Editing Manhattan Bridge (section)

== Operational history<span class="anchor" id="Operation"></span> ==

=== Opening and early history ===
Stevenson announced at the end of November 1909 that the bridge's roadways would likely open by December 24, although the transit lines and pedestrian walkways were not complete.<ref name="n138656133">{{Cite news |date=November 29, 1909 |title=Manhattan Bridge to Be Opened Dec. 24 |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-manhattan-bridg/138656133/ |access-date=January 13, 2024 |work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |pages=1 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=November 29, 1909 |title=Manhattan Bridge to Be Christmas Present to the Greater City |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-citizen-manhattan-bridge-to/138656891/ |access-date=January 13, 2024 |work=The Brooklyn Citizen |pages=1}}</ref> One hundred prominent Brooklyn citizens walked over the bridge on December 4, 1909;<ref name="nyt19091205">{{Cite news |date=December 5, 1909 |title=One Hundred Cross Manhattan Bridge – Brooklyn Inspection Party Walks Over the New Twenty-Million-Dollar Link – A Remarkable Structure – Official Opening Set for Three Weeks Hence – Interesting Facts About Its Building |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1909/12/05/106778917.pdf |access-date=December 24, 2017 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=December 5, 1909 |title=New Manhattan Bridge Pronounced a Success |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-new-manhattan-b/138414509/ |access-date=January 10, 2024 |work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |pages=51}}</ref><ref name="n138414280">{{Cite news |date=December 5, 1909 |title=B'klyn Leaguers See New Bridge |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-citizen-bklyn-leaguers-see/138414280/ |access-date=January 10, 2024 |work=The Brooklyn Citizen |pages=1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-citizen-bklyn-leaguers-see/138414360/ 3]}}</ref> at the time, the subway tracks were unfinished, and there was uncertainty over which company would use the streetcar tracks.<ref name="n138414280" /> Outgoing mayor George B. McClellan Jr. toured the bridge on December 24.<ref name="nyt-1909-12-25">{{Cite news |date=December 25, 1909 |title=Inspect Manhattan Bridge; Mayor and His Party Believe It Will Be Opened Within Ten Days. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1909/12/25/archives/inspect-manhattan-bridge-mayor-and-his-party-believe-it-will-be.html |access-date=January 10, 2024 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |language=en-US |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=December 25, 1909 |title=Over New Bridge in Auto |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-over-new-bridge-in-auto/138422211/ |access-date=January 10, 2024 |work=The Sun |pages=10}}</ref> The span officially opened on December 31, 1909,<ref name="NYTimes-Open-1910a">{{Cite news |date=January 1, 1910 |title=Manhattan Bridge Opened to Traffic – Mayor McClellan's Last Act in Public Was to Lead a Procession on Wheels Across – Brooklyn Men Celebrate – New Structure Has the Largest Carrying Capacity of Any Crossing the River – The Span Is 1,470 Feet |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1910/01/01/104915453.pdf |access-date=December 24, 2017 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |postscript=none}}; {{cite news |date=December 31, 1909 |title=Manhattan Bridge Is Declared Open |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-manhattan-bridge-is-declared/138485203/ |access-date=January 11, 2024 |work=Times Union |pages=1}}</ref> at a final cost of $26 million, although work was still incomplete.<ref name="n138485104">{{Cite news |date=January 1, 1910 |title=Open New Bridge |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-tribune-open-new-bridge/138485104/ |access-date=January 11, 2024 |work=New-York Tribune |pages=3}}</ref> Empty commercial vehicles tended to use the Manhattan Bridge, while trucks with full loads used the Brooklyn Bridge, since the Manhattan Bridge's wood-block pavement was less sturdy than the Brooklyn Bridge's plank pavement.<ref name="n138518209">{{Cite news |date=August 17, 1910 |title=Asks a Million for Bridge Department |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-asks-a-million-for-bridge-de/138518209/ |access-date=January 11, 2024 |work=Times Union |pages=2}}</ref>

A fire on the Brooklyn side damaged the bridge in early 1910, necessitating the replacement of some cables and steel.<ref name="p145031390">{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|145031390}} |title=Spectacular Midair Fire.: Firemen Have Difficulty in Quelling Flames on Manhattan Bridge. |date=March 26, 1910 |page=5 |newspaper=The Washington Post |issn=0190-8286 |postscript=none}}; {{cite news |date=March 26, 1910 |title=Fire Weakens New Manhattan Bridge – Steel Work and Cables, Warped and Twisted, May Have to Be Replaced – Damage $50,000 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1910/03/26/104926743.pdf |access-date=December 24, 2017}}</ref> Though both of the Manhattan Bridge's footpaths were initially closed to the public, the northern footpath opened in July 1910;<ref name="nyt-1910-07-15">{{Cite news |date=July 15, 1910 |title=To Open Two Bridges; Footway of the Manhattan and a New Harlem River Span Ready. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1910/07/15/archives/to-open-two-bridges-footway-of-the-manhattan-and-a-new-harlem-river.html |access-date=January 11, 2024 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |language=en-US |postscript=none}}; {{cite news |date=July 14, 1910 |title=Manhattan Bridge Opening |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-manhattan-bridg/138484421/ |access-date=January 11, 2024 |work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |pages=3}}</ref> the southern footpath was scheduled to be opened the next month.<ref name="n138520095">{{Cite news |date=July 15, 1910 |title=Slowly Completing Span |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-slowly-completing-span/138520095/ |access-date=January 11, 2024 |work=Times Union |pages=10}}</ref> Streetcars began running across the bridge in September 1912,<ref name="p129312013">{{cite news |date=September 6, 1912 |title=Manhattan Bridge Operation.: Court Upholds the Three-Cent Fare Line and Cars Are Rushed Across. |work=The Wall Street Journal |page=8 |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|129312013}} |postscript=none}}; {{cite web |date=September 6, 1912 |title=New Bridge Line's Big Day; Carries 3,500 Riders Over Manhattan Span – Rivals Give Up Fight. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1912/09/06/archives/new-bridge-lines-big-day-carries-3500-riders-over-manhattan-span.html |access-date=January 11, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and the bridge's subway tracks opened in June 1915.<ref name="Brooklyn Daily Eagle 1915" /> By the mid-1910s, a food market operated under the bridge.<ref name="p97561411">{{cite news |date=August 30, 1914 |title=Site of the New East Harlem Market |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1914/08/30/archives/site-of-the-new-east-harlem-market.html |access-date=January 11, 2024 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |page=X9 |id={{ProQuest|97561411}} |postscript=none}}; {{cite news |date=September 2, 1914 |title=New Public Food Markets Doing a Brisk Business: One at Fort Lee Ferry Selling Vegetables and Groceries at Greatly Reduced Prices |work=The Wall Street Journal |page=3 |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|129441670}}}}</ref> Meanwhile, C. J. Sullivan sued the Ryan-Parker Construction Company, claiming that he had helped the company secure the general contract for the bridge. He was awarded just over $300,000 in 1912,<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 11, 1912 |title=Gets $301,719 Verdict |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-tribune-gets-301719-verdict/138523673/ |access-date=January 11, 2024 |work=New-York Tribune |pages=14 |postscript=none}}; {{cite news |date=April 11, 1912 |title=C. J. Sullivan Gets Verdict |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-c-j-sullivan/138523711/ |access-date=January 11, 2024 |work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |pages=5}}</ref> an amount that was increased to over $380,000 in 1916.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 14, 1916 |title=C. J. Sullivan Wins Suit |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-tribune-c-j-sullivan-wins-sui/138523799/ |access-date=January 11, 2024 |work=New-York Tribune |pages=7}}</ref>

After the bridge opened, Carrère and Hastings drew up preliminary plans for a [[Beaux Arts architecture|Beaux Arts]]-style entrance to the bridge in Manhattan and a smaller approach on the Brooklyn side.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1975|p=1}} The city's Municipal Art Commission approved a $700,000 plan for the bridge's Manhattan approach in April 1910.<ref name="p508094628">{{cite news |date=April 23, 1910 |title=New York Bridge Plans Approved: Municipal Art Commission Passes on Drawings of Proposed Approaches to Manhattan Structure. |work=The Christian Science Monitor |page=9 |issn=0882-7729 |id={{ProQuest|508094628}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=April 14, 1910 |title=Bridge Approach Drawings Approved |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-standard-union-bridge-approach-drawi/138519072/ |access-date=January 11, 2024 |work=The Standard Union |pages=8}}</ref> The final plans were approved in 1912,<ref name="n102511095">{{Cite news |date=August 14, 1912 |title=Bridge Approach Design Approved |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102511095/bridge-approach-design-approved/ |access-date=May 25, 2022 |work=Times Union |pages=6 |postscript=none}}; {{cite news |id={{ProQuest|574948699}} |title=Approaches Approved: Art Commission O. K.'s Design for Manhattan Bridge Cost Will Be $800,000 Structure Opened January 1, 1910, Now Represents an Outlay of $26,000,000 |date=August 14, 1912 |page=5 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646}}</ref> and construction began the same year.<ref name="Gray 1996">{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=June 23, 1996 |title=Streetscapes/Manhattan Bridge Plaza;Noble Monument to the City Is in Ignoble Condition |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/23/realestate/streetscapes-manhattan-bridge-plaza-noble-monument-city-ignoble-condition.html |access-date=August 5, 2020 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |language=en-US}}</ref> The city allocated $675,000 for a plaza at the Brooklyn end in March 1913, including a subway tunnel under the plaza,<ref name="p97394049">{{cite news |date=March 30, 1913 |title=$675,000 For Bridge Plaza.: Money Available for Brooklyn End of Manhattan Bridge. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1913/03/30/archives/675000-for-bridge-plaza-money-available-for-brooklyn-end-of.html |access-date=January 11, 2024 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |page=XX1 |id={{ProQuest|97394049}} |postscript=none}}; {{cite news |date=March 27, 1913 |title=Spend $675,000 on Manhattan Bridge |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-spend-675000-on-manhattan/138520863/ |access-date=January 11, 2024 |work=Times Union |pages=16}}</ref> and the Northeastern Construction Company submitted the low bid for the plaza's construction.<ref name="n138520938">{{Cite news |date=May 23, 1913 |title=4th Ave. Subway Ready in 5 Months |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-4th-ave-subway/138520938/ |access-date=January 11, 2024 |work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |pages=20}}</ref> The arch and colonnade were completed in 1915,<ref name="nycland" /> while the pylons on the Brooklyn side were installed in November 1916.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1975|p=1}}<ref name="The New York Times 1964">{{Cite news |date=April 8, 1964 |title=Bridge Traffic Was Too Much, So the Ladies Moved to a Museum |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/04/08/archives/bridge-traffic-was-too-much-so-the-ladies-moved-to-a-museum.html |access-date=August 5, 2020 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |language=en-US}}</ref> The bridge approaches cost just over $1.53 million to construct.<ref name="p509557732">{{cite news |date=October 20, 1915 |title=New York Bridge Approaches Draw Near Completion: Entrances of Manhattan Structure Are Constructed With View to Artistic Effect |work=The Christian Science Monitor |page=11 |issn=0882-7729 |id={{ProQuest|509557732}}}}</ref> In an attempt to speed up automotive traffic, in 1918, the [[New York City Police Department]] banned horse-drawn vehicles from crossing the bridge toward Brooklyn during the morning rush hour and toward Manhattan during the evening rush hour.<ref name="n138658323">{{Cite news |date=December 20, 1918 |title=Horse Traffic Off Manhattan Bridge |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-horse-traffic-o/138658323/ |access-date=January 13, 2024 |work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |pages=16}}</ref> One of the two streetcar lines across the bridge was discontinued in 1919.<ref name="n138663556" />

