It’s a vertical-lift bridge. That sounds technical, almost boring, until you're actually standing under those massive steel towers watching a 500-ton span of road rise silently into the air. People call it the Marine Parkway Bridge. Or just the Gil Hodges. Most folks driving across it from Flatbush Avenue toward Jacob Riis Park are just thinking about getting to the beach before the parking lots fill up. They aren’t thinking about the 1930s or the Brooklyn Dodgers. They just want the ocean.
But honestly, the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge is one of those rare New York City landmarks that actually feels human. It doesn't have the ego of the Brooklyn Bridge or the sheer, terrifying scale of the Verrazzano. It’s a workhorse. It connects the edge of Brooklyn to the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens, spanning the Rockaway Inlet with a kind of understated grace that you don't see in modern concrete highway overpasses.
The Robert Moses Connection and the Birth of a Span
You can't talk about New York infrastructure without talking about Robert Moses. Love him or hate him—and most people have a pretty strong opinion one way or the other—he was the engine behind this thing. Back in the mid-1930s, Moses wanted to turn the Rockaways into a massive playground for the city's growing middle class. He envisioned Jacob Riis Park as the "Jones Beach of Brooklyn." To do that, he needed a way to get cars across the water.
Construction moved fast. Crazy fast. They started in 1936 and opened the gates on July 3, 1937. It’s kind of wild to think about a project of this scale being completed in roughly nine months. Today, you'd spend nine months just sitting through public hearings about the color of the paint. David B. Steinman was the chief engineer, and if that name sounds familiar, it should. He was a titan in the field, later designing the Mackinac Bridge. He gave the Marine Parkway Bridge its signature look: those elegant, curved "scrolled" tops on the towers. They aren't just for show; they actually house the machinery that lifts the bridge.
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The bridge replaced a ferry service. Can you imagine? Taking a ferry from the end of Flatbush Avenue just to get to the beach? It sounds romantic until you're stuck in 90-degree heat with three screaming kids and a cooler full of melting ice. Moses knew the ferry wasn't going to cut it.
Why We Call it the Gil Hodges
For the first few decades, it was just the Marine Parkway Bridge. Then, in 1978, the city decided to rename it. They chose Gil Hodges. If you aren't a baseball fan, or if you didn't grow up in a household where the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers were treated like saints, you might not realize how big of a deal this was.
Gil Hodges was more than just a first baseman. He was the heart of the "Boys of Summer." He lived in Brooklyn—specifically on Bedford Avenue—and he stayed there. He didn't flee to the suburbs the second he made some money. He was a local hero who managed the 1969 "Miracle Mets" to a World Series title. Renaming the bridge wasn't just a political gesture. It was a way to ground a piece of state-owned steel in the actual culture of the neighborhood.
It’s actually the first bridge in New York history named after a major sports figure. Usually, we name things after politicians who’ve been dead for a century. Naming it after a guy who lived just a few miles away felt... right. It’s a bridge for the people who live here.
The Engineering Marvel You Probably Missed
The Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge is a vertical-lift bridge. When a large ship needs to pass through to get into Jamaica Bay, the middle section of the bridge—about 540 feet of it—rises straight up like an elevator.
- The lift span weighs about 2,000 tons.
- It can rise to a height of 150 feet above the water.
- Originally, it was a four-lane bridge, but they reconfigured it to three lanes to accommodate a breakdown lane and a pedestrian path.
When it opened, it was the longest vertical-lift span in the world for vehicular traffic. Think about that for a second. In 1937, this was cutting-edge tech. The towers are 215 feet tall. They look like something out of a Fritz Lang movie.
There’s a common misconception that the bridge is just for cars. Not true. You can walk it. You can bike it. And honestly, if you want the best view of the Manhattan skyline that nobody talks about, you need to get out of your car. From the center of the span, looking west, you see the Coney Island Parachute Jump, the Verrazzano, and the distant spires of Lower Manhattan. Looking east, it's all Jamaica Bay and the wild marshlands of the Gateway National Recreation Area. It is quiet. The wind off the inlet is sharp and smells like salt and old wood.
Survival and the Toll of Time
The bridge has seen some stuff. It has survived hurricanes, decades of corrosive salt air, and the sheer volume of millions of cars. In the 1990s, the bridge underwent a massive renovation. We’re talking over $100 million. They replaced the entire deck. They updated the mechanical systems. They basically rebuilt the thing while keeping its historic silhouette intact.
The toll is always a point of contention. If you’re a local, you likely have an E-ZPass with a resident discount. If you're a tourist or a casual visitor, the price might make you wince. It’s managed by the MTA Bridges and Tunnels (the legal entity is the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority). It’s one of the few bridges in the city that still feels like a gateway to another world. Once you cross it, the density of Brooklyn vanishes. You’re in the Rockaways. The air changes.
The Best Way to Experience the Bridge
Most people experience the Gil Hodges from behind a steering wheel. That’s fine. But if you really want to understand why this bridge is special, do this:
- Park at Floyd Bennett Field. This was New York's first municipal airport. It’s a ghost town of aviation history.
- Walk or bike toward the bridge. There’s a dedicated path.
- Cross during the "Golden Hour." About 45 minutes before sunset. The way the light hits the steel towers makes them look like they’re glowing.
- Look down. You’ll see fishermen on the pier below, or small boats battling the currents of the inlet.
It’s a reminder that New York is a city of water. We forget that when we’re underground in a subway or stuck in traffic on the BQE. The Gil Hodges forces you to acknowledge the geography. You are crossing a narrow throat of water where the Atlantic Ocean tries to shove its way into a quiet bay.
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Practical Insights for Your Visit
If you’re planning a trip across the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge, keep a few things in mind. First, the wind is no joke. If you're walking or biking, even a light breeze on the ground can feel like a gale once you're 100 feet up. Second, check the lift schedule if you’re a maritime enthusiast. While the bridge doesn’t lift as often as it used to—large commercial traffic in the bay has dwindled—it still happens. When it does, traffic stops. Everything stops. You just have to sit there and watch the machinery work.
- Tolls: As of 2026, it is entirely cashless. Do not look for a toll booth; they are long gone. It's all overhead sensors.
- Access: Use Flatbush Avenue South. It’s a straight shot.
- Biking: The path is narrow. Be polite. Don't be the person trying to set a speed record when there are families walking.
The bridge is a living piece of history. It isn't a museum. It carries about 20,000 to 25,000 vehicles a day. It’s essential infrastructure that happens to be beautiful. It’s a tribute to a baseball legend and a testament to an era when New York built things that were meant to last centuries, not just decades.
When you cross it, take a second. Look at those scrolled towers. Think about Gil Hodges digging in at the plate at Ebbets Field. Think about the steel workers in 1937 hanging over the inlet. It’s more than just a road. It’s a connection between the neighborhood we live in and the horizon we’re all trying to reach.
Actionable Next Steps
To get the most out of your visit to this area, don't just drive across and keep going. Start by exploring the Ryan Visitor Center at Floyd Bennett Field right before the Brooklyn entrance; it provides a deep dive into the area’s history. If you're cycling, plan a route that takes you across the bridge and directly into the Jamaica Bay Greenway, which offers miles of protected paths through salt marshes. Finally, make sure your E-ZPass is active and funded to avoid the higher "Tolls by Mail" rates, as the bridge is fully electronic and doesn't accept cash.