Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge

The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge sweeps across the Narrows, the tidal strait at the mouth of New York Harbor, linking Staten Island and Brooklyn. When it opened in 1964 its main span of 4,260 feet (1,298 m) made it the longest suspension bridge in the world, a record it held for a decade, and it remains the longest in the Americas. Its towers are so tall and far apart that their tops are built slightly out of parallel to account for the curvature of the Earth.

Designed by Othmar Ammann, the bridge completed the ring of expressways around New York City and opened Staten Island to rapid suburban growth. It is the gateway that ocean liners and container ships pass beneath on their way into the harbor, and every November it serves as the starting line of the New York City Marathon, with tens of thousands of runners streaming across its upper deck.

• New York City
  The largest city in the United States related