=== 1920s to 1940s ===
[[File:Pike and Henry Streets, Manhattan (NYPL b13668355-482679).jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|View down [[Pike Street (New York City)|Pike Street]] toward the Manhattan Bridge, 1936, photograph by [[Berenice Abbott]]]]

During late 1920, the bridge's roadway was used as a [[reversible lane]] between 7 am and 7 pm each day;<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 7, 1920 |title=City Bus Service Stops Tonight; New Rules for Bridges |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-city-bus-servic/138670048/ |access-date=January 13, 2024 |work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |pages=1}}</ref> this restriction caused heavy congestion.<ref name="n138664191">{{Cite news |date=September 8, 1920 |title=One-Way Traffic Will Continue on Bridges Despite Jam |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-tribune-one-way-traffic-will-co/138664191/ |access-date=January 13, 2024 |work=New-York Tribune |pages=4}}</ref><ref name="n138665132">{{Cite news |date=September 22, 1920 |title=Brooklyn Bridge Badly Overloaded, Engineer Asserts |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-brooklyn-bridge/138665132/ |access-date=January 13, 2024 |work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |pages=2}}</ref> [[Grover Whalen]], the commissioner of Plant and Structures, announced that September that he would request funding to repaint the bridge.<ref name="n138665132" /> The span was repainted during the next year at a cost of $240,000.<ref name="n138665835">{{Cite news |date=November 6, 1921 |title=Quite a Job to Paint Manhattan Bridge Like New |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-quite-a-job-to-paint-manhatta/138665835/ |access-date=January 13, 2024 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251  |pages=11}}</ref> Meanwhile, the bridge was carrying 27,000 daily vehicles by the early 1920s,<ref name="n138674492">{{Cite news |last=Hurley |first=William I. |date=June 18, 1922 |title=Keeping Up With the Town |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-keeping-up-with-the-town/138674492/ |access-date=January 13, 2024 |work=Times Union |pages=15}}</ref> and one traffic judge said the lower deck was too narrow to accommodate the increasing traffic levels on the bridge.<ref name="n138674750">{{Cite news |last=Fish |first=Lawrence C. |date=March 6, 1921 |title=Brooklyn Traffic Court Magistrate Starting a 'Safety First' Campaign |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-brooklyn-traffi/138674750/ |access-date=January 13, 2024 |work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |pages=61}}</ref> In March 1922, the city government started constructing the eastern upper-deck roadway at a cost of $300,000.<ref name="n138674244">{{Cite news |date=June 16, 1922 |title=Hylan Opens New Bridge Roadway |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-hylan-opens-new-bridge-roadw/138674244/ |access-date=January 13, 2024 |work=Times Union |pages=6 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=June 16, 1922 |title=$300,000 Roadway on Manhattan Bridge Put in Operation |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-citizen-300000-roadway-on/138674305/ |access-date=January 13, 2024 |work=The Brooklyn Citizen |pages=2}}</ref> The roadway opened that June.<ref name="n138674244" /><ref name="The New York Times 1922">{{Cite news |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1922/06/16/109843042.pdf |title=New Roadway Opened on Manhattan Bridge – Mayor and Other City Officials Attend Event—Only Passenger Cars Allowed |date=June 16, 1922 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=December 24, 2017}}</ref> The next month, Whalen banned horse-drawn vehicles from the Manhattan Bridge and motor vehicles from the Brooklyn Bridge. The upper roadway of the Manhattan Bridge was converted to a reversible lane, while the lower roadway carried two-way traffic at all times.<ref name="nyt-1922-07-07">{{Cite news |date=July 7, 1922 |title=Brooklyn Bridge Closed to Motor Traffic, Manhattan Bridge to Horse-Drawn Vehicles |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1922/07/07/archives/brooklyn-bridge-closed-to-motor-traffic-manhattan-bridge-to.html |access-date=January 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |language=en-US |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |last=Peck |first=Robert B. |date=July 7, 1922 |title=Autos Banished, Brooklyn Bridge Made Horse Haven |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-tribune-autos-banished-brookly/138674963/ |access-date=January 13, 2024 |work=New-York Tribune |pages=1 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=July 9, 1922 |title=Part of Load Lifted from Old Bridge—Is Span in Its Dotage? |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-part-of-load-li/138672075/ |access-date=January 13, 2024 |work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |pages=24}}</ref> Whalen said the restriction would allow both levels to be used to their full capacity;<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 9, 1922 |title=Bars Mail Motors on Brooklyn Bridge; Postmaster Burton's Plea for an Exception to New Rule Is Denied. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1922/07/09/archives/bars-mail-motors-on-brooklyn-bridge-postmaster-burtons-plea-for-an.html |access-date=January 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |language=en-US}}</ref> the decision ended up placing additional loads on the  bridge.<ref name="n138680819">{{Cite news |date=September 21, 1924 |title=Manhattan Bridge Carrying Too Much Weight, Is Report; Need for Quick Relief Seen |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-manhattan-bridg/138680819/ |access-date=January 14, 2024 |work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |pages=9}}</ref>

To reduce congestion at the Manhattan end, [[Left- and right-hand traffic|left-hand traffic]] was implemented on the lower level during the 1920s, as most vehicles heading into Manhattan turned left at the end of the bridge.<ref name="n138680473">{{Cite news |date=January 7, 1923 |title=Some Questions Answered by the Eagle |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-some-questions/138680473/ |access-date=January 14, 2024 |work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |pages=39}}</ref> Motorists continued to use the Manhattan Bridge even after the Brooklyn Bridge reopened to motorists in 1925, contributing to heavy congestion during rush hours.<ref name="p1113175935a">{{cite news |date=June 14, 1925 |title=Police Calling for Autoists To Utilize Brooklyn Bridge: Traffic Congestion Is Terrific at Manhattan Span, While Other Structure Is Deserted; Signs To Be Posted as Guides to Travel |work=The New York Herald, New York Tribune |page=G11 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1113175935}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=June 16, 1925 |title=Motorists Urged to Use Old Bridge |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-standard-union-motorists-urged-to-us/138682052/ |access-date=January 14, 2024 |work=The Standard Union |pages=8}}</ref> At the time, the Brooklyn Bridge carried 10,000 vehicles a day (in part due to its low speed limit), while the Manhattan Bridge carried 60,000 vehicles daily.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 27, 1925 |title=Says Low-Speed Law Clogs Bridge Traffic; Mills Wants Limit on Brooklyn Span Raised From Eight to Fifteen Miles an Hour. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1925/10/27/archives/says-lowspeed-law-clogs-bridge-traffic-mills-wants-limit-on.html |access-date=January 14, 2024 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |language=en-US}}</ref> When the lower level was repaved in early 1927, Manhattan-bound traffic was temporarily banned from the lower level at night.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 11, 1927 |title=One Way Traffic on Bridge; New York Bound Cars Barred From Manhattan Span Pending Paving. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/01/11/archives/one-way-traffic-on-bridge-new-york-bound-cars-barred-from-manhattan.html |access-date=January 14, 2024 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |language=en-US |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=January 11, 1927 |title=Can't Drive at Night Over Manhattan Bridge |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-standard-union-cant-drive-at-night/138685894/ |access-date=January 14, 2024 |work=The Standard Union |pages=1}}</ref> That October, Brooklyn borough president [[James J. Byrne]] proposed replacing the Three Cent Line's trolley tracks with a roadway; he estimated that it would cost $9 million to construct a brand-new roadway, while converting the trolley tracks would cost only $600,000.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 25, 1927 |title=Favors Buying Trolley; Byrne Urges Acceptance of Manhattan Bridge Line's Offer. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/10/25/archives/favors-buying-trolley-byrne-urges-acceptance-of-manhattan-bridge.html |access-date=January 14, 2024 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |language=en-US |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=October 18, 1927 |title=Byrne Wants City to Buy 3-Cent Line |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-byrne-wants-city-to-buy-3-ce/138686887/ |access-date=January 14, 2024 |work=Times Union |pages=31}}</ref> The comptroller approved the plan in September 1928,<ref name="n138720898">{{cite news |date=September 15, 1928 |title=Bridge Trolley Line Scrapping Urged by Berry: Comptroller Urges Purchase by City to Clear Traffic Jam on Manhattan Span |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=21 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1113578973}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=September 15, 1928 |title=Boro Victory Seen in Berry Bridge Plan |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-citizen-boro-victory-seen-i/138720898/ |access-date=January 14, 2024 |work=The Brooklyn Citizen |pages=3 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=September 14, 1928 |title=Berry Approves New Bridge Lanes |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-berry-approves-new-bridge-la/138721345/ |access-date=January 14, 2024 |work=Times Union |pages=1}}</ref> and the city formally voted to buy the Three Cent Line for just over $200,000 the following month.<ref name="The New York Times 1929 t828">{{cite web |date=March 12, 1929 |title=Approves Purchase of Bridge Trolley; City Will Raze Manhattan Span Line to Make Room for More Traffic Lanes. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1929/03/12/archives/approves-purchase-of-bridge-trolley-city-will-raze-manhattan-span.html |access-date=January 14, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=March 12, 1929 |title=3-Cent Bridge Line Is Bought by City |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-3-cent-bridge-line-is-bought/138722610/ |access-date=January 14, 2024 |work=Times Union |pages=50}}</ref> The Three Cent Line was discontinued in November 1929.<ref name="p1111747012">{{cite news |date=November 14, 1929 |title=Manhattan Bridge Line Runs |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=25 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1111747012}} |postscript=none}}; {{cite web |date=November 14, 1929 |title=Three-Cent Trolleys Make Last Manhattan Bridge Trip |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1929/11/14/archives/threecent-trolleys-make-last-manhattan-bridge-trip.html |access-date=January 14, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

