When New York's Most Dangerous Waterway was Bridged (The History of Hell Gate Bridge)

They are now running a Black Friday Sale. Go to and get an additional 10% off on any purchase with code ITSHISTORY. Thanks to Established Titles for sponsoring this video! The Hell Gate Bridge, originally the New York Connecting Railroad Bridge[2] or the East River Arch Bridge, is a 1,017-foot (310 m) steel through arch railroad bridge in New York City. Originally built for four tracks, the bridge currently carries two tracks of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and one freight track across the Hell Gate, a strait of the East River, between Astoria in Queens and Randalls and Wards Islands in Manhattan. The arch across the Hell Gate is the largest of three bridges that form the Hell Gate railroad viaduct. An inverted bowstring truss bridge with four 300-foot (91.4 m) spans crosses the Little Hell Gate, a former strait that is now filled in, and a 350-foot (106.7 m) fixed truss bridge crosses the Bronx Kill, a strait now narrowed by fill. Together with ap