9. The LIRR Had Passenger Service On An Elevated Extension

Williamsburg Bridge 1919-nyc-untapped citiesView from Delancey Street in Manhattan in 1919. Photo in Public Domain from Wikimedia Commons.

The Long Island Rail Road used to run across the bridge on a separate elevated extension, though it did not last long since that service was shut down in 1916. As the bridge became more well equipped to handle trains and cars, the LIRR service did not last with the growth of the subway system.

The LIRR line across the Williamsburg Bridge split from the existing Atlantic Avenue line, heading northwest on the former Broadway Elevated Line (today’s J/M/Z lines), crossed the bridge to Manhattan, and then continued towards Chambers Street.