The Three Cent Line tracks were replaced by the western upper-deck roadway.<ref name="p1114109302">{{cite news |date=June 19, 1931 |title=Walker Opens Traffic Lane on Manhattan Span: New Roadway to Brooklyn Expected to Carry 30,000 Automobiles Daily Parade First to Cross Kings County Hails Link at Luncheon of 1,500 |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=3 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1114109302}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=June 18, 1931 |title=New Bridge LInk Affords Much-Needed Traffic Relief |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-standard-union-new-bridge-link-affor/138724308/ |access-date=January 14, 2024 |work=The Standard Union |pages=12}}</ref> Initially scheduled to be completed by July 1930,<ref name="n138725636">{{Cite news |date=February 17, 1930 |title=Manhattan Bridge Roadway Will Be Ready by Summer |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-manhattan-bridge-roadway-wil/138725636/ |access-date=January 14, 2024 |work=Times Union |pages=20}}</ref> the roadway ultimately opened in June 1931 and carried Brooklyn-bound traffic.<ref name="p1114109302" /><ref name="nyt-1931-06-19">{{Cite news |date=June 19, 1931 |title=Upper Deck Opened on Manhattan Span; The Mayor Opening a New Roadway to Brooklyn |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1931/06/19/archives/upper-deck-opened-on-manhattan-span-the-mayor-opening-a-new-roadway.html |access-date=January 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |language=en-US}}</ref> The eastern upper-deck roadway was converted to carry Manhattan-bound traffic,<ref name="nyt-1931-06-19" /> and the center roadway was turned into a lane for buses and trucks.<ref name="p1114107738">{{cite news |date=June 15, 1931 |title=Manhattan Bridge Roadway For Light Cars Completed: Goldman Announces Opening of New $800,000 Lane Thursday New Traffic Lane to Brooklyn Is Ready |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=19 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1114107738}}}}</ref> At the time, nearly 65,000 vehicles used the bridge every day, of which nearly a quarter were buses and trucks.<ref name="nyt-1931-06-19" /> A set of 119 streetlights were installed on the upper level the following year.<ref name="The New York Times 1932 f256">{{cite web |date=June 21, 1932 |title=New Bridge Lights On; Illumination Doubled In Roadways of Manhattan Span. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1932/06/21/archives/new-bridge-lights-on-illumination-doubled-in-roadways-of-manhattan.html |access-date=January 14, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> To increase traffic flow, both upper roadways were temporarily converted to reversible lanes during rush hours in 1934;<ref name="The New York Times 1934 j783">{{cite web |date=September 25, 1934 |title=Manhattan Bridge Traffic Speeded by New Rules |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1934/09/25/archives/manhattan-bridge-traffic-speeded-by-new-rules.html |access-date=January 14, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=September 25, 1934 |title=Traffic Speeded by One-Third on Manhattan Bridge |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-traffic-speeded-by-one-third/138725121/ |access-date=January 14, 2024 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251  |pages=89}}</ref> the lower roadway was repaired,<ref name="p1242981411">{{cite news |date=September 10, 1934 |title=Warped Pavement Cuts Manhattan Bridge Traffic: Rains Buckle Wooden Blocks Alons Entire Main Roadway |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=17 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1242981411}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=September 10, 1934 |title=Manhattan Bridge Repairs Speeded |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-manhattan-bridg/138725262/ |access-date=January 14, 2024 |work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |pages=4}}</ref> and the bridge was repainted the same year.<ref name="n138727466">{{Cite news |date=August 11, 1934 |title=Manhattan Span Perfectly Safe, Kracke Reports |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-manhattan-span-perfectly-safe/138727466/ |access-date=January 14, 2024 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251  |pages=241}}</ref> The city's commissioner of plant and structures also requested $725,000 in federal funds for various repairs.<ref name="The New York Times 1934 v371">{{cite web |date=December 31, 1934 |title=Manhattan Bridge 25 Years Old Today; Mayor to Mark Anniversary by Speeches at Span, Which Is the City's Busiest. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1934/12/31/archives/manhattan-bridge-25-years-old-today-mayor-to-mark-anniversary-by.html |access-date=January 14, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=December 30, 1934 |title=Manhattan Bridge 25 Years Old |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-manhattan-bridge-25-years-old/138727586/ |access-date=January 14, 2024 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251  |pages=53}}</ref> During 1937, the city awarded a contract to repair the bridge's steelwork<ref name="The New York Times 1937 y044">{{cite web |date=April 7, 1937 |title=Bridge Bids Submitted; $279,700 Figure Is Low One for Altering Manhattan Span |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/04/07/archives/bridge-bids-submitted-279700-figure-is-low-one-for-altering.html |access-date=January 14, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and raised the railings on the upper roadways.<ref name="The New York Times 1937 a974">{{cite web |date=April 22, 1937 |title=Bridge Is Made Safer; 21-Inch Curbing Is Installed on Manhattan Structure |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/04/22/archives/bridge-is-made-safer-21inch-curbing-is-installed-on-manhattan.html |access-date=January 14, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=April 22, 1937 |title=New Manhattan Bridge Curb Expected to Cut Accidents |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-new-manhattan-b/138734643/ |access-date=January 14, 2024 |work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |pages=7 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=April 22, 1937 |title=Raise Parapet on Manhattan Bridge |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-raise-parapet-on-manhattan-bra/138734363/ |access-date=January 14, 2024 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251  |pages=344}}</ref> The city government announced in 1938 that it would replace the lower deck's wooden pavement with a steel-and-concrete pavement;<ref name="The New York Times 1938 g380">{{cite web |date=March 27, 1938 |title=Manhattan Bridge to Get New Lane; Steel and Concrete Structure on Lower Deck of Span Will Cost $750,000 Work on Supports to Continue Special Appropriation to Be Ready |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/03/27/archives/manhattan-bridge-to-get-new-lane-steel-and-concrete-structure-on.html |access-date=January 14, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> the repaving was completed that December.<ref name="The New York Times 1938 f372">{{cite web |date=December 5, 1938 |title=BridgeRoadwayFinished; Traffic Not Interrupted |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/12/05/archives/bridgeroadwayfinished-traffic-not-interrupted.html |access-date=January 14, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=December 5, 1938 |title=Non-Skid Road Laid on Manhattan Bridge Without Hindering Traffic |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-non-skid-road-l/138735383/ |access-date=January 14, 2024 |work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |pages=8}}</ref> Simultaneously, the railings on the upper roadways were raised again.<ref name="n138735604">{{Cite news |date=August 14, 1938 |title=Speed Repair of Manhattan Bridge Span |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-speed-repair-of-manhattan-bri/138735604/ |access-date=January 14, 2024 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251  |pages=126}}</ref>

[[File:NYC Manhattan 1938 Franz Grasser.jpg|thumb|upright|View from the Manhattan Bridge toward Lower Manhattan in 1938]]

As part of a [[Works Progress Administration]] project, a ramp at the Brooklyn end of the bridge was widened in 1941, replacing a dangerous [[reverse curve]].<ref name="The New York Times 1941 u897">{{cite web |date=August 17, 1941 |title=To Eliminate Bridge Bottleneck; WPA Will Improve East End of Manhattan Span – Other Street Work |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1941/08/17/archives/to-eliminate-bridge-bottleneck-wpa-will-improve-east-end-of.html |access-date=January 14, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |postscript=none}}; {{cite news |date=July 31, 1941 |title=Start of Traffic Improvement on Manhattan Bridge |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=32 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1320057002}}}}</ref><ref name="n138740226">{{Cite news |date=October 2, 1941 |title=Manhattan Bridge Exit to Be Wider |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-manhattan-bridge-exit-to-be-w/138740226/ |access-date=January 14, 2024 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251  |pages=610}}</ref> By then, 90,000 vehicles a day used the span.<ref name="n138740226" /> An [[air raid siren]] was also installed on the bridge during World War II.<ref name="The New York Times 1942 t962">{{cite web |date=March 5, 1942 |title=New Air Raid Siren Does Best Job Yet; Experimental Device, Sounded From Manhattan Bridge, Is Heard Below Canal St. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1942/03/05/archives/new-air-raid-siren-does-best-job-yet-experimental-device-sounded.html |access-date=January 14, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |postscript=none}}; {{cite news |date=March 5, 1942 |title=City's Newest Siren Loud Enough But Some Think It Boat or Shop |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=1 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1264963711}}}}</ref> By the mid-1940s, the Brooklyn approach to the bridge was one of the most congested areas in New York City.<ref name="The New York Times 1946 v190">{{cite web |date=April 5, 1946 |title=Use Brooklyn Bridge, Autoists Are Urged |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1946/04/05/archives/use-brooklyn-bridge-autoists-are-urged.html |access-date=January 15, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

