Bridge-climber Joins Hunt for Local History

A major exhibit commemorating the 50th anniversary of the construction of the Throgs Neck Bridge and Clearview Expressway is opening in May at the .

“We’re looking for people who were here and were affected by it,” said Allison McKay, the Society’s archivist of the construction projects begun in 1957.

Researched through interviews with construction workers and engineers from the actual projects, the exhibit is also scheduled to include presentations by fearless photographer David Frieder.

An admirer of legendary photographer Ansel Adams, Frieder has earned fame for climbing every major bridge in New York City, taking photographs of the structures and surrounding vistas.

And Frieder says he's a particular fan of the Throgs Neck Bridge.

“It’s one of the last bridges designed by Othmar Amman, who also designed the George Washington, Robert F. Kennedy [formerly known as the Triborough], Bronx-Whitestone and Verrazano-Narrows Bridge,” Frieder said.

“It’s one of the more difficult to photograph from an artist’s point of view because it’s more ‘muscular’ in its design — although from inside, the Throgs Neck towers are identical to the Verrazano,” he added.

Frieder proved to be a valuable source according to McKay, because of his close communication with bridge authorities and workers — that is, until the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks closed access to the city’s bridges.

“The state doesn’t have a problem though; I’ll be photographing the Mid-Hudson Bridge this spring,” he said, referring to a span connecting the upstate municipalities of Poughkeepsie and Highland.

The Throgs Neck Bridge and expressway were two of the last major transportation projects of New York’s “Master Builder,” Robert Moses. The 2,910 foot-long bridge was opened in 1961 and the Clearview approach was completed in time for Moses’ other pet project, the 1963-64 World’s Fair.

Some 421 private homes had to be demolished or moved to new foundations to make way for the 5.3 mile highway, although the original plan called for the approach road to closely follow Utopia Parkway/Francis Lewis Boulevard, which would have had double the impact on area homeowners.

During the height of road construction, an average of two houses every few days were lifted off their foundations, placed on giant trailers and moved over local streets to their new locations, according to historical records.

“Mostly, the houses north of Northern Boulevard were relocated to the former Bayside Golf Course; those to the south went to Oakland Gardens,” McKay said.

The southerly site, formerly the Oakland Golf Club, also hosts .

Check back in with Patch to see some of Frieder's — and our own — spectacular photos of the Throgs Neck Bridge. To contribute to the project, visit www.baysidehistorical.org.