Seeing the fortuitous timing of the bridge opening as a sign, and having checked the tides and currents in the Eldridge Tide and Pilot Book, we decided to brave the whirlpools swirling around the Spuyten Duyvil bridge and entered the creek.  (Spuyten duyvil, by the way, might mean “Devil’s spout,” or it might mean “spouting meadow.”)

Just around the bend was the next bridge—W. 207 Street/University Heights.

As we traversed the Harlem River Ship Canal, the first bridge we passed under was the Broadway Bridge, connecting Inwood, on the “mainland” of Manhattan, with Marble Hill, a Manhattan outpost attached to the Bronx. This bridge carries both cars and subway trains.

As the map above shows, quite a bit of the Harlem River goes by before coming to the next batch of movable bridges, but it’s not entirely bridge-free. W. 181st Street, the Cross Bronx Expressway, and the High Bridge all cross the river. Here’s another gratuitous bridge picture.

The next five DOT bridges followed each other in rapid succession. The first was the Macombs Dam Bridge. In 1814 Robert Macomb built a dam on this spot. Unfortunately, it obstructed navigation and caused flooding upstream. In 1839 it was deemed a “public nuisance,” but it wasn’t until 1861 that the first swing bridge was opened here.

A little further on we approached the 145th Street Bridge and had to dodge another denizen of the Harlem River—a Circle Line boat.

Passing under 145th Street, we could see the next bridge up ahead.

We left the Madison Avenue Bridge astern and continued down the Harlem River.

Just past the Madison Avenue Bridge is a Metro-North Railroad bridge, carrying passengers up the Hudson Line.  This is not a DOT bridge, but it is movable.

The Third Avenue Bridge was next. To the casual observer these swing bridges may all look alike, but careful examination reveals subtle and not-so-subtle differences.

The Willis Avenue Bridge was the last of the swing bridges as we neared the end of our transit of the Harlem River.

This part of the RFK Bridge (formerly the Triborough Bridge) connects Manhattan with Randalls Island. It’s movable, but not a DOT bridge.

The Wards Island Bridge spans the mouth of the Harlem River. This vertical-lift pedestrian bridge connects Manhattan’s East Side with Wards Island.


And as we passed under, our journey down the full length of the Harlem River was completed.

We passed under several more bridges before we arrived at the Buttermilk Channel and the harbor, but they were not movable, although they were DOT. Our arrival downtown was timed perfectly to coincide with the sunset, and our parting view of Manhattan was of these last two bridges (Manhattan on the left and Brooklyn on the right).

Postscript:  In early October, while completing our second navigation of Manhattan, we cruised along the east side of Roosevelt Island and passed under the Roosevelt Island Bridge, connecting the island with Queens. Unfortunately, our camera batteries were dead, so there is no photographic proof of our visit. We’ll go back next season and get the photo.


Fifteen bridges down; ten to go.

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