=== 1950s to 1970s ===
The upper roadways were repaired during 1950.<ref name="p448817053">{{cite news |date=April 18, 1950 |title=Repairs Are Postponed On Manhattan Bridge |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=25 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|448817053}}}}</ref> Similar repairs to the lower roadway were postponed until the [[Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel]] opened, as the Brooklyn Bridge was also being rebuilt around the same time.<ref name="p448817053" /><ref name="n138815294">{{Cite news |date=February 22, 1950 |title=Begin Work Soon on B'klyn Bridge |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-begin-work-soon-on-bklyn-bri/138815294/ |access-date=January 15, 2024 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251  |pages=770 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=March 1, 1950 |title=Action on Needed Improvements in Interborough Traffic Links |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-action-on-neede/138815473/ |access-date=January 15, 2024 |work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |pages=16}}</ref> To ease congestion, the Manhattan Bridge's western upper roadway began carrying Manhattan-bound traffic during the morning in March 1950.<ref name="The New York Times 1950 i000">{{cite web |date=March 3, 1950 |title=Brooklyn Bridge Traffic Will Undergo Changes |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1950/03/03/archives/brooklyn-bridge-traffic-will-undergo-changes.html |access-date=January 15, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> [[Floodlights]] and [[barbed-wire]] fences were installed at the bases of the bridge's anchorages in 1951, during the [[Cold War (1947–1953)|Cold War]], and the anchorages themselves were sealed to protect against sabotage.<ref name="Gray 2004">{{cite web |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=January 18, 2004 |title=Streetscapes/The Giant Granite Anchorages of the Manhattan Bridge; A Moody, Craggy Majesty, Like That of Lost Ruins |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/18/realestate/streetscapes-giant-granite-anchorages-manhattan-bridge-moody-craggy-majesty-like.html |access-date=December 24, 2017 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Eckenberg |first=William C. |title=War Barricades Set Up on Bridges – Floodlights Are Also Being Installed There to Thwart Possible Sabotage – Barbed Wire for Cables – Chief Attention Given Vital Manhattan-Brooklyn Spans, Close to Naval Ship Yard |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |date=April 11, 1951 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1951/04/11/86955315.pdf |access-date=December 24, 2017}}</ref> Manhattan-bound traffic stopped using the western upper roadway during the morning in August 1952. Instead, two of the three lower-level lanes began carrying Manhattan-bound traffic during the morning; previously, Manhattan-bound vehicles could use only one of the lower-level lanes at all times.<ref name="The New York Times 1952 e987">{{cite web |date=August 12, 1952 |title=City Will Realign Traffic on Bridge; Brooklyn-Bound Vehicles to Get Extra Lane During Morning Rush on Manhattan Span |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1952/08/12/archives/city-will-realign-traffic-on-bridge-brooklynbound-vehicles-to-get.html |access-date=January 15, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |postscript=none}}; {{cite news |date=August 14, 1952 |title=Traffic Change Aids Manhattan Bridge in Rush: Cars to Brooklyn Get Extra A. M. Lane; Grand Army Plaza Plan Starts Today |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=19 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1322331111}}}}</ref> By the mid-1950s, there were frequent car accidents on the Manhattan Bridge, which injured 411 people and killed nine people between 1953 and 1955 alone.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 24, 1955 |title=Manhattan Bridge 3-Yr. Accident Toll: 9 Killed, 411 Injured |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-manhattan-bridg/138828576/ |access-date=January 15, 2024 |work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |pages=22}}</ref> In addition, the bridge carried nearly 79,000 cars, 18,000 trucks, and 200 buses on an average day.<ref name="EC pp. 278, 280">{{harvnb|Edelsburg|Cane|1956|ps=.|pp=278, 280}}</ref>

==== 1950s repair project ====
[[File:Manhatten Bridge - taken from Washington Street.jpg|left|thumb|View from Washington Street, Brooklyn]]
The city's public works commissioner, [[Frederick H. Zurmuhlen]], requested in early 1952 that the Board of Estimate hire [[David B. Steinman]] to thoroughly examine the Manhattan Bridge, saying its maintenance costs were disproportionately higher than those of the other East River bridges.<ref name="The New York Times 1952 y051">{{cite web |date=April 27, 1952 |title=Manhattan Bridge May Be Repaired; Board of Estimate Is Asked to Approve $80,000 Pact to Study East River Span |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1952/04/27/archives/manhattan-bridge-may-be-repaired-board-of-estimate-is-asked-to.html |access-date=January 15, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> A beam on the eastern side of the bridge cracked in April 1953<ref name="The New York Times 1953 u988">{{cite web |date=April 10, 1953 |title=B. M. T. Traffic Slowed; Subway Trains Affected After Manhattan Bridge Cracks |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1953/04/10/archives/b-m-t-traffic-slowed-subway-trains-affected-after-manhattan-bridge.html |access-date=January 15, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="p1322303107">{{cite news |date=April 10, 1953 |title=Crack in Manhattan Bridge Reshuffles B. M. T. Trains |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=1 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1322303107}}}}</ref> and was fixed within a month.<ref name="The New York Times 1953 l170">{{cite web |date=May 18, 1953 |title=Manhattan Bridge Break Fixed |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1953/05/18/archives/manhattan-bridge-break-fixed.html |access-date=January 15, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Following the cracked-beam incident, Zurmuhlen asked the city to allocate $2.69 million to repair the bridge, as trains disproportionately used one side of the bridge, causing it to tilt.<ref name="The New York Times 1953 n510">{{cite web |date=August 18, 1953 |title=Repair of Manhattan Bridge And City Hall Termed Urgent |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1953/08/18/archives/repair-of-manhattan-bridge-and-city-hall-termed-urgent-rebuild-city.html |access-date=January 15, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |postscript=none}}</ref><ref name="p1322339872">{{cite news |date=August 18, 1953 |title=City Seeks to Ease Strain On Manhattan Bridge |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=1 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1322339872}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=August 18, 1953 |title=Manhattan Bridge, City Hall Repair Funds Requested |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-manhattan-bridg/138821546/ |access-date=January 15, 2024 |work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |pages=3}}</ref> Two proposals were put forth for the bridge's subway tracks; one plan called for them to be moved to the center of the deck,<ref name="n138822469">{{Cite news |date=August 23, 1953 |title=Manhattan Bridge Creaking at Joints |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-manhattan-bridge-creaking-at/138822469/ |access-date=January 15, 2024 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251  |pages=146}}</ref><ref name="The New York Times 1954 n584" /> while another plan called for the construction of an entirely new tunnel for subway trains.<ref name="The New York Times 1954 j968">{{cite web |date=November 24, 1954 |title=Manhattan Span Stirs City Dispute; Transit Body Would Continue Subway Runs, Zurmuhlen Favors New River Tunnel |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1954/11/24/archives/manhattan-span-stirs-city-dispute-transit-body-would-continue.html |access-date=January 15, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="n138825967">{{Cite news |date=August 14, 1954 |title=Priority Given to Manhattan Bridge Work |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-priority-given/138825967/ |access-date=January 15, 2024 |work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |pages=10}}</ref> The administration of mayor [[Robert F. Wagner]] tentatively approved a $30 million renovation of the bridge in July 1954,<ref name="The New York Times 1954 n584">{{cite web |date=July 29, 1954 |title=City Set to Refit Manhattan Span; Mayor and Aides Tentatively Approve $30,000,000 Plan for 45-Year-Old Bridge |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1954/07/29/archives/city-set-to-refit-manhattan-span-mayor-and-aides-tentatively.html |access-date=January 14, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and a committee of engineers was hired to review alternate proposals for the bridge.<ref name="n138825967" /> Zurmuhlen said the bridge's safety would be compromised within the next decade if subway trains continued to use the bridge.<ref name="The New York Times 1955 z095">{{cite web |date=October 14, 1955 |title=Use of Manhattan Span Into City Extended Hour |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1955/10/14/archives/use-of-manhattan-span-into-city-extended-hour.html |access-date=January 15, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=February 17, 1955 |title=Subways Peril Manhattan Bridge |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-subways-peril-manhattan-bridg/138827590/ |access-date=January 15, 2024 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251  |pages=59}}</ref>

By February 1955, the city had hired a contractor to repair the Manhattan Bridge's cable bands and hangers for $2.2 million.<ref name="The New York Times 1955 z095" /> Before these repairs could begin, engineers surveyed the bridge.<ref name="The New York Times 1955 n849">{{cite web |date=February 27, 1955 |title=Tests of Span Slated; Survey of Manhattan Bridge Due to Begin March 14 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1955/02/27/archives/tests-of-span-slated-survey-of-manhattan-bridge-due-to-begin-march.html |access-date=January 15, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |postscript=none}}; {{cite news |date=February 26, 1955 |title=Manhattan Bridge Survey Delayed |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=4 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1327679917}}}}</ref> When work on the cables began in June, access to the western upper roadway was severely reduced.<ref name="p1328071519a">{{cite news |date=August 12, 1955 |title=Manhattan Span Repairs Speeded |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=13 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1328071519}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=June 15, 1955 |title=Work Starts on Manhattan Bridge Today |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-work-starts-on-manhattan-brid/138828185/ |access-date=January 15, 2024 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251  |pages=740}}</ref> That September, the eastern upper roadway was closed for repairs;<ref name="The New York Times 1955 f224">{{cite web |date=September 25, 1955 |title=Bridge Repairs to Slow Traffic; Restrictions on Manhattan and Harlem Ship Canal Spans Start Tomorrow |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1955/09/25/archives/bridge-repairs-to-slow-traffic-restrictions-on-manhattan-and-harlem.html |access-date=January 15, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> the western upper roadway was used by Manhattan-bound traffic during weekday mornings and carried two-way traffic at other times.<ref name="The New York Times 1955 z096">{{cite web |date=October 14, 1955 |title=Use of Manhattan Span Into City Extended Hour |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1955/10/14/archives/use-of-manhattan-span-into-city-extended-hour.html |access-date=January 15, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The bridge was temporarily closed to all traffic in November 1955.<ref name="The New York Times 1955 q907">{{cite web |date=November 22, 1955 |title=Span Closing Delayed; Manhattan Bridge Renovation to Start Tomorrow |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1955/11/22/archives/span-closing-delayed-manhattan-bridge-renovation-to-start-tomorrow.html |access-date=January 15, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The eastern upper roadway was again closed during the midday in early 1956 for suspender cable repairs,<ref name="The New York Times 1956 p609">{{cite web |date=March 4, 1956 |title=Repairs to Curb Manhattan Span; 2 Eastbound Lanes Will Be Closed Daily for 2 Months Beginning on March 12 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1956/03/04/archives/repairs-to-curb-manhattan-span-2-eastbound-lanes-will-be-closed.html |access-date=January 15, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and the whole span was closed during nights in June 1956.<ref name="The New York Times 1956 v138">{{cite web |date=June 2, 1956 |title=Manhattan Bridge to Close |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1956/06/02/archives/manhattan-bridge-to-close.html |access-date=January 15, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=June 2, 1956 |title=Manhattan Span Closings Slated |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-manhattan-span-closings-slate/138831286/ |access-date=January 15, 2024 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251  |pages=253}}</ref> All lanes were again open by that August.<ref name="The New York Times 1956 u571">{{cite web |date=August 24, 1956 |title=Manhattan Bridge to Reopen |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1956/08/24/archives/manhattan-bridge-to-reopen.html |access-date=January 15, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The city had still not decided whether to move the subway tracks to a double-deck structure in the middle of the bridge, even though that plan would have reduced strain on the cables.<ref name="EC p. 282">{{harvnb|Edelsburg|Cane|1956|ps=.|p=282}}</ref> For unknown reasons, the tracks were never moved.<ref name="n26647669">{{Cite news |last=Seaton |first=Charles |date=September 24, 1989 |title=AIs Bridge a Leap of Faith? |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news/26647669/ |access-date=February 22, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=287, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news/25103859/ 289]}}</ref>

