145-year-old footbridge connecting Sheepshead Bay and Manhattan Beach reopens after revamp

A 145-year-old footbridge connecting Sheepshead Bay and Manhattan Beach has reopened after a long-overdue revitalization. Last week, Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez cut the ribbon on the new Ocean Avenue Pedestrian Bridge, originally built in 1880 and last repaired in 1930. As part of the project, in-house crews replaced the deck and walking boards, vertical supports, railings, and stringers, repainted the structure, and restored its decorative lighting.

The bridge’s repair became a community priority, with former Assembly Member Steve Cymbrowitz securing $750,000 in multimodal funds from the state in 2022. The DOT provided the remaining funds needed to complete the roughly $1.2 million project.

Railroad tycoon and banker Austin Corbin originally built the footbridge in 1880 to link his Manhattan Beach property—home to the Manhattan Beach Hotel—with the mainland. Its first iteration was a simple drawbridge, according to City Lore.

At that time, Sheepshead Bay and the surrounding neighborhoods of Coney Island, Brighton Beach, and Manhattan Beach served primarily as places for recreation and amusement outside the bounds of the urban environment. Corbin’s Manhattan Beach Railroad connected the seaside retreat to Manhattan within an hour’s ride.

The area was home to a large number of resort hotels—including Corbin’s—along with smaller establishments. That same year, Sheepshead Bay opened a racetrack, making gambling an important part of the neighborhood’s appeal.

Corbin soon regretted building the bridge. The tycoon, a notorious racist who barred people of color and Jews from his establishments, argued the bridge allowed too much open access to Manhattan Beach and sought to demolish it. Local officials insisted the bridge was a public highway and must stay, but Corbin still tore it down.

What followed was a cycle of reconstruction and demolition until 1881, when New York’s Commission of Highways declared the span a public highway and the Supreme Court issued an injunction preventing its removal.

After the state banned betting in 1910, Sheepshead Bay and Manhattan Beach shifted from gambling to fishing as their pastime, beginning the transformation into residential waterfront neighborhoods. However, while the luxurious resorts started to disappear, the bridge remained.

In the 1930s, the city rebuilt the bridge as part of improvements to Sheepshead Bay’s piers and it remained largely unchanged until the recent rehabilitation. A few years ago, the Manhattan Beach end of the wooden span broke away from its concrete mooring, underscoring its dire need for repair, according to the Brooklyn Paper.

“I am proud to see the long-awaited, much needed updates to the Sheepshead Bay Bridge finally completed. This bridge is a landmark in our community and a daily path for so many neighbors connecting Sheepshead Bay and Manhattan Beach,” Council Member Inna Vernikov said.

“For years, residents and local businesses have needed and asked for these repairs, and today’s reopening reflects what can be achieved when government works in conjunction with the community.”

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