/03/21/archives/city-and-suburban-news-newyork-brooklyn-newjersey.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fultonhistory.com%2FNewspaper%252010%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Evening%2520Post%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Evening%2520Post%25201879%2520Grayscale%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Evening%2520Post%25201879%2520Grayscale%2520-%25200262.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901060110/https://www.fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2010/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Post/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Post%201879%20Grayscale/New%20York%20NY%20Evening%20Post%201879%20Grayscale%20-%200262.pdf |archive-date=September 1, 2021 |url-status=live|title=The East River Bridge; Doubts Expressed of Its Asserted Strength|date=March 21, 1879|work=The Evening Post|via=fultonhistory.com|access-date=January 23, 2020}}</ref> The Supreme Court decided in 1883 that the Brooklyn Bridge was a lawful structure.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1883/11/27/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-suit-the-united-states-supreme-court-decides.html|title=The Brooklyn Bridge Suit; The United States Supreme Court Decides That It Is a Lawful Structure|date=November 27, 1883|work=The New York Times|access-date=June 26, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=June 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626145241/https://www.nytimes.com/1883/11/27/archives/the-brooklyn-bridge-suit-the-united-states-supreme-court-decides.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Opening ===
[[File:1883 Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper Brooklyn Bridge New York City.jpg|thumb|left|Newspaper headline announcing the Brooklyn Bridge's opening|alt=Newspaper headline announcing the Brooklyn Bridge's opening]]
The New York and Brooklyn Bridge was opened for use on May&nbsp;24, 1883. Thousands of people attended the opening ceremony, and many ships were present in the East River for the occasion.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/3967942/|title=Glorification! The Cities Celebrate the Work That Makes Them One|date=May 24, 1883|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=June 26, 2019|page=12|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com|archive-date=March 26, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326195256/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/3967942/opening-of-the-brooklyn-bridge-whole/|url-status=live}}</ref> Officially, Emily Warren Roebling was the first to cross the bridge.<ref name="bpl-timeline" /> The bridge opening was also attended by U.S. president [[Chester A. Arthur]] and New York mayor [[Franklin Edson]], who crossed the bridge and shook hands with Brooklyn mayor Seth Low at the Brooklyn end.<ref name="Reeves pp. 359-360" /> Abram Hewitt gave the principal address.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Hewitt, Abram Stevens|volume=13|page=417|ref=none}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Haw|2005|pages=30–32}}</ref>

{{blockquote|It is not the work of any one man or of any one age. It is the result of the study, of the experience, and of the knowledge of many men in many ages. It is not merely a creation; it is a growth. It stands before us today as the sum and epitome of human knowledge; as the very heir of the ages; as the latest glory of centuries of patient observation, profound study and accumulated skill, gained, step by step, in the never-ending struggle of man to subdue the forces of nature to his control and use.|Abram Hewitt<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Hewitt|1883|page=297}}</ref>}}

Though Washington Roebling was unable to attend the ceremony (and rarely visited the site again), he held a celebratory banquet at his house on the day of the bridge opening. Further festivity included the performance by a band, gunfire from ships, and a fireworks display.<ref name="Reeves pp. 359-360">{{Cite book |last=Reeves |first=Thomas C. |title=Gentleman Boss |publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf]] |year=1975 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/gentlemanbosslif00reev/page/359 359–360] |isbn=0-394-46095-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/gentlemanbosslif00reev/page/359}}</ref> On that first day, a total of 1,800 vehicles and 150,300 people crossed the span.<ref name="bpl-timeline" /> Less than a week after the Brooklyn Bridge opened, ferry crews reported a sharp drop in patronage, while the bridge's toll operators were processing over a hundred people a minute.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27693615/|title=The First Travel Across the Brooklyn Bridge|date=May 28, 1883|work=[[Poughkeepsie Eagle-News]]|access-date=June 26, 2019|page=1|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124033228/https://www.newspapers.com/article/poughkeepsie-eagle-news-first-to-cross-b/27693615/|url-status=live}}</ref> However, cross-river ferries continued to operate until 1942.<ref name="bc18830531" />

[[File:Brooklyn Museum - Bird's-Eye View of the Great New York and Brooklyn Bridge and Grand Display of Fire Works on Opening Night.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|"Bird's-Eye View of the Great New York and Brooklyn Bridge and Grand Display of Fire Works on Opening Night"|alt=An image titled "Bird's-Eye View of the Great New York and Brooklyn Bridge and Grand Display of Fire Works on Opening Night"]]

The bridge had cost {{US$|15.5 million|link=no}} in 1883 dollars (about US${{Inflation|US|15,000,000|1883|r=-3|fmt=c}} in {{Inflation/year|index=US}}{{Inflation-fn|US}}) to build, of which Brooklyn paid two-thirds.<ref name="bpl-timeline" /><ref name="sun18910611" /> The bonds to fund the construction would not be paid off until 1956.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1956/11/03/archives/city-pays-off-brooklyn-bridge-of-1883-interest-was-double-cost-of.html|title=City Pays Off Brooklyn Bridge of 1883; Interest Was Double Cost of Erecting It|date=November 3, 1956|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=July 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704015111/https://www.nytimes.com/1956/11/03/archives/city-pays-off-brooklyn-bridge-of-1883-interest-was-double-cost-of.html|url-status=live}}</ref> An estimated 27 men died during its construction.<ref name="bpl-timeline">{{cite web | publisher=Brooklyn Public Library | title=Brooklyn Daily Eagle Timeline | date=November 14, 2007 | url=http://eagle.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/Archive/skins/BE/NavigationSites/what.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071114135249/http://eagle.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/Archive/skins/BE/NavigationSites/what.htm | archive-date=November 14, 2007 | url-status=dead | access-date=February 27, 2020}}</ref><ref name="sun18910611" /> Since the New York and Brooklyn Bridge was the only bridge across the East River at that time, it was also called the East River Bridge.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bridgesofdublin.ie/bridge-building/famous-bridges/brooklyn-bridge-1883|title=Brooklyn Bridge (1883)|author=<!--Not stated-->|year=2017|website=Bridges of Dublin|publisher=[[Dublin City Council]]|access-date=March 19, 2017|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004604/http://www.bridgesofdublin.ie/bridge-building/famous-bridges/brooklyn-bridge-1883|url-status=live}}</ref>  Until the construction of the nearby [[Williamsburg Bridge]] in 1903, the New York and Brooklyn Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lewis |first1=Laurie |title=New York City Firsts: Big Apple Innovations That Changed the Nation and the World |date=April 1, 2022 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4930-6304-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E6JvEAAAQBAJ |language=en |access-date=May 24, 2023 |archive-date=November 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104183836/https://books.google.com/books?id=E6JvEAAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> <!--{{Frac|1|1|2}}---> 20% longer than any built previously.<ref name="NiagaraCliftonBridge">{{cite web |title=The First Falls View Suspension Bridge |url=https://www.niagarafallsinfo.com/niagara-falls-history/niagara-falls-municipal-history/historic-bridges-in-niagara/the-first-falls-view-suspension-bridge/ |website=Niagara Falls Info |date=February 3, 2017 |access-date=February 24, 2022 |archive-date=February 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224162824/https://www.niagarafallsinfo.com/niagara-falls-history/niagara-falls-municipal-history/historic-bridges-in-niagara/the-first-falls-view-suspension-bridge/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