==== Other modifications ====
Plans for the [[Brooklyn–Queens Expressway]] in Brooklyn, which was constructed in the 1950s, included ramps to the Manhattan Bridge.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 29, 1957 |title=Start Work on Queens Link |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/brooklyn-daily-start-work-on-queens-link/138832359/ |access-date=January 15, 2024 |work=Brooklyn Daily |pages=4}}</ref> [[Lane control lights]] were installed above the bridge's reversible lower-level lanes in early 1958, and fixed red and green lights were installed on the upper-level roadways.<ref name="The New York Times 1958 h635">{{cite web |date=February 9, 1958 |title=Span Gets New Lights; Manhattan Bridge Controls to Be in Use Next Month |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1958/02/09/archives/span-gets-new-lights-manhattan-bridge-controls-to-be-in-use-next.html |access-date=January 15, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The same year, the city spent $50,000 on repairs after two boats collided on the East River, causing an explosion that scorched the bridge.<ref name="The New York Times 1958 v398">{{cite web |date=June 26, 1958 |title=Traffic Operates on Damaged Span; BMT Slowed on Manhattan Bridge – Cost of Repairs Is Put at $56,000 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1958/06/26/archives/traffic-operates-on-damaged-span-bmt-slowed-on-manhattan-bridge.html |access-date=January 15, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |last1=Neugebauer |first1=William |last2=Lee |first2=Henry |date=June 26, 1958 |title=2 Lost, 36 Hurt in Ship Collision, Fire |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-2-lost-36-hurt-in-ship-colli/138833585/ |access-date=January 15, 2024 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251  |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-2-lost-36-hurt-in-ship-colli/138833496/ 44]}}</ref> The city announced in 1959 that it would rebuild the upper roadways to accommodate trucks.<ref name="The New York Times 1959 v888">{{cite web |date=October 25, 1959 |title=Manhattan Span to Be Revamped; Two Upper Roadways to Be Rebuilt to Carry Trucks – Cost Is $7,005,980 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/10/25/archives/manhattan-span-to-be-revamped-two-upper-roadways-to-be-rebuilt-to.html |access-date=January 15, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The Karl Koch Engineering Company received a contract to rebuild the upper roadways;<ref name="The New York Times 1960 w665">{{cite web |date=January 7, 1960 |title=Low Bid for Bridge Job; $6,377,000 Offer Sent to City for Road on Manhattan Span |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1960/01/07/archives/low-bid-for-bridge-job-6377000-offer-sent-to-city-for-road-on.html |access-date=January 16, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> the project was planned to cost $6.377 million.<ref name="The New York Times 1960 w665" /><ref name="n1379270852">{{Cite news |date=December 22, 1961 |title=Postpone Bridge Repair to April |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-williamsburg-news-postpone-bridge-re/137927085/ |access-date=January 16, 2024 |work=The Williamsburg News |pages=6}}</ref> The eastern upper roadway was closed for repairs in September 1960; the project also included fixing the lower deck and building ramps from the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.<ref name="n138839187">{{Cite news |date=August 3, 1960 |title=Bridge Facelift Starts Sept. 6 |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-bridge-facelift-starts-sept/138839187/ |access-date=January 16, 2024 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251  |pages=454}}</ref> After the eastern upper roadway reopened in November 1961, the western upper roadway was closed, and the eastern upper roadway was temporarily used as a reversible lane.<ref name="The New York Times 1961 o540">{{cite web |date=November 10, 1961 |title=New Bridge Schedule; Traffic on Manhattan Span Moves to Brooklyn Lanes |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/11/10/archives/new-bridge-schedule-traffic-on-manhattan-span-moves-to-brooklyn.html |access-date=January 15, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Work proceeded several months ahead of schedule.<ref name="n1379270852" />

In conjunction with the upgrades to the upper roadways, in June 1961, New York City parks commissioner [[Robert Moses]] proposed demolishing the plazas on both sides and connecting the bridge to new expressways. The bridge would have linked the [[Lower Manhattan Expressway]] with the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway,<ref name="The New York Times 1961 k198">{{cite web |last=Ingraham |first=Joseph C. |date=June 1, 1961 |title=Progress Taking a Sledge to Bridge Art Here; Moses Applies for Demolition of Ornamental Masonry Statuary Must Yield to Make Way for Reconstruction |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/06/01/archives/progress-taking-a-sledge-to-bridge-art-here-moses-applies-for.html |access-date=January 16, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="n138841096">{{Cite news |date=June 8, 1961 |title=Museum Head Moves to Rescue Art Works at Manhattan Bridge |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/brooklyn-heights-press-museum-head-moves/138841096/ |access-date=January 16, 2024 |work=Brooklyn Heights Press |pages=1}}</ref> though the former was never built.<ref name=":0" /> The city's art commission delayed the demolition of the plazas<ref name="The New York Times 1961 w336">{{cite web |date=June 13, 1961 |title=Manhattan Bridge Is Given Reprieve For Its Ornaments |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/06/13/archives/manhattan-bridge-is-given-reprieve-for-its-ornaments.html |access-date=January 16, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> before ruling that the pylons in the Brooklyn plaza be relocated to the [[Brooklyn Museum]] or another suitable location.<ref name="The New York Times 1961 s024">{{cite web |date=July 7, 1961 |title=City Art Board Orders Transfer Of Bridge Sculpture to Museum |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/07/07/archives/city-art-board-orders-transfer-of-bridge-sculpture-to-museum.html |access-date=January 16, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Wagner said in late 1962 that he would request $2.9 million to rebuild the approaches at both ends of the bridge;<ref name="n138841634">{{Cite news |date=November 21, 1962 |title=Mayor to Ask $41 Million for Sewage Plant |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-mayor-to-ask-41-million-for/138841634/ |access-date=January 16, 2024 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251  |pages=25}}</ref> the work included a widening of an approach road at the bridge's Manhattan end.<ref name=n138842594>{{Cite news |date=May 17, 1963 |title=Highways Unit Accepting Bids for Bridge Access |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-highways-unit-a/138842594/ |access-date=January 16, 2024 |work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |pages=3}}</ref> The pylons flanking the Brooklyn approach were moved to the Brooklyn Museum in 1963.<ref name="The New York Times 1964" /> The western upper roadway was closed for repairs for a year beginning in August 1969.<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 2, 1969 |title=Repair Work Will Curtail Manhattan Bridge Traffic |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1969/08/02/archives/repair-work-will-curtail-manhattan-bridge-traffic.html |access-date=January 22, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Two of the lower roadway's lanes were closed for four months starting in November 1970 so workers could replace faulty [[Joint (building)|joints]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 24, 1970 |title=Repairs for 2 City Bridges |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/24/archives/repairs-for-2-city-bridges.html |access-date=January 22, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=November 24, 1970 |title=One Way on Bridge |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-one-way-on-bridge/139286257/ |access-date=January 22, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=36}}</ref>
=== Late 20th- and early 21st-century renovation ===
[[File:Manhattan Bridge March 2023 001.jpg|thumb|300x300px|The deck and one of the towers as seen from ground level]]
The weight of the subway trains had caused deep and widespread cracks to form in the bridge's floor beams,<ref name="p512217520">{{cite news |last=Morehouse |first=Ward III |date=September 22, 1981 |title=Historic New York Bridges in Need of Major Repair: State Seeks Federal Assistance, New Technology for Structural Rehabilitation |work=The Christian Science Monitor |page=9 |issn=0882-7729 |id={{ProQuest|512217520}} |postscript=none}}; {{cite news |last=Steele |first=Ned |date=June 30, 1981 |title=Troubled waters for bridges |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/32995318/ |access-date=January 24, 2024 |work=New York Daily News |pages=5, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/32995355/ 55]}}</ref> prompting the city government to replace 300 deteriorated beams during the late 1970s.<ref name="nyt-1978-03-27">{{Cite news |last=Lichtenstein |first=Grace |date=March 27, 1978 |title=New York Bridges Aren't Falling, But Some Are Crumbling |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/03/27/archives/new-york-bridges-arent-falling-but-some-are-crumbling-federal-and.html |access-date=January 24, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The deck twisted up to {{convert|8|ft}} every time a train passed by,<ref name="n139432047">{{Cite news |last1=Steele |first1=Ned |last2=Rosenthal |first2=Sharon |date=July 5, 1981 |title=New York's Troubled Bridges over Water |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-new-yorks-troubled-bridges-o/139432047/ |access-date=January 24, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=100}}</ref> and trains had to slow down on the bridge.<ref name="n139431654">{{Cite news |last=Browne |first=Arthur |date=March 14, 1978 |title=Finds 4 E. River Spans Need Fix Fast |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-finds-4-e-river-spans-need-f/139431654/ |access-date=January 24, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=194}}</ref> A ''New York Times'' reporter wrote that diagonal [[cable stay]]s might eventually need to be installed;<ref name="nyt-1978-03-27" /> the city government also contemplated installing support towers under the side spans.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goldman |first=Ari L. |date=June 30, 1981 |title=Brooklyn Bridge to Get New Set of Steel Cables |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/30/nyregion/brooklyn-bridge-to-get-new-set-of-steel-cables.html |access-date=January 24, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The bridge's condition was blamed on the imbalance in the number of trains crossing the bridge, as well as deferred maintenance during the [[New York City fiscal crisis]] of the 1970s.<ref name="Sims 1991">{{Cite news |last=Sims |first=Calvin |date=March 1, 1991 |title=Bridge Troubles Are Linked To a Lack of Coordination |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/01/nyregion/bridge-troubles-are-linked-to-a-lack-of-coordination.html |access-date=December 24, 2017 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="p277898669">{{cite news |last=Gordy |first=Margaret |date=December 18, 1987 |title=Manhattan Bridge Cracks Force Bus, Truck Limits. Weary Landmark Nearly in Its 80s |work=Newsday |page=3 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|277898669}}}}</ref> In 1979, the [[Government of New York (state)|New York state government]] took over control of the [[Queensboro Bridge|Queensboro]], [[Williamsburg Bridge|Williamsburg]], Manhattan, and [[Brooklyn Bridge|Brooklyn]] bridges.<ref name="p277898669" /> One engineer estimated in 1988 that the bridge would cost $162.6 million to repair.<ref name="n141810188">{{Cite news |last=Dallas |first=Gus |date=April 12, 1987 |title=Bridge Men Were Hung up on Quality |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-bridge-men-were-hung-up-on-qu/141810188/ |access-date=February 22, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=748, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-bridge-men-were-hung-up-on-qu/141810333/ 749]}}</ref>

