Total length1,825 m
869Sofas
6.1 millionGrains of salt
11.9 trillionCarbon atoms
Including approaches
Photo from Wikimedia Commons
Brooklyn Bridge
The Gothic-towered icon that connected Manhattan and Brooklyn/Bridges & Tunnels
When the Brooklyn Bridge opened in 1883, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world and the first to use steel wire for its cables. Designed by John Augustus Roebling (who died before construction began) and completed by his son Washington (who was bedridden with decompression sickness from the foundations), it is a monument to stubbornness as much as engineering. The bridge carries about 120,000 vehicles and pedestrians daily across the East River.
Measurements
Total mass14.7 million kg
2.4 thousandthsGreat Pyramid masses
35.6Empty Boeing 747s
About 14,680 tonnes
Tower height84 m
382TV remotes
45.9Dining table lengths
56,000Ant antennae
Gothic limestone and granite towers
Main span486 m
2,017Envelope lengths
9,170Matchbox lengths
Between the two towers
Total cable length5,690 m
10,736Ukulele lengths
28,450Cucumber lengths
Each of four main cables
Clearance above water39.6 m
483 millionthsPanama Canals
46.6Cricket bats
At center of span