At the time of opening, the Brooklyn Bridge was not complete; the proposed public transit across the bridge was still being tested, while the Brooklyn approach was being completed.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1883/07/04/archives/finishing-the-bridge-the-railroad-the-sandsstreet-entrances-and-the.html|title=Finishing the Bridge; The Railroad, The Sands-Street Entrances, And the Warehouses|date=July 4, 1883|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 26, 2019|archive-date=June 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626145245/https://www.nytimes.com/1883/07/04/archives/finishing-the-bridge-the-railroad-the-sandsstreet-entrances-and-the.html|url-status=live}}</ref> On May&nbsp;30, 1883, six days after the opening, a woman falling down a stairway at the Brooklyn approach caused a stampede which resulted in at least [[Brooklyn Bridge stampede|twelve people being crushed and killed]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1883/05/31/archives/dead-on-the-new-bridge-fatal-crush-at-the-western-approach.html|title=Dead on the New Bridge; Fatal Crush at the Western Approach|date=May 31, 1883|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 26, 2019|archive-date=April 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403194533/https://www.nytimes.com/1883/05/31/archives/dead-on-the-new-bridge-fatal-crush-at-the-western-approach.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="bc18830531">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33260522/|title=Yesterday's Calamity on the Brooklyn Bridge|date=May 31, 1883|work=Buffalo Commercial|access-date=June 26, 2019|page=1|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004544/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-buffalo-commercial-yesterdays-calam/33260522/|url-status=live}}</ref> In subsequent lawsuits, the Brooklyn Bridge Company was acquitted of negligence.<ref name="bc18830531" /> However, the company did install emergency phone boxes and additional railings,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1883/06/03/archives/work-on-the-bridge-precautions-to-be-taken-to-prevent-future.html|title=Work on the Bridge; Precautions to Be Taken to Prevent Future Accidents|date=June 3, 1883|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 27, 2019|archive-date=June 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627150546/https://www.nytimes.com/1883/06/03/archives/work-on-the-bridge-precautions-to-be-taken-to-prevent-future.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and the trustees approved a fireproofing plan for the bridge.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1883/07/10/archives/managing-the-bridge-the-trustees-adopt-a-plan-for-protection.html|title=Managing the Bridge; The Trustees Adopt a Plan for Protection Against Fire|date=July 10, 1883|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 27, 2019}}</ref> Public transit service began with the opening of the [[New York and Brooklyn Bridge Railway]], a cable car service, on September 25, 1883.<ref name="bc18830531" /><ref name="nyt18830925">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1883/09/25/archives/the-grip-begins-its-work-by-cable-over-the-brooklyn-bridge-many.html|title=The Grip Begins Its Work; By Cable Over the Brooklyn Bridge. Many People Using the Cars on the Opening Day—Col. Paine Loses His Only Once|date=September 25, 1883|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 26, 2019|archive-date=June 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626145244/https://www.nytimes.com/1883/09/25/archives/the-grip-begins-its-work-by-cable-over-the-brooklyn-bridge-many.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Small p. 5">{{harvnb|ps=.|Small|1957|p=5}}</ref> On May&nbsp;17, 1884, one of the circus master [[P. T. Barnum]]'s most famous attractions, [[Jumbo]] the elephant, led a parade of 21 elephants over the Brooklyn Bridge. This helped to lessen doubts about the bridge's stability while also promoting Barnum's circus.<ref name="tribune19220729" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Bildner |first=Phil |title=Twenty-One Elephants |year=2004 |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |isbn=0-689-87011-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/twentyoneelephan00phil}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Prince |first=April Jones |title=Twenty-One Elephants and Still Standing |year=2005 |publisher=[[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|Houghton Mifflin]] |isbn=0-618-44887-X}}</ref><ref name="McCullough pp. 546-547">{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|pp=546–547}}</ref>

=== 1880s to 1900s ===
[[File:Brooklyn Bridge, Looking East, New York City Side, July 7, 1899. (5833478432).jpg|thumb|alt=A black-and-white view of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1899 looking east on the pedestrian walkway|Eastward view in 1899]]
[[File:NYC Manhattan 1938 Franz Grasser.jpg|thumb|The main steel cables of the Brooklyn Bridge are visible on the left side of this photo in 1938.]]
Patronage across the Brooklyn Bridge increased in the years after it opened; a million people paid to cross in the first six months. The bridge carried 8.5&nbsp;million people in 1884, its first full year of operation; this number doubled to 17&nbsp;million in 1885 and again to 34&nbsp;million in 1889.<ref name="sun18910611" /> Many of these people were cable car passengers.<ref name="Small pp. 10-11">{{harvnb|ps=.|Small|1957|pp=10–11}}</ref> Additionally, about 4.5&nbsp;million pedestrians a year were crossing the bridge for free by 1892.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1893/05/25/archives/brooklyn-bridge-anniversary-statistics-as-to-its-work-and-income.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge Anniversary; Statistics as to Its Work and Income Since It Was Opened|date=May 25, 1893|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 28, 2019|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308125036/https://www.nytimes.com/1893/05/25/archives/brooklyn-bridge-anniversary-statistics-as-to-its-work-and-income.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The first proposal to make changes to the bridge was sent in only two and a half years after it opened, when [[Linda Gilbert]] suggested glass steam-powered elevators and an observatory be added to the bridge and a fee charged for use, which would in part fund the bridge's upkeep and in part fund her prison reform charity.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Haw |first=Richard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ungu-NmjQNgC&dq=Linda+Gilbert&pg=PA90 |title=Art of the Brooklyn Bridge: A Visual History |date=October 2, 2012 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-60366-2 |pages=90 |language=en |access-date=April 14, 2022 |archive-date=January 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125004601/https://books.google.com/books?id=ungu-NmjQNgC&dq=Linda+Gilbert&pg=PA90#v=onepage&q=Linda%20Gilbert&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> This proposal was considered but not acted upon. Numerous other proposals were made during the first fifty years of the bridge's life.<ref name=":0" /> [[Tram|Trolley]] tracks were added in the center lanes of both roadways in 1898, allowing trolleys to use the bridge as well. That year, the formerly separate City of Brooklyn was unified with New York City, and the Brooklyn Bridge fell under city control.<ref name="Small p. 14">{{harvnb|ps=.|Small|1957|p=14}}</ref><ref name="nyt18980217">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1898/02/17/archives/trolleys-on-the-bridge-cars-of-five-brooklyn-lines-cross-the.html|title=Trolleys on the Bridge; Cars of Five Brooklyn Lines Cross the Structure to Manhattan Borough|date=February 17, 1898|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 30, 2019|archive-date=June 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630005104/https://www.nytimes.com/1898/02/17/archives/trolleys-on-the-bridge-cars-of-five-brooklyn-lines-cross-the.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Concerns about the Brooklyn Bridge's safety were raised during the turn of the century. In 1898, traffic backups due to a dead horse caused one of the truss cords to buckle.<ref name="nyt19020316">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1902/03/16/archives/doubledeck-plan-for-brooklyn-bridge-mr-hildenbrand-criticises.html|title=Double-Deck Plan For Brooklyn Bridge; Mr. Hildenbrand Criticises Scheme of Mr. Lindenthal|date=March 16, 1902|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 1, 2019|archive-date=July 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701145458/https://www.nytimes.com/1902/03/16/archives/doubledeck-plan-for-brooklyn-bridge-mr-hildenbrand-criticises.html|url-status=live}}</ref> There were more significant worries after twelve suspender cables snapped in 1901,<ref name="tribune19220729" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1901/07/25/archives/big-break-alarms-vast-bridge-crowd-twelye-suspension-rods-on-the.html|title=Big Break Alarms Vast Bridge Crowd; Twelye Suspension Rods on The Cables Snap|date=July 25, 1901|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 1, 2019|archive-date=July 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701145456/https://www.nytimes.com/1901/07/25/archives/big-break-alarms-vast-bridge-crowd-twelye-suspension-rods-on-the.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33420836/|title=Overburden and Neglect|date=July 27, 1901|work=New-York Tribune|access-date=July 1, 2019|page=2|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125005154/https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-tribune-overburden-and-neglect/33420836/|url-status=live}}</ref> though a thorough investigation found no other defects.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1902/08/13/archives/inspection-of-the-brooklyn-bridge-commissioner-lindenthal-says-it.html|title=Inspection Of The Brooklyn Bridge; Commissioner Lindenthal Says It Is Thorough and Systematic|date=August 13, 1902|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 1, 2019|archive-date=July 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701145459/https://www.nytimes.com/1902/08/13/archives/inspection-of-the-brooklyn-bridge-commissioner-lindenthal-says-it.html|url-status=live}}</ref> After the 1901 incident, five inspectors were hired to examine the bridge each day, a service that cost $250,000 a year.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1907/08/25/archives/safeguarding-the-brooklyn-bridge.html|title=Safeguarding the Brooklyn Bridge|date=August 25, 1907|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 1, 2019|archive-date=July 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701145520/https://www.nytimes.com/1907/08/25/archives/safeguarding-the-brooklyn-bridge.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company]], which operated routes across the Brooklyn Bridge, issued a notice in 1905 saying that the bridge had reached its transit capacity.<ref name="tribune19220729" />

