A drawbridge that once carried trolleys, cars, and pedestrians across Newtown Creek — torn down in 1954, with only concrete remnants left behind.
The Vernon Avenue Bridge carried trolley, automobile, and pedestrian traffic between Long Island City and Greenpoint for nearly seven decades. There were two bridges at this location: a swing bridge which lasted from 1882 then the drawbridge build in 1905. By 1918 the bridge handled over 2.2 million vehicle crossings and more than 168,000 trolley trips every year.
By the early 1950’s the bridge had outlived its usefulness, and was demolished in 1954. The nearby Pulaski Bridge was opened in September 1954, connecting McGuinness Boulevard and 11th Street.
Nothing of the bridge itself survives except concrete bulkhead remnants remain visible on both sides of Newtown Creek where the bridge’s approaches once stood. On the Brooklyn side, the crossing point is now Manhattan Avenue Street End Park. On the Queens side, the old alignment is remembered informally by a small community of boat owners who moor along the bulkhead, sometimes referred to as the Hunters Point Boat Sanctuary.
| Original structure | Swing bridge, opened 1882 |
| Replacement structure | Drawbridge, opened October 18, 1905 |
| Connected | Vernon Avenue (now Vernon Boulevard), LIC — Manhattan Avenue, Greenpoint |
| Traffic (1918) | 2,241,465 vehicle crossings; 168,630 trolley trips |
| Demolished | 1954 |
| Replaced by | Pulaski Bridge |
| What remains | Concrete bulkhead remnants on both banks |
Vernon Avenue Bridge
Demolished 1954 — formerly connected Long Island City and Greenpoint
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Vernon Avenue Bridge
A drawbridge that once carried trolleys, cars, and pedestrians across Newtown Creek — torn down in 1954, with only concrete remnants left behind.