City Island Bridge

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The first City Island bridge was built in 1873 by David Carll, a City Island shipbuilder. The draw came from a bridge over the Harlem River and the lumber was salvaged from the first USS North Carolina, which had been launched in 1814 and was considered by many the most powerful naval vessel afloat until it was decommissioned in 1866.

The cost of the bridge was $35,000, and the tolls were intended to reimburse the builders, but the town of Pelham, of which City Island was a part, eliminated the toll in 1876. The second City Island bridge was built by the City of New York soon after the island became part of the city in 1895. The bridge cost $200,000 to construct and was opened in 1901. Unfortunately, the city has decided to demolish the bridge, in spite of its historic significance, and replace it with a large cable-stayed bridge, which much of the City Island community is protesting as inappropriate for this small low-rise nautical community. The current schedule calls for the new bridge to be completed in 2016.