By 1890, due to the popularity of the Brooklyn Bridge, there were proposals to construct other bridges across the East River between Manhattan and [[Long Island]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1890/01/07/archives/the-second-brooklyn-bridge.html|title=The Second Brooklyn Bridge|date=January 7, 1890|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 28, 2019|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308175310/https://www.nytimes.com/1890/01/07/archives/the-second-brooklyn-bridge.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Although a second deck for the Brooklyn Bridge was proposed, it was thought to be infeasible because doing so would overload the bridge's structural capacity.<ref name="nyt19020316" /> The first new bridge across the East River, the Williamsburg Bridge, opened upstream in 1903 and connected [[Williamsburg, Brooklyn]], with the [[Lower East Side]] of Manhattan.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1903/12/20/105070115.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629213559/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1903/12/20/105070115.pdf |archive-date=June 29, 2019 |url-status=live|title=New Bridge In A Glory Of Fire; Wind-Up Of Opening Ceremonies a Brilliant Scene|date=December 20, 1903|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 27, 2017}}</ref> This was followed by the [[Queensboro Bridge]] between Queens and Manhattan in March 1909,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1909/03/31/101873802.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629213600/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1909/03/31/101873802.pdf |archive-date=June 29, 2019 |url-status=live|title=Queensboro Bridge Opens To Traffic; A Great Host Sees the Mayor and Officials in Autos Speed Across|date=March 31, 1909|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 29, 2019}}</ref> and the [[Manhattan Bridge]] between Brooklyn and Manhattan in December 1909.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1910/01/01/104915453.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629213559/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1910/01/01/104915453.pdf |archive-date=June 29, 2019 |url-status=live|title=Manhattan Bridge Opened to Traffic|date=January 1, 1910|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 24, 2017}}</ref> Several subway, railroad, and road tunnels were also constructed, which helped to accelerate the development of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|McCullough|1972|p=551}}</ref><ref name="nyt19330521" />

=== 1910s to 1940s ===
Tolls on the bridge were abolished in 1911.<ref name=nyt19110719/><ref name=n33421526/> In addition, the city government passed a bill to officially name the structure the "Brooklyn Bridge" in January 1915.<ref name="brooklyn-by-name">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xdCL5VWmM4MC&pg=PA41 |title=Brooklyn by Name: How the Neighborhoods, Streets, Parks, Bridges, And More .. |last1=Benardo |first1=Leonard |last2=Weiss |first2=Jennifer |date=2006 |publisher=[[NYU Press]] |isbn=9780814799468 |quote=A Board of Aldermen resolution on January 26, 1915, made it official. |page=41 |access-date=April 2, 2015 |archive-date=January 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125005046/https://books.google.com/books?id=xdCL5VWmM4MC&pg=PA41#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

Ostensibly in an attempt to reduce traffic on nearby city streets, [[Grover Whalen]], the commissioner of Plant and Structures, banned motor vehicles from the Brooklyn Bridge on July 6, 1922.<ref name="nyt19220707">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1922/07/07/archives/brooklyn-bridge-closed-to-motor-traffic-manhattan-bridge-to.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge Closed to Motor Traffic, Manhattan Bridge to Horse-Drawn Vehicles|date=July 7, 1922|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 1, 2019|archive-date=July 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701145523/https://www.nytimes.com/1922/07/07/archives/brooklyn-bridge-closed-to-motor-traffic-manhattan-bridge-to.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The real reason for the ban was an incident the same year where two cables slipped due to high traffic loads.<ref name="tribune19220729" /><ref name="nyt19220729">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1922/07/29/archives/brooklyn-bridge-safe-but-rebuild-it-whalen-advises-two-big-cables.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge Safe, But Rebuild It, Whalen Advises; Two Big Cables Slip and the Capacity of the Structure Has Been Reached|date=July 29, 1922|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 2, 2019|archive-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702151424/https://www.nytimes.com/1922/07/29/archives/brooklyn-bridge-safe-but-rebuild-it-whalen-advises-two-big-cables.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Both Whalen and Roebling called for the renovation of the Brooklyn Bridge and the construction of a parallel bridge, though the parallel bridge was never built.<ref name="tribune19220729" /><ref name="nyt19220729" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1922/07/30/archives/wants-new-bridge-at-twentythird-st-whalen-would-build-another-span.html|title=Wants New Bridge At Twenty-Third St.; Whalen Would Build Another Span to Brooklyn and Keep Old Bridge, Too|date=July 30, 1922|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 2, 2019|archive-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702145913/https://www.nytimes.com/1922/07/30/archives/wants-new-bridge-at-twentythird-st-whalen-would-build-another-span.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Whalen's successor William Wirt Mills announced in 1924 that a new wood-block pavement would be installed, permitting motor vehicles to use the bridge again;<ref name="p511453785">{{cite news |date=December 27, 1924 |title=Brooklyn Bridge Motor Traffic to Be Reopened Soon |page=4 |work=The Christian Science Monitor |id={{ProQuest|511453785}}}}</ref><ref name="The New York Times 1924 p079">{{cite web |date=December 18, 1924 |title=May 1 to See Autos on Brooklyn Bridge; Passenger Traffic Will Be Resumed by Then, Says Commissioner Mills. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1924/12/18/archives/may-1-to-see-autos-on-brooklyn-bridge-passenger-traffic-will-be.html |access-date=October 19, 2023 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=November 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104183836/https://www.nytimes.com/1924/12/18/archives/may-1-to-see-autos-on-brooklyn-bridge-passenger-traffic-will-be.html |url-status=live }}</ref> motor traffic was again allowed on the bridge starting on May 12, 1925.<ref name="The New York Times 1925 e658">{{cite web |date=May 12, 1925 |title=To Reopen Brooklyn Bridge To Passenger Autos Today |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1925/05/12/archives/to-reopen-brooklyn-bridge-to-passenger-autos-today.html |access-date=October 19, 2023 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=November 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103174625/https://www.nytimes.com/1925/05/12/archives/to-reopen-brooklyn-bridge-to-passenger-autos-today.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p553994510">{{cite news |date=May 12, 1925 |title=Vehicles on Brooklyn Bridge |page=3 |work=The Hartford Courant |issn=1047-4153 |id={{ProQuest|553994510}}}}</ref>

As part of an experiment, starting in November 1946, the Manhattan-bound roadway carried Brooklyn-bound traffic during the evening rush hours. The experiment ended after two months due to complaints about congestion.<ref>{{Cite news|date=January 15, 1947|title=Gripes Ended 1-Way Brooklyn Bridge Test|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-gripes-ended-1/138813792/|access-date=January 15, 2024|work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle|pages=16|archive-date=January 15, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115201306/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-gripes-ended-1/138813792/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Mid- to late 20th century ===

