The Manhattan Bridge boasts progressively-designed separate bike and pedestrian paths. The north side features a 10-foot wide bike path, while the south side accommodates pedestrians with an 8-foot wide walkway. When they opened on June 25, 2001, it marked the first time in 40 years that all four major East River bridges accommodated bicyclists and pedestrians.

The Canal Street approach is heavily congested, due to cars exiting and entering the bridge. The Brooklyn side is considerably safer, with a curbside, color-pigment bike lane on Jay Street, and an on-street greenway on Sands Street (currently under construction).

***Reconstruction of the upper roadway has temporarily closed the north bicycle path. Cyclists have been redirected to the south pedestrian path, which has stairs on the Brooklyn side, until August 2007***

Manhattan Bridge by Numbers:
Distance: 6885 feet
Design: 1909 Suspension Bridge
Engineer: Othniel Foster Nichols
Manhattan entrance: Bicyclists access the North Bicycling Path at Canal Street and Forsyth Street; Pedestrians access the South Walkway on Bowery between Canal Street and Bayard Street. (PDF)
Brooklyn entrance: Bicyclists access the North Bicycling Path at Sands Street and Jay Street; Pedestrians access the South Walkway on Jay Street between Sands Street and Nassau Street. (PDF)

Approach maps courtesy of the NYC Department of Transportation

T.A. Studies on the Manhattan Bridge:

• The recently renovated Brooklyn approach eliminated many of the dangers cyclists once faced. View T.A.’s study on those hazards in this report: Manhattan Bridge Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Study, September 29, 2003

T.A. Magazine Articleson the Manhattan Bridge:

• DOT to Build Separated, On-Street Bike Path to Manhattan Bridge, Summer 2005
• Manhattan Bridge Access Assessed, Fall 2004
• Second Manhattan Bridge Path Opens, Summer 2004
• New Manhattan Bridge Bicycle Path Opens, July 9, 2004
• The DOT Half Way to Fixing Brooklyn Side of Manhattan Bridge Path, Spring 2004
• Second Manhattan Bridge Path Coming Soon, Winter 2004
• DOT Takes Second Look At Manhattan Bridge Access, Fall 2003
• Bridge Bicycle Boom!, Fall 2003
• DOT Agrees to New Look At Bklyn Side of Manhattan Bridge, October 14, 2003
• Bicycling Boom on East River Bridges, October 14, 2003
• Users of Manhattan Bridge Path Say Brooklyn Side Stinks, September 4, 2003
• DOT to T.A.: No Safety Improvements for Manhattan Bridge, Summer 2003
• Electeds Call on Make Brooklyn Side of the Manhattan Bridge Safe, Spring 2003
• Councilmember Yassky Calls for Safe Entrance to Brooklyn Side of Manhattan Bridge, April 25, 2003
• 
  SAFETY ALERT: Brooklyn side of the Manhattan Bridge Remains Dangerous for Cyclists and Pedestrians, March 31, 2003
• Death Imminent on Manhattan Bridge, Winter 2003
• DOT Waiting for Cyclist to Be Killed on Brooklyn Side of Manhattan Bridge, Fall 2002  
• Five Easy Things Gov't Should Do to Better Bicycling in 2003: Make Brooklyn Side of the Manhattan Bridge Safe, Fall 2002
• DOT Waiting for Cyclist to Be Killed on Brooklyn Side of Manhattan Bridge, September 23, 2002
• Bridge Access Safety Crisis Continues as the DOT Fails to Fix 6 of 8 Entrances, Summer 2002
• Bridge Paths Caged, Spring 2002
• What Happen' at the Manhattan?, Spring 2002
• DOT Rejects T.A. Request to Remove Degrading Chain Link Fencing from Bridge Paths, April 22, 2002
• Don't Fence Me In, February 11, 2002
• Manhattan Bridge: Danger is Around the Corner, Winter 2002
• Ten Things Mayor Bloomberg Should Do in 2002 to Improve Cycling in NYC, Winter 2002
• Making the Grade in 2001: T.A.'s Fifth Annual Report On Bicycling in NYC: Bridges, Winter 2002
• T.A. Gives "A" Grade to 2001 Cycling Improvements, January 28, 2002
• One Bridge, Two Stories: The Manhattan Bridge Bicycle and Pedestrian Path, Fall 2001
• NYC DOT Bike Program Speaks: Manhattan Bridge, Fall 2001
• You Can Take Manhattan, Summer 2001
• Manhattan Bridge Path Opens: Bike/ped access restored after 40 Year Closure But City Refuses to Provide Ramp, June 25, 2001
• Monumental Move on Manhattan Bridge, Spring 2001
• Manhattan Bridge Path Debuts This Spring, Winter 2001
• Manhattan Bridge Slowly Nears Peacetime Footing, May/June 1999 
• The East River Bridges: 17 Years of Reconstruction and Counting, November/December 1998
• Bridges in Brief, January/February 1998
• Making the Grade: NYC & Bicycling in 1997: Bridges, July/August 1997
• Bicycling Basics: Five Fundamental Steps Toward Better Bicycling in NYC: Bridges, May/June 1996

