Wards Island Bridge / 103rd St Footbridge

Too narrow for cars? Pity.

Yes, this one's all ours.

Where is the Wards Island Bridge / 103rd St Footbridge?: over the Harlem River betweeen the Upper East Side of Manhattan and Wards Island (Wards Island is Manhattan so technically this isn't interborough.)




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How do I get there?: Easy.  Two options from Manhattan:

1. Take the East River Pathway (which starts at the east end of 60th Street under the Queensboro Bridge, and has a few more access points running north along the way) to where 103rd Street would be if it went that far east. Bridge access looks like this:

2. From 102nd St and the west side of the FDR (roughly, here: http://goo.gl/maps/nlHVO), take the pedestrian footbridge over the FDR which leads directly into the bridge:

Looking north from the East River Pathway.



Where the FDR footbridge meets the Wards Island Bridge.

... but when does it open? (Actually this sign may be a pre-2012 relic: The NYC DOT says the bridge is now open 24/7.)

How's the view? So-so.  You can see a bit of Manhattan, Roosevelt Island, the Queensboro and Wards Island / Randalls Island. 

You're on camera.

How hard?: As easy as it gets.  Hardly any grade.  Only 312 feet (95 metres) long.  No vehicles to dodge. 

You should run this bridge if: you really hate running near cars.  Randalls / Ward Islands have few cars, a decent running trail around the coastline, and best of all, access to the Triborough Bridge (more on that later).

Odd facts: According to Wikipedia, the bridge was previously closed at night to protect Manhattanites from psychiatric patients crossing the bridge and committing crimes.  Also, Wards Island and Randalls Island are now one land mass joined together by landfill.