==== Upgrades ====
[[File:BrooklynBridgeRampsMANH.jpg|thumb|Ramp from the Brooklyn Bridge to FDR Drive (pictured in 2008), completed {{circa}} 1969|alt=Ramp from the Brooklyn Bridge to FDR Drive, completed circa 1969]]
The first major upgrade to the Brooklyn Bridge commenced in 1948, when a contract to entirely reconstruct the approach ramps was awarded to [[David B. Steinman]].<ref name="nyt19480904">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1948/09/04/archives/brooklyn-bridge-to-be-modernized-as-highway-for-6000-cars-an-hour.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge to Be Modernized As Highway for 6,000 Cars an Hour; One-Time 'Eighth Wonder of the World' to Undergo Its First Major Changes -Engineers' Planning to Take a Year|date=September 4, 1948|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 27, 2019|archive-date=June 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627150544/https://www.nytimes.com/1948/09/04/archives/brooklyn-bridge-to-be-modernized-as-highway-for-6000-cars-an-hour.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33294890/|title=Steinman to Revamp Brooklyn Bridge|date=September 20, 1948|work=Poughkeepsie Journal|access-date=June 26, 2019|page=11|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125005049/https://www.newspapers.com/article/poughkeepsie-journal-steinman-to-revamp/33294890/|url-status=live}}</ref> The renovation was expected to double the capacity of the bridge's roadways to nearly 6,000 cars per hour,<ref name="nyt19480904" /> at a projected cost of $7&nbsp;million.<ref name="nyt19500920">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1950/09/20/archives/brooklyn-span-job-is-up-to-schedule-laying-new-roadbed-on-brooklyn.html|title=Brooklyn Span Job Is 'Up' to Schedule'; Laying New Roadbed on Brooklyn Bridge|date=September 20, 1950|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 27, 2019|archive-date=June 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627145803/https://www.nytimes.com/1950/09/20/archives/brooklyn-span-job-is-up-to-schedule-laying-new-roadbed-on-brooklyn.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The renovation included the demolition of both the elevated and the trolley tracks on the roadways, the removal of trusses separating the inner elevated tracks from the existing vehicle lanes and the widening of each roadway from two to three lanes,<ref name="nyt19500920" /><ref name=":2">{{harvnb|ps=.|National Park Service|1966|p=7}}</ref> as well as the construction of a new steel-and-concrete floor.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1949/01/16/archives/brooklyn-bridge-to-carry-6-lanes-steel-mesh-roadway-ready-in-1950.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge To Carry 6 Lanes; Steel Mesh Roadway, Ready in 1950, Included in $2,400,000 Modernization Plan|date=January 16, 1949|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 2, 2019|archive-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702165445/https://www.nytimes.com/1949/01/16/archives/brooklyn-bridge-to-carry-6-lanes-steel-mesh-roadway-ready-in-1950.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, new ramps were added to Adams Street, [[Cadman Plaza]], and the [[Brooklyn Queens Expressway]] (BQE) on the Brooklyn side, and to Park Row on the Manhattan side.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1951/07/23/archives/new-approaches-to-speed-brooklyn-bridge-traffic.html|title=New Approaches to Speed Brooklyn Bridge Traffic|date=July 23, 1951|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 27, 2019|archive-date=June 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627145803/https://www.nytimes.com/1951/07/23/archives/new-approaches-to-speed-brooklyn-bridge-traffic.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The bridge was briefly closed to all traffic for the first time ever in January 1950,<ref name="The New York Times 1950 m819">{{cite web |last=Ingraham |first=Joseph C. |date=January 23, 1950 |title=As Brooklyn Bridge Was Closed Completely for First Time Since Opening in 1883; Brooklyn Bridge as Closed 8 Hours As Tests Are Begun for Rebuilding |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1950/01/23/archives/as-brooklyn-brdge-was-closed-completely-for-first-time-since.html |access-date=October 19, 2023 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=November 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104183835/https://www.nytimes.com/1950/01/23/archives/as-brooklyn-brdge-was-closed-completely-for-first-time-since.html?searchResultPosition=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> and the trolley tracks closed that March to allow the widening work to occur.<ref name="Small p. 20">{{harvnb|ps=.|Small|1957|p=20}}</ref><ref name="nyt19500303">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1950/03/03/archives/brooklyn-bridge-traffic-will-undergo-changes.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge Traffic Will Undergo Changes|date=March 3, 1950|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 27, 2019|archive-date=June 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627145813/https://www.nytimes.com/1950/03/03/archives/brooklyn-bridge-traffic-will-undergo-changes.html|url-status=live}}</ref> During the construction project, one roadway at a time was closed, allowing reduced traffic flows to cross the bridge in one direction only.<ref name="nydn19540502">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33455201/|title=Brooklyn Span, All Slicked Up, Set to Reopen|date=May 2, 1954|work=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]|location=New York|access-date=July 1, 2019|page=171|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125005156/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-brooklyn-span-all-slicked-up/33455201/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The widened south roadway was completed in May 1951,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1951/05/03/archives/brooklyn-bridge-gets-a-new-lane-new-threelane-road-opened-on.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge Gets a New Lane; New Three-Lane Road Opened on Brooklyn Bridge|date=May 3, 1951|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 27, 2019|archive-date=June 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627145801/https://www.nytimes.com/1951/05/03/archives/brooklyn-bridge-gets-a-new-lane-new-threelane-road-opened-on.html|url-status=live}}</ref> followed by the north roadway in October 1953.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1953/10/01/archives/new-threelane-north-roadway-of-brooklyn-bridge-opened-to-traffic.html|title=New Three-Lane North Roadway of Brooklyn Bridge Opened to Traffic|date=October 1, 1953|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 2, 2019|archive-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702145918/https://www.nytimes.com/1953/10/01/archives/new-threelane-north-roadway-of-brooklyn-bridge-opened-to-traffic.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The restoration was finished in May 1954 with the completion of the reconstructed elevated promenade.<ref name="nyt19540504">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1954/05/04/archives/brooklyn-bridge-back-in-full-use-strollers-and-drivers-happy-as.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge Back In Full Use; Strollers and Drivers Happy as Ceremony Reopens Span After Four – Year Curbs|date=May 4, 1954|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 2, 2019|archive-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702145912/https://www.nytimes.com/1954/05/04/archives/brooklyn-bridge-back-in-full-use-strollers-and-drivers-happy-as.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="nydn19540502" /> While the rebuilding of the span was ongoing, a fallout shelter was constructed beneath the Manhattan approach in anticipation of the [[Cold War]]. The abandoned space in one of the masonry arches was stocked with emergency survival supplies for a potential nuclear attack by the [[Soviet Union]]; these supplies remained in place half a century later.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/03/0324_060324_brooklyn.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060411045054/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/03/0324_060324_brooklyn.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 11, 2006|title=Cold War 'Time Capsule' Found in Brooklyn Bridge|last=Lovgren|first=Stefan|date=March 24, 2006|newspaper=[[National Geographic Society#Other publications|National Geographic News]]|access-date=February 20, 2010}}</ref> In addition, defensive barriers were added to the bridge as a safeguard against sabotage.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1951/04/11/archives/war-barricades-set-up-on-bridges-city-prepares-to-protect-its.html|title=War Barricades Set up on Bridges; City Prepares to Protect Its Bridges Against Sabotage|last=Eckenberg)|first=William C|date=April 11, 1951|work=The New York Times|access-date=July 2, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702151427/https://www.nytimes.com/1951/04/11/archives/war-barricades-set-up-on-bridges-city-prepares-to-protect-its.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Simultaneous with the rebuilding of the Brooklyn Bridge, a double-decked viaduct for the BQE was being built through an existing steel overpass of the bridge's Brooklyn approach ramp.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1944/06/05/archives/planning-to-give-the-city-a-clearer-view-of-its-famed-brooklyn.html|title=Planning to Give the City a Clearer View of Its Famed Brooklyn Bridge|date=June 5, 1944|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 2, 2019|archive-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702151425/https://www.nytimes.com/1944/06/05/archives/planning-to-give-the-city-a-clearer-view-of-its-famed-brooklyn.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The segment of the BQE from Brooklyn Bridge south to [[Atlantic Avenue (New York City)|Atlantic Avenue]] opened in June 1954,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1954/06/23/archives/3level-road-link-in-brooklyn-open-downtown-congestion-eased-by.html|title=3-Level Road Link In Brooklyn Open; Downtown Congestion Eased by $12,000,000 Section of 11-Mile Expressway|date=June 23, 1954|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 30, 2019|archive-date=June 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630032658/https://www.nytimes.com/1954/06/23/archives/3level-road-link-in-brooklyn-open-downtown-congestion-eased-by.html|url-status=live}}</ref> but the direct ramp from the northbound BQE to the Manhattan-bound Brooklyn Bridge did not open until 1959.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/01/11/archives/new-entrance-ready-for-brooklyn-bridge.html|title=New Entrance Ready For Brooklyn Bridge|date=January 11, 1959|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=July 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704005936/https://www.nytimes.com/1959/01/11/archives/new-entrance-ready-for-brooklyn-bridge.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The city also widened the Adams Street approach in Brooklyn, between the bridge and [[Fulton Street (Brooklyn)|Fulton Street]], from {{Convert|60|to|160|ft|abbr=}} between 1954 and 1955.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33508031/|title=2d Widened Adams Street Section Ready|date=July 6, 1955|work=New York Daily News|access-date=July 3, 2019|page=53|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125005101/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-2d-widened-adams-street-secti/33508031/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1955/07/07/archives/new-traffic-link-in-the-heart-of-brooklyn-is-opened.html|title=New Traffic Link in the Heart of Brooklyn Is Opened|date=July 7, 1955|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=July 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704005932/https://www.nytimes.com/1955/07/07/archives/new-traffic-link-in-the-heart-of-brooklyn-is-opened.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Subsequently, Boerum Place from Fulton Street south to Atlantic Avenue was also widened.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1954/11/05/archives/wide-bridge-link-set-for-brooklyn-fulton-streetatlantic-ave-stretch.html|title=Wide Bridge Link Set for Brooklyn; Fulton Street-Atlantic Ave. Stretch to Be Rebuilt to Ease Traffic Jams|date=November 5, 1954|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=July 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704012819/https://www.nytimes.com/1954/11/05/archives/wide-bridge-link-set-for-brooklyn-fulton-streetatlantic-ave-stretch.html|url-status=live}}</ref> This required the demolition of the old Kings County courthouse.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/01/04/archives/brooklyn-to-open-new-courthouse-mayor-and-judges-to-speak-tomorrow.html|title=Brooklyn To Open New Courthouse; Mayor and Judges to Speak Tomorrow at Dedication of $18,327,500 Building|date=January 4, 1959|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=July 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704005933/https://www.nytimes.com/1959/01/04/archives/brooklyn-to-open-new-courthouse-mayor-and-judges-to-speak-tomorrow.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The towers were cleaned in 1958<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1958/05/24/archives/brooklyn-bridge-marks-75th-year-once-hailed-as-8th-wonder-of-world.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge Marks 75th Year; Once Hailed as '8th Wonder of World,' It Still Is Most Famous Span on Earth Recent Cleaning Job Proved Towers to Be Pink and Tan Instead of Black Brooklyn Bridge Is 75 Today, Still the Most Famous on Earth|last=Benjamin|first=Philip|date=May 24, 1958|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=July 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704014711/https://www.nytimes.com/1958/05/24/archives/brooklyn-bridge-marks-75th-year-once-hailed-as-8th-wonder-of-world.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and the Brooklyn anchorage was repaired the next year.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/07/23/archives/brooklyn-repairs-bridge-anchorage.html|title=Brooklyn Repairs Bridge Anchorage|date=July 23, 1959|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=July 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704015150/https://www.nytimes.com/1959/07/23/archives/brooklyn-repairs-bridge-anchorage.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

