On July 11, 1936, 90 years ago, the bridge opened to traffic with a star- studded ceremony on the Manhattan to Randall’s Island ramp attended by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Governor Herbert H. Lehman, and Mayor Fiorello La Guardia. The total construction cost (in 1936) was $60,300,000 and the toll was $0.25. Photo Courtesy of MTA Bridges and Tunnels Special Archive.

On July 11, 1936, 90 years ago, the bridge opened to traffic with a star- studded ceremony on the Manhattan to Randall’s Island ramp attended by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Governor Herbert H. Lehman, and Mayor Fiorello La Guardia. The total construction cost (in 1936) was $60,300,000 and the toll was $0.25. Photo Courtesy of MTA Bridges and Tunnels Special Archive.

Metropolitan Transportation Au­thority (MTA) Bridges and Tunnels is celebrating the 90th anniversary of its flagship facility, the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, which has served as a vital link to the regional transporta­tion network connecting Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx since 1936. In total, the bridge contains 14 miles of spans, viaduct, ramps, and ap­proaches, and carried 69.7 million ve­hicles in 2025 and more than 1,000 MTA buses every weekday.

“As our flagship facility, the RFK Bridge is crucial to not only the three boroughs it connects, but to com­muters and commerce throughout the region,” said MTA Bridges and Tunnels President Catherine Sheridan. “MTA Bridges and Tunnels continues to invest in state of good repair projects in its Capital Plan and performs regular maintenance to ensure the bridge will remain reliable for decades to come.”

The bridge, which consists of three spans, opened on July 11, 1936, as the Triborough Bridge. The bridge’s suspension span, truss span, and lift span meet on Randalls Island where an interchange sorts out traffic flowing in 12 directions and pro­vides access to the island.

Construction began in 1929 amid the Wall Street crash that started the Great Depression. Photo Courtesy of MTA Bridges and Tunnels Special Archive.

Construction began in 1929 amid the Wall Street crash that started the Great Depression. Photo Courtesy of MTA Bridges and Tunnels Special Archive.

A series of major investments and enhance­ments have been implemented over several capital plans to adapt to evolving traffic flow and improve road safety and accessibility. In 2024, MTA Bridges and Tunnels opened two new vehicular ramps that connect Randall’s Island with Queens and Manhat­tan.

Last year, the MTA opened paths for bicyclists, pedestrians and micromobility users as part of the Authority’s commitment to improving conditions for cyclists, pedestrians and micromobility users on MTA bridges. There’s also an ongoing project to perform design and construction work for wind retrofit and structural rehabilitation of the East River Suspension Spans and construct a new accessible path linking Queens to Randall’s Island.

The anniversary is being celebrated with an ex­hibit at Grand Central Terminal called: “Three Bor­oughs, One Bridge: 90 Years of the Triborough Bridge.” It’s housed in two facing vitrines in the One Vanderbilt Passage, adjacent to the Transit Mu­seum Annex. The exhibit focuses on both the plan­ning and construction of the bridge, as well as the MTA’s efforts to serve the traveling public through capital investments.

The bridge was renamed after late Senator Robert F. Kennedy on November 19, 2008.