T.A. Press Releases on the Manhattan Bridge:

• "Someone will be killed here:" Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and City Councilmember David Yassky Join Transportation Alternatives and Students from Recycle-A-Bicycle In Call For Safe Bicycle and Pedestrian Access to the Brooklyn side of the Manhattan Bridge, September 29, 2003
• Bicyclists and Pedestrians Say: Access to Manhattan Bridge is "Dangerous and Intolerable", August 13, 2003
• Set To Open After 40 years: Manhattan Bridge Path Grand Opening with Department of Transportation Commissioner Iris Weinshall, May 14, 2001

T.A. Quotes in the Media on the Manhattan Bridge:

• Cyclists rally for safety after activist injured, New York Sun, April 12, 2005
• Fighting for a cause, and injured along the way, New York Times, April 10, 2005
• Dangers lurk on bridge bike paths, am New York, April 4, 2005
• Man. Bridge pathillogical: Bike route lacks view, easy access, Daily News, October 15, 2004
• Cycling surges in NYC, am New York, July 12, 2004
• Need a Ride? Bike Commuting in NYC Hits High Point, MetroSports New York, May 2004
• DOT Reexamines Manhattan Bridge Bicycle and Pedestrian Access, The Ride, January 2004
• Urban Cycling: A Tale of Two Cities, Metropolis, December 2003
• Manhattan Bridge bike path peril, The Brooklyn Paper, October 6, 2003
• Borough Presses City to Make Manhattan Bridge Safer, Carroll Gardens/Cobble Hill Courier, October 6, 2003
• Transportation Alternatives Call For Safer Brooklyn Entrance to Manhattan Bridge, Brooklyn Eagle, October 4, 2003
• City Cyclists Put Pedal to Mettle: Bike traffic over bridges hits 23-year high, Newsday, October 2, 2003
• A path of least resistance: Manhattan Bridge bikers, walkers seek safer merge, Daily News, August 25, 2003
• The Sum of the Parts, The Ride, October 1, 2002
• Cyclists Beware: Bumpy Road Ahead, Park Slope Courier, July 22, 2002
• On Bridges, the View Includes Chain Links, New York Times, June 22, 2002
• Mettle to the Pedal, New York Post, May 4, 2002
• A Day for Sunday Drivers on Two Wheels, New York Times, May 3, 2002
• Manhattan Bridge Bike Path Upgrade, Daily News, August 19, 2001
• Cyclists Plead For More Bridge Security, Daily News, August 9, 2001
• Bicyclists Find Manhattan Bridge Path Tougher to Reach Than Cross, New York Times, August 6, 2001
• Bike Path on Bridge Has Bumps, Daily News, August 2, 2001
• Bridge Bike Path Reopened, Downtown Express, May 22-June 4, 2001
• Bridge bike path reopened, The Villager, May 23, 2001
• A view from the bridge, The Park Slope Paper, May 21, 2001
• Bicycle path is recycled: Manhattan Bridge route to open June 25, Daily News, May 17, 2001
• Manhattan Bridge gets new footpath, Daily News, March 9, 2001

• Essay When will the Manhattan Bridge Bike Path Ever Be Finished?, By Steve Faust, 1997
• View rendering of proposed Manhattan Bridge Bike Path
• View cross-section of Manhattan Bridge

  Also see the 1999 plan for a new approach to the Brooklyn side of the bridge.

  For further info: visit NYC Department of Transportation, or call 212-442-7033