On the Manhattan side, the city approved a controversial rebuilding of the Manhattan entrance plaza in 1953. The project, which would add a grade-separated junction over Park Row, was hotly contested because it would require the demolition of 21 structures, including the old [[New York World Building]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1953/01/08/archives/plan-marks-doom-of-world-building-commission-approves-wagners.html|title=Plan Marks Doom Of World Building; Commission Approves Wagner's $5,266,000 Street Layout for Bridge Approaches|date=January 8, 1953|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308135634/https://www.nytimes.com/1953/01/08/archives/plan-marks-doom-of-world-building-commission-approves-wagners.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The reconstruction also necessitated the relocation of 410 families on Park Row.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33508590/|title=Slum Move Deadlines Set|date=January 27, 1957|work=New York Daily News|access-date=July 3, 2019|page=321|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125005103/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-slum-move-deadlines-set/33508590/|url-status=live}}</ref> In December 1956, the city started a two-year renovation of the plaza. This required the closure of one roadway at a time, as was done during the rebuilding of the bridge itself.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1956/12/18/archives/plaza-job-started-at-brooklyn-bridge.html|title=Plaza Job Started at Brooklyn Bridge|date=December 18, 1956|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=October 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201009213220/https://www.nytimes.com/1956/12/18/archives/plaza-job-started-at-brooklyn-bridge.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Work on redeveloping the area around the Manhattan approach started in the mid-1960s.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/10/21/archives/work-is-starting-on-brooklyn-bridge-southwest-a-total-renewal.html|title=Work Is Starting on Brooklyn Bridge Southwest, A Total Renewal|date=October 21, 1966|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=July 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704014717/https://www.nytimes.com/1966/10/21/archives/work-is-starting-on-brooklyn-bridge-southwest-a-total-renewal.html|url-status=live}}</ref> At the same time, plans were announced for direct ramps to the elevated [[FDR Drive]] to alleviate congestion at the approach.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/09/04/archives/brooklyn-bridge-will-get-ramps-2year-project-designed-to-ease.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge Will Get Ramps; 2-Year Project Designed to Ease Street Traffic|date=September 4, 1965|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=July 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704014717/https://www.nytimes.com/1965/09/04/archives/brooklyn-bridge-will-get-ramps-2year-project-designed-to-ease.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The ramp from FDR Drive to the Brooklyn Bridge was opened in 1968,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1968/04/17/archives/brooklyn-bridge-ramp-opened.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge Ramp Opened|date=April 17, 1968|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=July 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704015151/https://www.nytimes.com/1968/04/17/archives/brooklyn-bridge-ramp-opened.html|url-status=live}}</ref> followed by the ramp from the bridge to FDR Drive the next year.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1969/06/22/archives/brooklyn-bridge-getting-ramp-to-fdr-drive-1500foot-exit-is-latest.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge Getting Ramp to F.D.R. Drive; 1,500-Foot Exit Is Latest in $8.5-Million Series to Relieve Congestion|last=Burks|first=Edward C|date=June 22, 1969|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=July 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704014717/https://www.nytimes.com/1969/06/22/archives/brooklyn-bridge-getting-ramp-to-fdr-drive-1500foot-exit-is-latest.html|url-status=live}}</ref> A single ramp from the Manhattan-bound Brooklyn Bridge to northbound Park Row was constructed in 1970.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33566928/|title=Slate New Exit Ramp For Bridge|date=May 21, 1970|work=New York Daily News|access-date=July 5, 2019|page=420|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125005050/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-slate-new-exit-ramp-for-bridg/33566928/|url-status=live}}</ref> A repainting of the bridge was announced two years later in advance of its 90th anniversary.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33567609/|title=Silver in Hair of 'Lady of Night'|date=September 4, 1972|work=New York Daily News|access-date=July 5, 2019|page=233|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125005603/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-silver-in-hair-of-lady-of-ni/33567609/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Deterioration and late-20th century repair ====
[[File:View looking towards Manhattan of steps up to Promenade with Brooklyn Tower in background. Jet Lowe, photographer, 1982 - Brooklyn Bridge, Spanning East River between Park Row, HAER NY,31-NEYO,90-68.tif|thumb|alt=A view of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1982, showing the steps that formerly led to the pedestrian promenade. A suspension tower is located in the background|The Brooklyn Bridge formerly had steps up to the promenade from the Brooklyn approach (seen here in 1982).]]
The Brooklyn Bridge gradually deteriorated due to age and neglect. While it had 200 full-time dedicated maintenance workers before World War II, that number dropped to five by the late 20th century, and the city as a whole only had 160 bridge maintenance workers.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/17/nyregion/bridge-troubles-provide-a-case-study-of-neglect.html|title=Bridge Troubles Provide A Case Study of Neglect|last=Sims|first=Calvin|date=April 17, 1988|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 5, 2019|archive-date=July 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705214731/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/17/nyregion/bridge-troubles-provide-a-case-study-of-neglect.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1974, heavy vehicles such as vans and buses were banned from the bridge to prevent further erosion of the concrete roadway.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/01/27/archives/newspaper-vans-lose-right-to-use-brooklyn-bridge.html|title=Newspaper Vans Lose Right to Use Brooklyn Bridge|date=January 27, 1974|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 5, 2019|archive-date=July 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705214722/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/01/27/archives/newspaper-vans-lose-right-to-use-brooklyn-bridge.html|url-status=live}}</ref> A report in ''The New York Times'' four years later noted that the cables were visibly fraying and the pedestrian promenade had holes in it.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/03/27/archives/new-jersey-pages-new-york-bridges-arent-falling-but-some-are.html|title=New York Bridges Aren't Falling, But Some Are Crumbling|last=Lichtenstein|first=Grace|date=March 27, 1978|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 5, 2019|archive-date=July 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705214719/https://www.nytimes.com/1978/03/27/archives/new-jersey-pages-new-york-bridges-arent-falling-but-some-are.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The city began planning to replace all the Brooklyn Bridge's cables at a cost of $115&nbsp;million, as part of a larger project to renovate the Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg, and Queensboro bridges.<ref name="nyt19810630">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/30/nyregion/brooklyn-bridge-to-get-new-set-of-steel-cables.html|title=Brooklyn Bridge to Get New Set of Steel Cables|last=Goldman|first=Ari L|date=June 30, 1981|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 5, 2019|archive-date=July 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705214724/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/30/nyregion/brooklyn-bridge-to-get-new-set-of-steel-cables.html|url-status=live}}</ref> By 1980, the Brooklyn Bridge was in such dire condition that it faced imminent closure. In some places, half of the strands in the cables were broken.<ref>{{cite news|first=Mark|last=Lieberman|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33568240/|title=Rotting B'klyn Bridge May Face Closing|date=October 21, 1980|work=New York Daily News|access-date=July 5, 2019|page=58|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125005557/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-rotting-bklyn-bridge-may-fac/33568240/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In June 1981, two of the diagonal stay cables snapped,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/29/nyregion/2-steel-cables-snap-on-brooklyn-bridge.html|title=2 Steel Cables Snap on Brooklyn Bridge|last=Saxon|first=Wolfgang|date=June 29, 1981|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=June 18, 2019|archive-date=February 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180221190143/http://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/29/nyregion/2-steel-cables-snap-on-brooklyn-bridge.html|url-status=live}}</ref> killing a pedestrian.<ref name="nydn19810630">{{cite news|title=Troubled Waters for Bridges|last=Steele|first=Ned|date=June 30, 1981|work=New York Daily News|pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/32995318/ 5], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/32995355/ 55]|via=newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name="nyt19860308" /> Subsequently, the anchorages were found to have developed rust,<ref name="nydn19810630" /> and an emergency cable repair was necessitated less than a month later after another cable developed slack.<ref>{{cite news|first=Sheila|last=Sullivan|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/32995219/|title=Another Cable Snag on Brooklyn Bridge|date=July 6, 1981|work=New York Daily News|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=155|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125005604/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-another-cable-snag-on-brookly/32995219/|url-status=live}}</ref> Following the incident, the city accelerated the timetable of its proposed cable replacement,<ref name="nyt19810630" /> and it commenced a $153&nbsp;million rehabilitation of the Brooklyn Bridge in advance of the 100th anniversary. As part of the project, the bridge's original suspender cables installed by J. Lloyd Haigh were replaced by [[Bethlehem Steel]] in 1986, marking the cables' first replacement since construction.<ref name="nyt19860308" /><ref name="Morning Call m830" /> In addition, the staircase at Washington Street in Brooklyn was renovated,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/04/nyregion/the-city-bridge-entrance-shut-in-brooklyn.html|title=The City; Bridge Entrance Shut in Brooklyn|date=January 4, 1985|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 5, 2019|archive-date=July 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705214715/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/04/nyregion/the-city-bridge-entrance-shut-in-brooklyn.html|url-status=live}}</ref> the stairs from Tillary and Adams Streets were replaced with a ramp, and the short flights of steps from the promenade to each tower's balcony were removed.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Brooklyn Bridge Promenade Recommendation Report|2016|p=5}}</ref> In a smaller project, the bridge was floodlit at night starting in 1982 to highlight its architectural features.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/32995466/|title=Lighting Pact to Help Brighten Bridge|last=Copage|first=Eric V|date=September 20, 1982|work=New York Daily News|access-date=June 18, 2019|page=74|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125005703/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-lighting-pact-to-help-brighte/32995466/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Additional problems persisted, and in 1993, high levels of [[lead]] were discovered near the bridge's towers.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/02/nyregion/high-lead-levels-found-near-3-east-river-bridges.html|title=High Lead Levels Found Near 3 East River Bridges|last=Mitchell|first=Alison|date=September 2, 1992|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 8, 2019|archive-date=July 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708142910/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/02/nyregion/high-lead-levels-found-near-3-east-river-bridges.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Further emergency repairs were undertaken in mid-1999 after small concrete shards began falling from the bridge into the East River. The concrete deck had been installed during the 1950s renovations and had a lifespan of about 60 years.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/05/nyregion/as-concrete-falls-city-moves-to-fix-brooklyn-bridge.html|title=As Concrete Falls, City Moves to Fix Brooklyn Bridge|last=Lueck|first=Thomas J|date=February 5, 1999|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 5, 2019|archive-date=July 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705215328/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/05/nyregion/as-concrete-falls-city-moves-to-fix-brooklyn-bridge.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=James|last=Rutenberg|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33568860/|title=Bridge Fixup|date=February 4, 1999|work=New York Daily News|access-date=July 5, 2019|page=605|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125005701/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-bridge-fixup/33568860/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Park Row exit from the bridge's westbound lanes was closed as a safety measure after the [[September 11 attacks|September&nbsp;11, 2001, attacks]] on the nearby [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]]. That section of Park Row had been closed off since it ran right underneath [[1&nbsp;Police Plaza]], the headquarters of the [[New York City Police Department]] (NYPD).<ref name="Buckley 2007">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/24/nyregion/24police.html|title=Chinatown Residents Frustrated Over Street Closed Since 9/11|last=Buckley|first=Cara|date=September 24, 2007|website=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2019|archive-date=June 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629070151/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/24/nyregion/24police.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In early 2003, to save money on electricity, the NYCDOT turned off the bridge's "necklace lights" at night.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/24/nyregion/neighborhood-report-new-york-waterfront-east-river-bridges-are-missing-strings.html|title=Neighborhood Report: New York Waterfront; East River Bridges Are Missing Strings of Pearls|last=Chan|first=Erin|date=August 24, 2003|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 5, 2019|archive-date=July 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190706000509/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/24/nyregion/neighborhood-report-new-york-waterfront-east-river-bridges-are-missing-strings.html|url-status=live}}</ref> They were turned back on later that year after several private entities made donations to fund the lights.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/01/nyregion/bridges-necklace-lights-to-return.html|title=Bridges' 'Necklace Lights' to Return|last=Feuer|first=Alan|date=November 1, 2003|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 8, 2019|archive-date=December 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228112249/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/01/nyregion/bridges-necklace-lights-to-return.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 21st century ===
{{multiple image
| align             = center
| direction         = horizontal
| total_width       = 800
| image1            = Brooklyn Bridge - New York City.jpg
| caption1          = In 2004, before renovation
| image2            = Brooklyn Bridge-New York.jpg
| caption2          = Renovation in progress
| image3            = Brooklyn Bridge September 2022 008.jpg
| caption3          = In 2022, after renovation
}}

