Engineer still marvels at Verrazano Bridge’s creation

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At the mention of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, retired civil engineer and Hebrew Home at Riverdale resident Mark Carter’s eyes become as vibrant as the bright yellow shirt and golden bow tie he was wearing on a recent Friday afternoon.

“This was the longest suspension bridge in the world when it was built and it’s still the longest bridge in the United States,” he gushed with a drawing of the famed Othmar H. Ammann-designed Bridge hanging on a wall behind him in his room at the Hebrew Home at Riverdale.

With a clear span of 4,260 feet and its colossal 70-story steel towers, the bridge, which was described by “master builder” Robert Moses as a “triumph of simplicity, and restraint over exuberance,” connects Staten Island with Brooklyn. 

“It’s just a majestic building structure,” added Vice President and Chief of Operations James Fortunato of MTA Bridges and Tunnels in an over-the-phone interview. “The planning and design of this structure was way ahead of its time.”

The two 693-foot towers weigh 27,000 tons and they are joined together by three million rivets and one million bolts. To consider the curvature of the earth, the tops of the towers had to be one and five-eighths inches farther apart than their bases, according to the MTA.

“When you’re young, it’s one of the vicarious thrills that you get in your life,” Mr. Carter explained as he recalled the first time he walked on the Verrazano-Narrows before the roadway was built. “I had also managed to get a ride up to the top of the tower.  You’re up almost 700 feet in the air so you get a different view of the world.” 

As the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge celebrates it 50th anniversary this Friday, Nov. 21, Mr. Carter, 79, a father of four, still marvels at his role in helping construct the monumental structure.  

“They had 175 engineers working on the design of the bridge and I got involved inspecting the soil and the testing of the soils,” Mr. Carter explained. “I was trained to do civil engineering and part of civil engineering is working with the strength of concrete, steel bars and steel beams.”

Mark Carter, Hebrew Home, Riverdale, Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, Civil Engineering, Tanisia Morris
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