The Great Bridge: A Marvel of Engineering
In the middle of the 19th century, the cities of New York and Brooklyn were two separate places divided by the wide, churning East River. For years, the only way to travel between them was by ferry boat. This was often slow and dangerous, especially when the river froze over in the winter. People dreamed of a way to connect the two cities permanently. That dream began to take shape through the vision of a brilliant civil engineer named John Augustus Roebling. He proposed a massive suspension bridge, a design that was much larger and stronger than anything built before.
- Suspension bridge:
- A type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders.
- Caisson:
- A large, watertight chamber used for construction work underwater.
- Bedrock:
- The solid layer of rock beneath loose materials like soil, mud, and sand.
- Civil engineer:
- An engineer who designs and maintains public works such as roads, bridges, and dams.
- The Bends:
- A painful and dangerous condition caused by bubbles of gas forming in the body due to a rapid drop in air pressure.
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Main Idea
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Context Clues
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Purpose
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Structure
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Fact & Opinion
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1Why was a ferry boat an unreliable way to travel between New York and Brooklyn in the 19th century?
- 2Who was the original visionary and engineer behind the design of the Brooklyn Bridge?
Where this passage belongs
About this informational passage for Upper Elementary
âThe Great Bridge: A Marvel of Engineeringâ is a informational reading passage about Brooklyn Bridge, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 4 minutes to read (611 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.