After the 2007 collapse of the [[I-35W Mississippi River bridge|I-35W bridge]] in [[Minneapolis]], public attention focused on the condition of bridges across the U.S. ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that the Brooklyn Bridge approach ramps had received a "poor" rating during an inspection in 2007.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/02/brooklyn-bridge-is-one-of-3-with-poor-rating/|title=Brooklyn Bridge Is One of 3 With Poor Rating|last=Chan|first=Sewell|date=August 2, 2007|website=City Room|language=en-US|access-date=July 8, 2019|archive-date=June 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626162210/https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/02/brooklyn-bridge-is-one-of-3-with-poor-rating/|url-status=live}}</ref> However, a NYCDOT spokesman said that the poor rating did not indicate a dangerous state but rather implied it required renovation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/17/brooklyn-bridge-is-safe-city-insists/|title=Brooklyn Bridge Is Safe, City Insists|last=Chan|first=Sewell|date=September 17, 2007|website=City Room|language=en-US|access-date=July 8, 2019|archive-date=July 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708141339/https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/17/brooklyn-bridge-is-safe-city-insists/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2010, the NYCDOT began renovating the approaches and deck, as well as repainting the suspension span.<ref name="NYDN-Renovate-2010">{{cite news |url=http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-08-14/local/27072576_1_brooklyn-bridge-lanes-manhattan-bridge |title=Brooklyn Bridge Construction Starts Aug. 23, Keeping Manhattan-Bound Lanes Closed Nights till 2014 |newspaper=New York Daily News |access-date=September 11, 2012 |archive-date=October 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121029041915/http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-08-14/local/27072576_1_brooklyn-bridge-lanes-manhattan-bridge |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Briquelet | first=Kate | title=Paint fumes from Brooklyn Bridge have locals breathing uneasy | website=Brooklyn Paper | date=November 18, 2011 | url=https://www.brooklynpaper.com/paint-fumes-from-brooklyn-bridge-have-locals-breathing-uneasy/ | access-date=January 26, 2020 | archive-date=January 26, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126161008/https://www.brooklynpaper.com/paint-fumes-from-brooklyn-bridge-have-locals-breathing-uneasy/ | url-status=live }}</ref> Work included widening two approach ramps from one to two lanes by re-striping a new prefabricated ramp; raising clearance over the eastbound BQE at York Street; seismic retrofitting; replacement of rusted railings and safety barriers; and road deck resurfacing.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/bridges/brooklyn_bridge.shtml |title=Rebuilding the Bridge |publisher=New York City Department of Transportation |access-date=September 11, 2012 |archive-date=October 3, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003142720/http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/bridges/brooklyn_bridge.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> The work necessitated detours for four years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/brooklyn_bridge_brochure.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100603093435/http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/brooklyn_bridge_brochure.pdf |archive-date=June 3, 2010 |url-status=live |title=Rebuilding the Bridge&nbsp;— Brochure |publisher=New York City Department of Transportation |access-date=September 9, 2014}}</ref> At the time, the project was scheduled to be completed in 2014;<ref name="NYDN-Renovate-2010" /> but completion was later delayed to 2015,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/2014-spring-brooklyn-bridge-newsletter.pdf |title=Brooklyn Bridge Rehabilitation Spring 2014 Newsletter |publisher=New York City Department of Transportation |access-date=September 9, 2014 |archive-date=January 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121092151/http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/2014-spring-brooklyn-bridge-newsletter.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> then again to 2017.<ref name="Sugar 2016">{{cite web | last=Sugar | first=Rachel | title=Projected Brooklyn Bridge repair costs have more than doubled | website=Curbed NY | date=November 11, 2016 | url=https://ny.curbed.com/2016/11/11/13598192/brooklyn-bridge-repairs-cost-increase | access-date=January 26, 2020 | archive-date=January 26, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126161008/https://ny.curbed.com/2016/11/11/13598192/brooklyn-bridge-repairs-cost-increase | url-status=live }}</ref> The project's cost also increased from $508&nbsp;million in 2010<ref name="NYDN-Renovate-2010" /> to $811&nbsp;million in 2016.<ref name="Sugar 2016" />

