Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, in New York City , is a suspension bridge connecting the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn . It crosses the Narrows, a tidal strait just beyond the mouth of the Hudson River . Its main span stretches 4,260 feet (1,298 meters). It was the longest suspension span in the world when the bridge opened in 1964. A number of bridges have longer spans today. But the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge’s span remains the longest suspension span in the United States. The bridge is named for Giovanni da Verrazzano , an Italian navigator who sailed into New York Harbor in 1524.
The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge has a double-decked roadway, with one road suspended above the other. Each road carries six lanes of traffic. As in other suspension bridges, the roadway hangs from cables. Most suspension bridges use two main cables, but the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge uses four. Each of the four cables is 36 inches (91 centimeters) in diameter. The cables each consist of over 26,000 wires twisted together. The cables connect in pairs to two support towers just offshore. Each tower is nearly 700 feet (213 meters) tall. On either side of the towers, the cables connect to two massive concrete anchorages that support the whole structure. One anchorage is near Fort Wadsworth and the other is near Fort Hamilton, two forts that once guarded New York Harbor.