==== Late 1970s and 1980s ====
The state government started inspecting the Manhattan Bridge and five others in 1978.<ref name="nyt-1978-03-26">{{Cite news |date=March 26, 1978 |title=Extensive Inspection of 6 New York City Bridges Scheduled by State |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/03/26/archives/extensive-inspection-of-6-new-york-city-bridges-scheduled-by-state.html |access-date=October 12, 2023 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |language=en-US |postscript=none}}; {{cite news |date=March 26, 1978 |title=City Bridges To Be Repaired, Governor Says |work=Newsday |page=19Q |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|964216095}}}}</ref> The same year, the [[United States Congress]] voted to allocate money to repair the bridge, as well as several others in New York City.<ref name="Goldman1981">{{Cite news |last=Goldman |first=Ari L. |date=November 1, 1981 |title=U.S. Picks up a Repair Bill for 2 Bridges |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/11/01/nyregion/us-picks-up-a-repair-bill-for-2-bridges.html |access-date=December 24, 2017 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |language=en-US}}</ref> After the presidential [[administration of Ronald Reagan]] questioned whether the congressional funding should cover the subway tracks' restoration, the U.S. government agreed in 1981 to fund restoration both of the roadways and of the subway tracks.<ref name="Goldman1981" /> By the early 1980s, the [[New York City Department of Transportation]] (NYCDOT) planned to spend $100 million on bridge repairs.<ref name="n139502494">{{Cite news |last=Seaton |first=Charles |date=November 17, 1983 |title=Replacing Bridge Not Ruled Out |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-replacing-bridge-not-ruled-ou/139502494/ |access-date=January 25, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=140}}</ref> The New York City government allocated $10.1 million for preliminary work on the bridge in March 1982,<ref name=n129137709>{{Cite news|date=March 31, 1982|title=5.7M Okayed for Bridge Job|first=Mark|last=Lieberman|via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news/129137709/|access-date=January 25, 2024|work=Daily News|pages=92}}</ref> and minor repair work started that year.<ref name="Pierre-Pierre 1996" /> Workers planned to install brackets and supports under the deck,<ref name="n139435742">{{Cite news |date=May 26, 1982 |title=Riders' Service Has Been Abridged |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-riders-service-has-been-abri/139435742/ |access-date=January 24, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=2, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news/129137618/ 24]}}</ref> and they drilled small holes into the lower-level floor beams  unsuccessful attempt to prevent the beams from cracking further.<ref name="n129134966">{{Cite news |last1=Milligan |first1=Susan |last2=Sisk |first2=Richard |date=December 18, 1987 |title=Manhattan Bridge Is Cracking Up |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news/129134966/ |access-date=February 22, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=343}}</ref> An overhaul of the bridge began in April 1985,<ref name="nyt-1986-11-08">{{Cite news |last=Boorstin |first=Robert O. |date=November 8, 1986 |title=Manhattan Bridge's Problems Drag On |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/08/nyregion/manhattan-bridge-s-problems-drag-on.html |access-date=February 21, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and the city received $60 million in federal funds for the renovations of the Queensboro, Manhattan, and Brooklyn bridges the same year.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 7, 1985 |title=The City; $60 Million Given For Bridge Repairs |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/10/07/nyregion/the-city-60-million-given-for-bridge-repairs.html |access-date=October 12, 2023 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The north tracks were closed that August,<ref name="n141736858">{{Cite news |last=Sisk |first=Richard |date=August 3, 1985 |title=Subway Delays Due |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-subway-delays-due/141736858/ |access-date=February 21, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=5 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news|date=August 4, 1985|title=Repairs to Divert 2 IND Runs|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/08/04/nyregion/repairs-to-divert-2-ind-runs.html|access-date=February 21, 2024|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> reopening that November after an $8.1 million repair.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 2, 1985 |title=Repair of the Subway Tracks On Manhattan Bridge Is Done |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/11/02/nyregion/repair-of-the-subway-tracks-on-manhattan-bridge-is-done.html |access-date=February 21, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |agency=The Associated Press}}</ref>

The eastern upper roadway was temporarily closed starting in April 1986, and all northbound traffic was shifted to the lower level,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/14/nyregion/repairs-to-close-part-of-manhattan-bridge.html |title=Repairs to Close Part Of Manhattan Bridge |date=April 14, 1986 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=December 24, 2017 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="p285418415">{{cite news |last=Gordy |first=Margaret |date=March 18, 1987 |title=City In Bridge Battle |work=Newsday |page=9 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|285418415}}}}</ref> as part of a $45 million project to replace the roadway and its steel supports.<ref>{{Cite news|date=April 16, 1986|first=Charles|last=Seaton|title=Bridge Work a Road Block|via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-bridge-work-a-road-block/141740203/|access-date=February 21, 2024|work=Daily News|pages=171}}</ref> The north tracks underneath were closed that month.<ref name="The New York Times 1986">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/26/nyregion/subway-track-work-to-divert-bmt-lines.html |title=Subway Track Work To Divert BMT Lines |date=April 26, 1986 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=December 24, 2017 |language=en-US|postscript=none}}; {{Cite news|date=April 11, 1986|title=In the alphabet soup|first=Richard|last=Sisk|via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news/26646851/|access-date=February 21, 2024|work=Daily News|pages=8}}</ref> The roadway was originally supposed to reopen within 15 months,<ref name="p285418415" /> but contractors found that one of the anchors for the main cables was far more corroded than anticipated, delaying the eastern roadway's reopening by another 18 months.<ref name="n138036613">{{Cite news |last=Dallas |first=Gus |date=April 12, 1987 |title=Why Gridlock Will Span City; Bridge-Fix Project Will Be a True Traffic-Stopper |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-why-gridlock-will-span-city-b/138036613/ |access-date=January 4, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=579, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-why-gridlock-will-span-city-b/138036687/ 580], [https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-why-gridlock-will-span-city/141811025/ 581] |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |last=Brooke |first=James |date=July 29, 1986 |title=Subway Delays Expected to Last Until Early '88 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/07/29/nyregion/subway-delays-expected-to-last-until-early-88.html |access-date=February 21, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The renovation of the Manhattan Bridge was behind schedule by the end of 1986, in part because of the corrosion.<ref name="p285419460">{{cite news |last=Gordy |first=Margaret |date=November 9, 1986 |title=Manhattan Bridge Work Worries TA |work=Newsday |page=21 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|285419460}}}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1986-11-08" /> Legal issues, traffic reroutes, and concerns about the capabilities of the main contractor were also cited as causes for the delays in the renovation.<ref name="nyt-1986-11-08" /> Inspectors subsequently found that twenty of the girders below the lower deck had cracks as much as {{convert|15|in}} wide.<ref name="p277898669" /><ref name="n129134966" /> Due to the cracks on the lower level, in December 1987, inspectors shut one lane of the lower level and banned buses and trucks from the two remaining lower-level lanes.<ref name="p277898669" /><ref name="n129134966" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=December 18, 1987 |title=A Lane on the Manhattan Bridge Is Closed |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/18/nyregion/a-lane-on-the-manhattan-bridge-is-closed.html |access-date=December 24, 2017 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The city government agreed to pay $750,000 to fix the cracks.<ref name="p277898669" />

In 1988, the NYCDOT published a list of 17 structurally deficient bridges in the city, including the Manhattan Bridge.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/18/nyregion/17-key-bridges-with-structural-problems.html |title=17 Key Bridges With Structural Problems |date=April 18, 1988 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=December 24, 2017 |language=en-US}}</ref> That year, inspectors identified 73 "flags" or potentially serious defects, compared to the five defects identified in a 1978 inspection.<ref name="p277966538a">{{cite news |last=Gordy |first=Molly |date=August 17, 1988 |title=Work to Stop Halfway On Bridge Rehab |work=Newsday |page=3 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|277966538}}}}</ref> As a result, the general contractor was ousted in August 1988, and the [[New York State Department of Transportation]] had to hire another contractor, increasing the project's cost.<ref name="p277966538a" /><ref name="nyt-1988-08-18">{{Cite news |last=Johnson |first=Kirk |date=August 18, 1988 |title=Halt Is Planned In Bridge Work Over East River |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/08/18/nyregion/halt-is-planned-in-bridge-work-over-east-river.html |access-date=February 22, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The eastern roadway of the Manhattan Bridge reopened in December 1988;<ref name="p278082782">{{cite news |last=Gordy |first=Molly |date=December 9, 1988 |title=All Lanes Open Today On Manhattan Bridge |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday/129133642/ |access-date=February 21, 2024 |work=Newsday |page=2 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|278082782}}}}</ref> the north tracks also reopened at that time, and the south tracks were closed.<ref name="p278125858">{{cite news |last=Gordy |first=Molly |date=December 7, 1988 |title=Big Subway Changes Start Sunday 640,000 Will Be Affected |work=Newsday |page=4 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|278125858}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |last=Johnson |first=Kirk |date=December 9, 1988 |title=Big Changes For Subways Are to Begin |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/09/nyregion/big-changes-for-subways-are-to-begin.html |access-date=February 22, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Although the NYCDOT had planned to halt work for 16 months,<ref name="p278082782" /> the western roadway was closed for emergency repairs in February 1989 after two corroded beams sagged.<ref name="p278097472">{{cite news |last=Gordy |first=Molly |date=February 1, 1989 |title=Manhattan Bridge Shut for Repairs |work=Newsday |page=3 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|278097472}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=February 2, 1989 |title=Another Headache |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|110195148}}}}</ref> ''Newsday'' reported that the western roadway had urgently required repair for almost three years but had remained open to avoid shutting down all four of the bridge's subway tracks at once.<ref name="p278121052">{{cite news |last=Gordy |first=Molly |date=February 2, 1989 |title=Officials Delayed Repairs To Bridge Two Years Ago |work=Newsday |page=6 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|278121052}}}}</ref> The cables, trusses, and subway frame on the eastern half of the bridge had to be repaired, and the lower roadway needed complete replacement.<ref name="n141839624">{{Cite news |date=March 19, 1989 |title=Crossing 'Em off Before They Fall |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-crossing-em-off-before-they/141839624/ |access-date=February 22, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=155}}</ref> After seven columns supporting the Brooklyn approach were found to be cracked or corroded, these columns were repaired in late 1989.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 1, 1989 |title=Manhattan Bridge Work Due to Start |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-manhattan-bridge-work-due-to/141840713/ |access-date=February 22, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=18}}</ref>