In August 2016, the NYCDOT announced that it would conduct a seven-month, $370,000 study to verify if the bridge could support a heavier upper deck that consisted of an expanded bicycle and pedestrian path. By then, about 10,000 pedestrians and 3,500 cyclists used the pathway on an average weekday.<ref name="nyt20160809">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/09/nyregion/brooklyn-bridge-expansion.html |title=Brooklyn Bridge, The 'Times Square in the Sky,' May Get an Expansion |last=Hu |first=Winnie |date=August 8, 2016 |newspaper=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=August 8, 2016 |archive-date=March 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308180058/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/09/nyregion/brooklyn-bridge-expansion.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Work on the pedestrian entrance on the Brooklyn side was underway by 2017.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/09/nyregion/brooklyn-bridge-makeover.html |title=Finally, An Entrance Worthy of the Brooklyn Bridge |last=Hu |first=Winnie |date=May 9, 2017 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=May 10, 2017 |archive-date=January 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130225822/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/09/nyregion/brooklyn-bridge-makeover.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The NYCDOT also indicated in 2016 that it planned to reinforce the Brooklyn Bridge's foundations to prevent it from sinking, as well as repair the masonry arches on the approach ramps, which had been damaged by [[Hurricane Sandy]] four years earlier.<ref>{{cite web | last=Mixson | first=Colin | title=No sleep until 2022: Work on Brooklyn Bridge, begun in 2010, will continue until 2022 | website=[[The Villager (Manhattan)|The Villager]] | date=May 2, 2016 | url=https://www.thevillager.com/2016/05/no-sleep-until-2022-work-on-brooklyn-bridge-begun-in-2010-will-continue-until-2022/ | access-date=January 26, 2020 | archive-date=January 26, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126161602/https://www.thevillager.com/2016/05/no-sleep-until-2022-work-on-brooklyn-bridge-begun-in-2010-will-continue-until-2022/ | url-status=live }}</ref>  In July 2018, the [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] approved a further renovation of the Brooklyn Bridge's suspension towers and approach ramps.<ref>{{cite web |first=Lore |last=Croghan |title=Landmarks Preservation Commission Approves Brooklyn Bridge Archway Renovations |website=Brooklyn Daily Eagle |date=July 10, 2018 |url=https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2018/07/10/landmarks-preservation-commission-approves-brooklyn-bridge-archway-renovations/ |access-date=December 12, 2018 |archive-date=December 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215223843/https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2018/07/10/landmarks-preservation-commission-approves-brooklyn-bridge-archway-renovations/ |url-status=live }}</ref> That December, the federal government gave the city $25&nbsp;million in funding, which would pay for a $337&nbsp;million rehabilitation of the bridge approaches and the suspension towers.<ref>{{cite web |first=Vincent |last=Barone |date=December 11, 2018 |title=$25M in Federal Funds for Brooklyn Bridge Rehab |website=am New York |url=https://www.amny.com/news/brooklyn-bridge-rehabilitation-1.24461240 |access-date=December 12, 2018 |archive-date=December 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181212031041/https://www.amny.com/news/brooklyn-bridge-rehabilitation-1.24461240 |url-status=live }}</ref> Work started in late 2019 and was scheduled to be completed in four years.<ref>{{cite web | first=Alejandra | last=O'Connell-Domenech | title=Brooklyn Bridge renovations to start this fall | website=The Villager | date=July 1, 2019 | url=https://www.thevillager.com/2019/08/brooklyn-bridge-renovations-to-start-this-fall/ | access-date=January 26, 2020 | archive-date=January 26, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126161603/https://www.thevillager.com/2019/08/brooklyn-bridge-renovations-to-start-this-fall/ | url-status=live }}</ref> This restoration included removing bricks from the arches and putting fresh concrete behind them, using mortar from the same upstate quarries as the original mortar.  The granite arches were also cleaned, revealing the original gray color of the stone, which had long been hidden by grime.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hu|first=Winnie|date=April 16, 2023|title=The Brooklyn Bridge Gets a Facial|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/04/16/nyregion/brooklyn-bridge-restoration.html|access-date=April 23, 2023|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=April 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423162335/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/04/16/nyregion/brooklyn-bridge-restoration.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Additionally, 56 LED lamps were installed on the bridge at a cost of $2.4 million.<ref name="Simko-Bednarski 2024 a204" />

