East River

The East River, running between Manhattan and the boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn in New York City is not actually a river, but a tidal estuary. The boroughs of New York are connected by five bridges over the East River: from north to south, the Triborough Bridge, the Queensboro Bridge, the Williamsburgh Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge, and the Brooklyn Bridge. Plans for another, southernmost bridge were abandoned in favor of the Battery Tunnel.

The East River begins at the Harlem River, which itself begins at the Hudson, and then flows into New York Harbor. At its northern end the East River becomes Hell Gate, a rocky and turbulent passage. The Hell Gate Bridge that spans it is the longest railroad bridge in the world.

In addition to several minor islands the East River contains Roosevelt Island (formerly Welfare Island), Ward's Island and Randall's Island. The latter two have been joined by landfill.