Construction of the bridge drew on specialized firms and workers for its steelwork, foundations, approaches, and roadway. The Harris Structural Steel Company of New Jersey supplied and erected the steel superstructure, employing 222 men, including 150 ironworkers by September 1956; founded by George W. Harris in 1915, it had become one of America’s largest steel manufacturers by World War II, moving from a focus on high-rise buildings into bridge work during the Depression and also working on the Castleton and Rip Van Winkle Bridges, the Brooklyn tower of the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge, the Port Authority Bus Terminal, and the Daily News Building. The Merritt-Chapman & Scott Corporation built the concrete and granite substructure, employing 207 men by November 1954; begun in 1860 as a marine salvage operation and known as the “Black Horse of the Sea,” it had expanded by the 1950s into industrial, marine, and heavy construction around the world, including work on the Mackinac Bridge foundations, bridges on the Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Glen Canyon Dam, Delaware Memorial Bridge, Walt Whitman Bridge, and Throgs Neck Bridge. Box, or hollow, piers were used where the continuous underdeck truss met the girder approaches, specifically at Pier 12 on the west and Pier 22 on the east; these piers contained floors and chambers, housed electrical equipment, provided catwalk access, and served as temporary construction offices where workers collected paychecks. Philip Totonelly Company of Newburgh completed clearing and rough grading for the 0.67-mile-long west approach, Grandview Construction Corporation of Mount Vernon carried out work on the east approach, and Horn Construction Company of Merrick paved the approaches and bridge roadway while employing 60 men. Mohawk ironworkers from Kahnawake south of Montreal were among the crews erecting the superstructure; Mohawks had worked in ironworking since the 1880s and became widely known as “skywalkers” on bridge and high-steel building projects across the U.S., including the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Rockefeller Center, the World Trade Center, and Freedom Tower. The foundations also used tremie concrete, which allowed the first layer of cement to be poured into a flooded caisson without dewatering; a temporary cap on the pipe prevented spilling until the pour began, and the surrounding water helped the concrete cure with almost no cracks or imperfections.

Photo: Steve Stoessel

Barrytown, New York · USA