East River

:This article is about the East River in New York City. For other uses, see East River (disambiguation).

Related Topics:
New York City - East River (disambiguation)

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The East River is both a tidal strait and a tidal estuary in New York City connecting Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island as well as the boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx.

Related Topics:
Strait - Estuary - New York City - Upper New York Bay - Long Island Sound - Long Island - Queens - Brooklyn - Manhattan - The Bronx

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In reference to its connection to Long Island Sound, it was once also known as the Sound River.

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The river is spanned by eight bridges, which from north to south are:

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• Throgs Neck Bridge
• Bronx-Whitestone Bridge
• Hell Gate Bridge
• Triborough Bridge
• Roosevelt Island Bridge (east channel only)
• Queensboro Bridge
• Williamsburg Bridge
• Manhattan Bridge
• Brooklyn Bridge.

Historically, the lower portion of the river (separating Manhattan from Brooklyn) was one of the busiest and most important channels in the world, particularly during the first three centuries of New York City's history. The Brooklyn Bridge, opened in 1883, was the first bridge to span the river, replacing frequent ferry service. (Some passenger ferry service remains between Queens and Manhattan.)

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A total of thirteen tunnels run under the East River. Two of them, the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel and Queens-Midtown Tunnel, carry automobile traffic. One carries inter-city and commuter railroad traffic connecting to New York Penn Station. The remaining ten carry subway traffic.

Related Topics:
Tunnel - Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel - Queens-Midtown Tunnel - New York Penn Station - Subway traffic

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The Bronx River drains into the East River in the northern section of the strait.

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North of Ward's Island, it is joined by the Bronx Kill. Along the east of Ward's Island, at approximately the strait's midpoint, it narrows into a channel called Hell Gate, which is spanned by both the Triborough Bridge and the Hell Gate Bridge. On the south side of Ward's Island, it is joined by the Harlem River.

Related Topics:
Ward's Island - Bronx Kill - Hell Gate - Triborough Bridge - Hell Gate Bridge - Harlem River

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Newtown Creek on Long Island drains into the East River, forming part of the boundary between Queens and Brooklyn.

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The East River contains a number of islands, including:

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• Upper section
• Riker's Island
• North Brother Island
• South Brother Island
• Lower Section
• Ward's Island and Randall's Island (joined by landfill)
• Roosevelt Island
• U Thant Island (Belmont Island)
 
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