Pulaski Bridge

The red paint used on this bridge is a special mix used by the City DOT which is called “Pulaski Red,” one of the just seven colors used by the agency (Deep Cool Red, Federal Blue, George Washington Bridge Gray, Aluminum Green, Pulaski Red, Munsell Gray, and Dark Green).

The drawbridge was named for Kasimierz Pulaski, a Polish national who fought alongside General Washington during the American Revolution and who founded what would become the Calvary division of the United States Army. Recently, the general also returned to the spotlight when researchers who exhumed Pulatski’s body discovered evidence that Pulaski may have been female or intersex.

Opened in September of 1954 to replace the failing and inadequate Vernon Avenue Bridge, the current six-lane double bascule draw bridge also features a combined pedestrian and bicycle lane. It’s the 13.1 mile mark of the New York City Marathon, and is one of the busiest crossings between Brooklyn and Queens.

It opens several times a day to allow maritime traffic access to the Newtown Creek from the East River.