==== 1990s ====
By the end of 1990, engineers found that the bridge's support beams had thousands of cracks.<ref name="nyt-1990-12-17">{{Cite news |last=Sims |first=Calvin |date=December 17, 1990 |title=Corrosion's Rise Imperils Bridges Over East River |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/17/nyregion/corrosion-s-rise-imperils-bridges-over-east-river.html |access-date=February 22, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="n129132292">{{Cite news |last=Hartocullis |first=Anemona |date=February 11, 1991 |title=Bridges, Flags and Politics |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday/129132292/ |access-date=February 22, 2024 |work=Newsday |pages=3, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday/129132286/ 20], [https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday/129132299/ 21]}}</ref> Service on the south tracks resumed in December 1990, despite warnings the structure was unsafe;<ref name="NYT-SimsJan8">{{cite news |last=Sims |first=Calvin |date=January 8, 1991 |title=New York Reopened Bridge Subway Line In Spite of Warnings |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/08/nyregion/new-york-reopened-bridge-subway-line-in-spite-of-warnings.html |access-date=March 18, 2010 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> they had to be closed again after the discovery of corroded support beams and missing steel plates.<ref name="nyt-1990-12-28">{{Cite news |last=Hevesi |first=Dennis |date=December 28, 1990 |title=Hazards Halt Manhattan Bridge Subway Line |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/28/nyregion/hazards-halt-manhattan-bridge-subway-line.html |access-date=February 22, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |last=Oestreicher |first=David J. |date=December 28, 1990 |title=More bridge problems? Rust assured, new York |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news/25103974/ |access-date=February 22, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=4 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |last=Moss |first=Michael |date=December 28, 1990 |title=Mishaps, Structure Trouble Reroute Trains |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday/129132527/ |access-date=February 22, 2024 |work=Newsday |pages=37}}</ref> The north-side tracks also had to be closed periodically to repair cracks.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sims |first=Calvin |date=February 15, 1991 |title=Bridge Section To Close Again To Fix Supports |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/15/nyregion/bridge-section-to-close-again-to-fix-supports.html |access-date=February 22, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In the aftermath of the dispute, two city officials were fired,<ref>{{cite news |last=Henneberger |first=Melinda |date=January 26, 1991 |title=DOT Stalled Probe, Council Aide Says |work=Newsday |page=9 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|278341466}} |postscript=none}}; {{cite news |last=Sims |first=Calvin |date=January 11, 1991 |title=New York Dismisses Official Who Attacked Bridge Cuts |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/11/nyregion/new-york-dismisses-official-who-attacked-bridge-cuts.html |access-date=March 18, 2010 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |postscript=none}}; {{cite news |last=Sims |first=Calvin |date=January 12, 1991 |title=2d Official In Bridge Unit Is Discharged |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/12/nyregion/2d-official-in-bridge-unit-is-discharged.html |access-date=May 22, 2010 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and the [[New York City Council]]'s Transportation committee held inquiries on the reopening of the south tracks and the safety of all New York City bridges.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stanley |first1=Alessandra |last2=Sims |first2=Calvin |date=January 14, 1991 |title=Bridge Battle: Clashes and Flurry of Memos |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/14/nyregion/bridge-battle-clashes-and-flurry-of-memos.html |access-date=May 22, 2010 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> They found that the NYCDOT and MTA's lack of cooperation contributed significantly to the deteriorating conditions.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lee |first=Felicia R. |date=January 30, 1991 |title=Council Given Data It Sought, Deputy Mayor Says |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/30/nyregion/council-given-data-it-sought-deputy-mayor-says.html |access-date=March 18, 2010 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |postscript=none}}; {{cite news |last=Sims |first=Calvin |date=January 31, 1991 |title=Memos Not Released by Dinkins Are Said to Call Bridges Unsafe |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/31/nyregion/memos-not-released-by-dinkins-are-said-to-call-bridges-unsafe.html |access-date=March 18, 2010 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="Sims 1991"/> There were also allegations that the NYCDOT's transportation commissioner was not properly addressing concerns about the bridge's safety.<ref name="p278339673">{{cite news |last=Henneberger |first=Melinda |date=March 1, 1991 |title=Panel Hears Bridge Safety Dispute |work=Newsday |page=8 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|278339673}}}}</ref> Starting in January 1991, trucks and buses were banned from the lower roadway, which was also closed for repairs during nights and weekends.<ref name="p278316498">{{cite news |date=January 10, 1991 |title=City Posts Further Closings For Lower Manhattan Bridge |work=Newsday |page=29 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|278316498}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |last=Sims |first=Calvin |date=January 4, 1991 |title=Truck Ban Is Announced For a Bridge |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/04/nyregion/truck-ban-is-announced-for-a-bridge.html |access-date=December 24, 2017 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Meanwhile, the weight of heavy trucks created holes in the upper roadbed, so a three-ton weight limit was imposed.<ref name="p278466759">{{cite news |last=Moss |first=Michael |date=April 14, 1992 |title=1 Pothole, River View Gap Snarls E. River Span |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-1-pothole-river-view-gap-snarls/141852079/ |access-date=February 22, 2024 |work=Newsday |page=23 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|278466759}}}}</ref>

The NYCDOT selected the Yonkers Contracting Company as the bridge's main contractor in early 1992,<ref name="p278473672">{{cite news |last=Bunch |first=William |date=January 18, 1992 |title=3 Years to Fix Manhattan Bridge |work=Newsday |page=11 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|278473672}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=January 19, 1992 |title=Repairs Planned for the Manhattan Bridge |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/01/19/nyregion/repairs-planned-for-the-manhattan-bridge.html |access-date=February 22, 2024 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and the firm was awarded a $97.8 million contract that August.<ref name="Weber 1992 g220">{{cite web |last=Weber |first=Bruce |date=August 1, 1992 |title=City Prepares Closer Watch On a Bridge |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/01/nyregion/city-prepares-closer-watch-on-a-bridge.html |access-date=February 22, 2024 |website=The New York Times}}</ref> City Comptroller [[Elizabeth Holtzman]] originally denied the contract to the company because of concerns about corruption,<ref name=p278514453>{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|278514453}} |title=No Bridge Work? Holtzman Seeks to Ax Bid |first=Melinda |last=Henneberger |date=May 13, 1992 |page=6 |work=Newsday|issn=2574-5298|postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/05/13/nyregion/contractor-is-labeled-as-corrupt.html |title=Contractor Is Labeled As Corrupt |last=Sims |first=Calvin |date=May 13, 1992 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=December 24, 2017 |language=en-US}}</ref> but she was overridden by Mayor [[David Dinkins]], who wanted to complete repairs quickly.<ref name="Fritsch 1992">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/03/nyregion/company-in-bid-rig-suit-to-fix-bridge.html |title=Company In Bid-Rig Suit To Fix Bridge |last=Fritsch |first=Jane |date=August 3, 1992 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=December 24, 2017 |language=en-US}}</ref> The NYCDOT began conducting more frequent inspections of the bridge after inspectors found holes in beams that had been deemed structurally sound during previous inspections.<ref name="p278531409">{{cite news |last1=Stanley |first1=Bruce |last2=Moss |first2=Michael |date=July 31, 1992 |title=1 Pothole, River View Gap Snarls E. River Span |work=Newsday |page=3 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|278531409}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |last=Weber |first=Bruce |date=August 1, 1992 |title=City Prepares Closer Watch On a Bridge |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/01/nyregion/city-prepares-closer-watch-on-a-bridge.html |access-date=December 24, 2017 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> A [[shantytown]] at the Manhattan end of the bridge became one of the city's largest homeless encampments before it was razed in 1993.<ref name="Fisher 1993 k986">{{cite web |last=Fisher |first=Ian |date=August 18, 1993 |title=For Homeless, A Last Haven Is Demolished |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/18/nyregion/for-homeless-a-last-haven-is-demolished.html |access-date=February 22, 2024 |website=The New York Times}}</ref> The western upper roadway was closed for reconstruction that year.<ref name=":1">{{cite web |last=Pierre-Pierre |first=Garry |date=August 30, 1996 |title=After 3 Years Of Repairs, Deck of Bridge Set to Reopen |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/30/nyregion/after-3-years-of-repairs-deck-of-bridge-set-to-reopen.html |access-date=December 24, 2017 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> As part of an experiment, researchers from [[Mount Sinai Hospital (Manhattan)|Mount Sinai Hospital]] monitored lead levels in Manhattan Bridge workers' blood while the reconstruction took place.<ref name="p278624192">{{cite news |last=Schatz |first=Robin |date=April 26, 1993 |title=3 Years to Fix Manhattan Bridge |work=Newsday |page=35 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|278624192}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite magazine |last=Jaffe |first=Susan |date=April 19, 1993 |title=Lead protection: Bridge rehab becomes health lab |magazine=Engineering News-Record |page=31 |volume=230 |issue=16 |id={{ProQuest|235655321}}}}</ref>

