NEW YORK (WPIX) -
Startling video has surfaced on YouTube showing the Manhattan Bridge visibly swaying and bouncing under the weight of subway traffic.
The nearly two-minute long clip, which caught the attention of many people on the video-sharing website, drew a multitude of responses, many of which expressed deep concern.
The videographer, Kevin Vertrees, said he simply taped the footage as part an artistic project he was working on for a website he is partly in charge of running.
"Whether the bridge is supposed to move or not," explained one commenter, "It's still unsettling to see...especially for people who have to use it every day."
A handful of others, however, presume the Manhattan Bridge was built that way in order for it to sustain its structure.
"It could be designed that way to keep the tension from building up," said another commenter.
Sam Schwartz, a former commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation, weighed in on the issue.
"The bridge is designed to rise and fall with the traffic load, so when the train passes it lowers the bridge," Schwartz told PIX News. "It's not a problem because the cables are elastic and the bridge rises once the train passes."
Schwartz said the bridge did undergo rehabilitation in the last 20 years to help correct minor problems, such as bent steel and cracks in the structure.
"All bridges do move with traffic and even weather," said Schwartz.
PIX News obtained a statement by the New York City Department of Transportation that gives an explanation as to why the bridge moves when traffic passes over.
"The bridge has moved this way for the last 100 years - exactly the way it was designed to - and it can move up to 16 inches daily with normal daily traffic conditions," the statement reads. "The long-span suspension bridge flexibility by design allows the bridge to manage the weight of the traffic and subway cars it carries and the temperature shifts that occur throughout the year."
The bridge, which crosses the East River in New York City and connects Lower Manhattan with Brooklyn, was built in December 1909. The lower level is open to three lanes of traffic, and has four subway tracks, a walkway, and a bikeway.
In addition, the Manhattan Bridge has been featured in a number of Hollywood movies including gangster epic, "Once Upon a Time in America," "Ghostbusters," "Independence Day," and "I am Legend."
The nearly two-minute long clip, which caught the attention of many people on the video-sharing website, drew a multitude of responses, many of which expressed deep concern.
The videographer, Kevin Vertrees, said he simply taped the footage as part an artistic project he was working on for a website he is partly in charge of running.
"Whether the bridge is supposed to move or not," explained one commenter, "It's still unsettling to see...especially for people who have to use it every day."
A handful of others, however, presume the Manhattan Bridge was built that way in order for it to sustain its structure.
"It could be designed that way to keep the tension from building up," said another commenter.
Sam Schwartz, a former commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation, weighed in on the issue.
"The bridge is designed to rise and fall with the traffic load, so when the train passes it lowers the bridge," Schwartz told PIX News. "It's not a problem because the cables are elastic and the bridge rises once the train passes."
Schwartz said the bridge did undergo rehabilitation in the last 20 years to help correct minor problems, such as bent steel and cracks in the structure.
"All bridges do move with traffic and even weather," said Schwartz.
PIX News obtained a statement by the New York City Department of Transportation that gives an explanation as to why the bridge moves when traffic passes over.
"The bridge has moved this way for the last 100 years - exactly the way it was designed to - and it can move up to 16 inches daily with normal daily traffic conditions," the statement reads. "The long-span suspension bridge flexibility by design allows the bridge to manage the weight of the traffic and subway cars it carries and the temperature shifts that occur throughout the year."
The bridge, which crosses the East River in New York City and connects Lower Manhattan with Brooklyn, was built in December 1909. The lower level is open to three lanes of traffic, and has four subway tracks, a walkway, and a bikeway.
In addition, the Manhattan Bridge has been featured in a number of Hollywood movies including gangster epic, "Once Upon a Time in America," "Ghostbusters," "Independence Day," and "I am Legend."
