Borden Avenue Bridge in Queens, New York

One of just four retractile bridges in the entire United States, New York's Borden Avenue Bridge in Long Island City is designed to slide diagonally out of the way when opened. Built in nineteen oh-eight, it spans the Dutch Kills—the small waterway that marks the border between Queens and Brooklyn. Per Atlas Obscura, the bridge's operator's house has been empty for years, and the mechanism hasn't been activated in all that time. To see it slide today, someone would need to contact the city and wait for the operation to be arranged.

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