6. Robert Moses was granted $10 million to build the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge

The construction of the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge was overseen by the Marine Parkway Authority, which was composed of one man: Robert Moses. This New York City Parks Commissioner was a serial developer who was granted $10 million to build the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge. He is responsible for developing the United Nations Headquarters, Riverside Park, and Lincoln Center, as well as several parks throughout New York City and Long Island. 

Moses’ one-man transportation authority permitted him to issue bonds, acquire land through eminent domain, and collect tolls at the Marine Parkway bridge. His power during this period marked a peak in his reputation, which later came under immense scrutiny in 1974 when a revelation was published in Robert Caro’s book The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York. Caro interviewed a close associate of Moses, Sidney Shapiro, who claimed that Moses’ parkways and bridges were built low to keep buses away from his parks. Shapiro’s claim is still debated today.