The bridge repairs were repeatedly delayed as the renovation process uncovered more serious structural problems underlying the bridge. The original plans had been to complete the renovations by 1995 for $150 million, but by 1996, the renovation was slated to be complete in 2003 at a cost of $452 million.<ref name="Pierre-Pierre 1996">{{cite web |last=Pierre-Pierre |first=Garry |title=Neglect of Manhattan Bridge Takes Toll in Time and Money |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |date=April 10, 1996 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/10/nyregion/neglect-of-manhattan-bridge-takes-toll-in-time-and-money.html |access-date=December 24, 2017}}</ref> The western upper roadway did not reopen until 1996.<ref name=":1" />

==== 2000s ====
By 2001, it was estimated that the renovations had cost $500 million to date, including $260 million for the west side and another $175 million for the east side. At the time, the NYCDOT had set a January 2004 deadline for the renovation.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kennedy |first=Randy |title=On the East River, A Big Fixer-Upper; Repair Work Is Monumental On an Oddly Designed Bridge |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |date=December 3, 2001 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/03/nyregion/east-river-big-fixer-upper-repair-work-monumental-oddly-designed-bridge.html |access-date=December 24, 2017}}</ref> The eastern upper roadway was closed for a renovation starting in 2002.<ref name="The New York Times 2002 e897">{{cite web |date=August 1, 2002 |title=New York: Part Of Manhattan Bridge To Close |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/01/nyregion/metro-briefing-new-york-part-of-manhattan-bridge-to-close.html |access-date=January 15, 2024 |website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The original pedestrian walkway on the west side of the bridge was reopened in June 2001, having been closed for 20 years.<ref name="Newman 2001">{{cite news |last=Newman |first=Andy |date=June 26, 2001 |title=Cyclists and Walkers Regain a Bridge |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/26/nyregion/cyclists-and-walkers-regain-a-bridge.html |access-date=April 24, 2010 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> It was shared with bicycles until late summer 2004, when a dedicated bicycle path was opened on the east side of the bridge. The bike path was poorly signed, leading to cyclist and pedestrian conflicts.<ref>{{cite news |last=Robbins |first=Christopher |date=June 4, 2014 |title=Even The DOT Is Confused About Where To Walk On The Manhattan Bridge |url=http://gothamist.com/2014/06/04/even_dot_is_confused_about_where_to.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121085620/http://gothamist.com/2014/06/04/even_dot_is_confused_about_where_to.php |archive-date=November 21, 2015 |access-date=January 30, 2016 |newspaper=[[Gothamist]]}}</ref> By the time work on the bridge was completed in 2004, the final cost of the renovation totaled $800 million.<ref name="Gray 2004" /> The lower-level roadway was then renovated between 2004 and 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Manhattan Bridge Rehabilitation of the Lower Roadway – Contract 11 |url=https://www.usa.skanska.com/what-we-deliver/projects/57594/Manhattan-Bridge-Rehabilitation-of-the-Lower-Roadway-Contract-11 |access-date=April 12, 2021 |website=www.usa.skanska.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

The arch and colonnade had also become deteriorated, having become covered with graffiti and dirt. The enclosed plaza within the colonnade had been used as a parking lot by the [[New York City Police Department]], while the only remaining portion of the large park surrounding the arch and colonnade, at Canal and Forsyth Streets, had accumulated trees. The arch and colonnade themselves had open [[Joint (building)|joints]] in the stonework, as well as weeds, bushes, and small trees growing at their top.<ref name="Gray 1996" /> The arch and colonnade were restored starting in the late 1990s, with the restoration being completed in April 2001 for $11 million. The project entailed cleaning the structures and installing 258 floodlights.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lee |first=Denny |date=May 13, 2001 |title=Neighborhood Report: Lower East Side; For This Arch, The Triumph Was to Hide the Bridge |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/13/nyregion/neighborhood-report-lower-east-side-for-this-arch-triumph-was-hide-bridge.html |access-date=August 5, 2020 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

=== Late 2000s to present ===
[[File:Murry Bergtraum HS Field td (2021-06-10) 02 - Manhattan Bridge.jpg|thumb|Manhattan Bridge, looking northeast from [[Murry Bergtraum High School|Murry Bergtraum High School Field]] in 2021]]

To celebrate the bridge's centennial, a series of events and exhibits were organized by the New York City Bridge Centennial Commission in October 2009. These included a ceremonial parade across the Manhattan Bridge on the morning of October 4 and a fireworks display in the evening.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nycbridges100.org/manhattan-events.php |title=Manhattan Bridge Centennial Celebration Events and Exhibits |work=NYC Bridge Centennial Commission |access-date=February 21, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120228211610/http://www.nycbridges100.org/manhattan-events.php |archive-date=February 28, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2009, the bridge was designated as a [[List of historic civil engineering landmarks|National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark]] by the [[American Society of Civil Engineers]].<ref name="ascemetsection">{{cite web |author=[[American Society of Civil Engineers]] Metropolitan Section |year=2016 |title=Manhattan Bridge |url=http://www.ascemetsection.org/committees/history-and-heritage/landmarks/manhattan-bridge |access-date=November 12, 2016 |work=Historic Landmarks |publisher=American Society of Civil Engineers Metropolitan Section |location=New York City}}</ref> An $834 million project to replace the Manhattan Bridge's suspension cables was announced in 2010. The work was scheduled to take two years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Andy |date=July 20, 2010 |title=Bridge Two Far! Manhattan, Like Brooklyn, Span to Undergo Long Renovation |url=https://www.brooklynpaper.com/bridge-two-far-manhattan-like-brooklyn-span-to-undergo-long-renovation/ |access-date=April 12, 2021 |website=Brooklyn Paper}}</ref>

The lower roadway was permanently reconfigured in July 2015 to carry traffic toward Manhattan only; prior to this change, the lower roadway carried traffic toward Brooklyn for six hours every afternoon.<ref name="Spectrum News NY1 2015 n916">{{cite web |date=August 3, 2015 |title=Roadway Reversals Officially Over on Manhattan Bridge |url=https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2015/08/3/roadway-reversals-officially-over-on-manhattan-bridge |access-date=January 13, 2024 |website=Spectrum News NY1}}</ref> The same year, the NYCDOT began allowing Brooklyn-bound drivers to exit onto Concord Street in Brooklyn at all times; previously, drivers could only exit onto Concord Street during the afternoon rush hours.<ref name="Leon 2015 g922">{{cite web |last=Leon |first=Alexandra |date=December 16, 2015 |title=It Was Mistake to Allow 24-Hour Left Turns at Manhattan Bridge, CB2 Says |url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20151216/downtown-brooklyn/it-was-mistake-allow-24-hour-left-turns-at-manhattan-bridge-cb2-says/ |access-date=January 13, 2024 |website=DNAinfo New York |postscript=none |archive-date=February 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203164240/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20151216/downtown-brooklyn/it-was-mistake-allow-24-hour-left-turns-at-manhattan-bridge-cb2-says/ |url-status=dead }}; {{cite web |last=Gill |first=Lauren |date=December 17, 2015 |title=Con-dis-cord Street: New Manhattan Bridge exit plagues residential road |url=https://www.brooklynpaper.com/con-dis-cord-street-new-manhattan-bridge-exit-plagues-residential-road/ |access-date=January 13, 2024 |website=Brooklyn Paper }}</ref> The Concord Street exit was again closed outside the afternoon rush hour in early 2016.<ref name="Gill 2016 w015">{{cite web |last=Gill |first=Lauren |date=March 21, 2016 |title=City Puts Brakes on Manhattan Bridge Exit That Is so Bad a Family Moved to Jersey to Get Away from It |url=https://www.brooklynpaper.com/city-puts-brakes-on-manhattan-bridge-exit-that-is-so-bad-a-family-moved-to-jersey-to-get-away-from-it/ |access-date=January 13, 2024 |website=Brooklyn Paper |postscript=none}}; {{cite web |last=Santore |first=John V. |date=March 22, 2016 |title=No More Left Turns Onto Concord From Manhattan Bridge (Except at Rush Hour) |url=https://patch.com/new-york/fortgreene/city-put-limits-protested-turn-manhattan-bridge |access-date=January 13, 2024 |website=Fort Greene-Clinton Hill, NY Patch}}</ref> After rubble was found in [[Brooklyn Bridge Park]] under the Brooklyn approach in 2018, [[Skanska]] was given a contract to repair parts of the bridge at a cost of $75.9 million. The renovation was scheduled to finish in early 2021. The work entailed replacing some fencing, installing some new steel beams on the spans, and refurbishing ornamental elements on the towers.<ref name="Gannon 2018">{{cite web |last=Gannon |first=Devin |date=October 5, 2018 |title=$80M in Additional Repairs Planned for 109-Year-Old Manhattan Bridge |url=https://www.6sqft.com/more-repairs-planned-for-109-year-old-manhattan-bridge/ |access-date=April 12, 2021 |website=6sqft}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=October 4, 2018 |title=New York Awards Manhattan Bridge Refurb to Skanska |url=https://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/new-york-awards-manhattan-bridge-refurb-to-skanska |access-date=April 12, 2021 |website=www.theconstructionindex.co.uk |language=en}}</ref> For instance, the spherical finials atop the suspension towers were replaced with cast-iron copies.<ref name="Young 2019">{{cite web |last=Young |first=Michelle |date=November 18, 2019 |title=The Manhattan Bridge Globes Have Begun to Reappear |url=https://untappedcities.com/2019/11/18/the-manhattan-bridge-globes-have-begun-to-reappear/ |access-date=April 12, 2021 |website=Untapped New York}}</ref> The [[National Transportation Safety Board]] recommended in early 2025 that the bridge undergo a structural vulnerability assessment, following the [[Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse]] in Maryland the previous year.<ref>{{cite web | title=Key Bridge collapse: NYC bridges among 68 in the US recommended for vulnerability assessments, NTSB says | website=ABC7 New York | date=March 21, 2025 | url=https://abc7ny.com/post/key-bridge-collapse-nyc-bridges-among-68-us-recommended-vulnerability-assessments-ntsb-says/16059419/ | access-date=March 21, 2025|postscript=none}}; {{cite web | last=Loria | first=Michael | title=Millions of people use these bridges. Feds say they're taking a risk. | website=USA TODAY | date=March 21, 2025 | url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/03/20/bridges-at-risk-of-collapse-key/82582036007/ | access-date=March 21, 2025}}</ref>