In early 2020, [[New York City Council|City Council]] speaker [[Corey Johnson (politician)|Corey Johnson]] and the nonprofit [[Van Alen Institute]] hosted an international contest to solicit plans for the redesign of the bridge's walkway.<ref>{{cite web | last=Berger | first=Paul | title=Can a Design Contest Fix the Brooklyn Bridge? Cyclists Hope So. | website=The Wall Street Journal | issn=0099-9660 | date=February 10, 2020 | url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/can-a-design-contest-fix-the-brooklyn-bridge-cyclists-hope-so-11581377140 | access-date=February 12, 2020 | archive-date=February 11, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200211171952/https://www.wsj.com/articles/can-a-design-contest-fix-the-brooklyn-bridge-cyclists-hope-so-11581377140 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | first=Mary | last=Frost | title=The Brooklyn Bridge is crowded. A new contest could change that. | website=Brooklyn Eagle | date=February 11, 2020 | url=https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2020/02/11/the-brooklyn-bridge-is-crowded-a-new-contest-could-change-that/ | access-date=February 12, 2020 | archive-date=February 12, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212173541/https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2020/02/11/the-brooklyn-bridge-is-crowded-a-new-contest-could-change-that/ | url-status=live }}</ref> Ultimately, in January 2021, the city decided to install a two-way [[Protected bicycle lanes|protected bike path]] on the Manhattan-bound roadway, replacing the leftmost vehicular lane. The bike lane would allow the existing promenade to be used exclusively by pedestrians.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Robbins|first=Christopher|date=January 28, 2021|title=The Brooklyn Bridge Will Finally Get Its Own Bike Lane|url=http://gothamist.com/news/brooklyn-bridge-will-finally-get-its-own-bike-lane|access-date=January 28, 2021|website=Gothamist|language=en|archive-date=January 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128221624/https://gothamist.com/news/brooklyn-bridge-will-finally-get-its-own-bike-lane|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Fitzsimmons|first=Emma G.|date=January 28, 2021|title=Car Lanes to Become Bike Lanes on 2 Major New York City Bridges|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/28/nyregion/bike-brooklyn-bridge-de-blasio.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/28/nyregion/bike-brooklyn-bridge-de-blasio.html |archive-date=December 28, 2021 |url-access=limited|access-date=January 28, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Work on the bike lane started in June 2021,<ref>{{cite web | first=Jen | last=Chung | title=Brooklyn Bridge Bike Lane Construction Starts June 21st | website=Gothamist | date=June 17, 2021 | url=http://gothamist.com/news/brooklyn-bridge-bike-lane-construction-starts-june-21st | access-date=June 20, 2021 | archive-date=June 19, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210619190534/https://gothamist.com/news/brooklyn-bridge-bike-lane-construction-starts-june-21st | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Fondren|first=Precious|date=June 18, 2021|title=A New Bike Lane on the Brooklyn Bridge|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/18/nyregion/bike-lane-brooklyn-bridge.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/18/nyregion/bike-lane-brooklyn-bridge.html |archive-date=December 28, 2021 |url-access=limited|access-date=June 20, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and the new path was completed on September 14, 2021.<ref name="Offenhartz 2021">{{cite web |last=Offenhartz |first=Jake |date=September 14, 2021 |title=Video: Long-Awaited Bike Lane Opens On Brooklyn Bridge |url=https://gothamist.com/news/long-awaited-bike-lane-opens-brooklyn-bridge |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003150556/https://gothamist.com/news/long-awaited-bike-lane-opens-brooklyn-bridge |archive-date=October 3, 2021 |access-date=October 3, 2021 |website=Gothamist|postscript=none}}; {{cite web |date=September 14, 2021 |title=Brooklyn Bridge protected bike lane opens |url=https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2021/09/14/deblasio-administration-opens-brooklyn-bridge-protected-bike-lane-permanently-transforming-iconic-roadway-for-cyclists/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003150528/https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2021/09/14/deblasio-administration-opens-brooklyn-bridge-protected-bike-lane-permanently-transforming-iconic-roadway-for-cyclists/ |archive-date=October 3, 2021 |access-date=October 3, 2021 |website=Brooklyn Eagle|postscript=none}}; {{cite web | last=Duggan | first=Kevin | title=FIRST ON amNY: City to open Brooklyn Bridge bike lane Tuesday | website=amNewYork | date=September 13, 2021 | url=https://www.amny.com/news/breaking-city-to-open-brooklyn-bridge-bike-lane-tuesday/ | access-date=February 1, 2025}}</ref> Despite the addition of the bike path, the bridge's walkway was still frequently overcrowded,<ref name="Budds 2023 z625">{{cite web | last=Budds | first=Diana | title=Clearing Vendors From the Brooklyn Bridge Won't Solve Its Overcrowding Problem | website=Curbed | date=January 27, 2023 | url=https://www.curbed.com/2023/01/brooklyn-bridge-overcrowding-street-vendors-pedestrian-plan.html | access-date=July 26, 2023 | archive-date=July 26, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726141158/https://www.curbed.com/2023/01/brooklyn-bridge-overcrowding-street-vendors-pedestrian-plan.html | url-status=live }}</ref> prompting the city to propose that street vendors be banned from the bridge and others citywide.<ref name="Frost 2023 a100">{{cite web | last=Frost | first=Mary | title=Brooklyn Bridge vendors may soon be banned | website=Brooklyn Eagle | date=July 25, 2023 | url=https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2023/07/25/brooklyn-bridge-vendors-may-soon-be-banned/ | access-date=July 26, 2023 | archive-date=July 26, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726005201/https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2023/07/25/brooklyn-bridge-vendors-may-soon-be-banned/ | url-status=live |postscript=none}}; {{cite web | last=Finley | first=Louis | title=City considers vendor ban on bridges, citing safety and security risks | website=Spectrum News NY1 | date=October 11, 2023 | url=https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2023/10/11/city-considers-vendor-ban-on-bridges | access-date=October 15, 2023 | archive-date=October 17, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231017182935/https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2023/10/11/city-considers-vendor-ban-on-bridges | url-status=live |postscript=none}}; {{cite web | last=Parker | first=Harry | title=NYC floats plan to ban souvenir, food vendors from Brooklyn Bridge in bid to ease pedestrian traffic | website=New York Daily News | date=October 10, 2023 | url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2023/10/10/nyc-floats-plan-to-ban-souvenir-food-vendors-from-brooklyn-bridge-in-bid-to-ease-pedestrian-traffic/ | access-date=October 15, 2023 | archive-date=October 15, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015035352/https://www.nydailynews.com/2023/10/10/nyc-floats-plan-to-ban-souvenir-food-vendors-from-brooklyn-bridge-in-bid-to-ease-pedestrian-traffic/ | url-status=live }}</ref> All vendors were banned from the bridge in January 2024,<ref name="ABC7 New York 2024 l197">{{cite web | title=Vendors forced to close up shop on Brooklyn Bridge and all New York City bridges | website=ABC7 New York | date=January 3, 2024 | url=https://abc7ny.com/brooklyn-bridge-vendors-ban-nyc/14262934/ | access-date=January 3, 2024 | archive-date=January 3, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240103043000/https://abc7ny.com/brooklyn-bridge-vendors-ban-nyc/14262934/ | url-status=live |postscript=none}}; {{cite web | last=Nir | first=Sarah Maslin | title=The Brooklyn Bridge Is Not for Sale, or for Selling Souvenirs Anymore | website=The New York Times | date=January 2, 2024 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/02/nyregion/brooklyn-bridge-vendors.html | access-date=January 3, 2024 | issn=0362-4331 | archive-date=January 3, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240103011341/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/02/nyregion/brooklyn-bridge-vendors.html | url-status=live }}</ref> and the same month, the bridge's new LED lights were illuminated for the first time.<ref name="Simko-Bednarski 2024 a204" /> The [[National Transportation Safety Board]] recommended in early 2025 that the bridge undergo a structural vulnerability assessment, following the [[Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse]] in Maryland the previous year.<ref>{{cite web | title=Key Bridge collapse: NYC bridges among 68 in the US recommended for vulnerability assessments, NTSB says | website=ABC7 New York | date=March 21, 2025 | url=https://abc7ny.com/post/key-bridge-collapse-nyc-bridges-among-68-us-recommended-vulnerability-assessments-ntsb-says/16059419/ | access-date=March 21, 2025|postscript=none}}; {{cite web | last=Loria | first=Michael | title=Millions of people use these bridges. Feds say they're taking a risk. | website=USA TODAY | date=March 21, 2025 | url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/03/20/bridges-at-risk-of-collapse-key/82582036007/ | access-date=March 21, 2025}}</ref>

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