HAER Report

Bridge Nos. 1 and 2

Bridge Numbers 1 and 2 were built in conjunction and advertised as part of the same contract. Bridge No. 1 carried the parkway drive over the Bronx River north of Gun Hill Road in Williamsbridge and was designed by Stoughton. Bridge No. 2, designed by Carrere and Hastings, carried the drive over the river south of Gun Hill Road. Seven bids were received for this contract in October 1919, but the BPC decided to wait for the prices of labor and materials to fall from immediate postwar building boom heights. New bids were opened in March 1920. The F. Gradwohl Engineering and Contracting Company of New York City submitted the lowest of four bids and won the contract. Bridge No. 1 was a duplex structure consisting of two arches separated by a central concrete stairway that led from the drive to a boat landing under the bridge. Both bridges were divided by a central parking strip and an open well through the arches. The bridge designs were reviewed and approved by the Municipal Art Commission of New York City, which recommended false joints under the arches of Bridge No. 2 as well as the use of cut stone work on both bridges. The BPC approved the recommendations along with an additional $4,000.00 for the work required for the changes.(212)

The bridges were originally supposed to be completed by the end of 1920. The contractor was granted two extensions through the end of August 1921. In September 1921, the company requested another extension, which prompted Niles to visit to the construction site. Downer reported that Bridge No. 1 was approaching completion, but that the contractor had not even excavated an abutment on the second bridge. Holleran also inspected the site and concluded that the contractor was unlikely to finish the second bridge before winter weather set in. He estimated that if the BPC work force took over the job, it would finish the bridge by mid December. Gradwohl had also built a concrete retaining wall instead of the rubble masonry wall specified in the contract. The BPC decided to cancel Gradwohl’s contract and use its own forces to properly complete the rubble masonry work. The rest of the work was contracted to another firm, which finished the job on July 31, 1922. The total cost of the project was $164,693.15. With the completion of Bridges No. 1 and 2, the parkway between Bronx Park and Yonkers Avenue was open to the public in September 1922.(213)

Bridge No. 33

Bridge No. 33, located south of Woodland Place in White Plains, carried the parkway drive over the Bronx River and an adjacent footpath. Three bids were submitted in May 1920, and the contract was awarded to the lowest bidder, Faillace Brothers of New York. The 52' span reinforced-concrete arch bridge featured a granite arch ring and was faced with rubble masonry. Work was finished on May 31, 1921.(214)