Third Avenue Bridge Live Camera: The Harlem River Crossing Between Manhattan and the Bronx

The Third Avenue Bridge crosses the Harlem River between Manhattan at 129th Street and the South Bronx at 132nd Street. The NYC Live Command Center carries the NYCDOT camera feed for this crossing, giving a real-time view of one of the Harlem River's smaller but consistently active moveable bridges.

What the Third Avenue Bridge Is

The Third Avenue Bridge is a swing bridge — a moveable structure that rotates horizontally to allow river traffic to pass. Completed in 1898 and rebuilt in 1898-1899, the current bridge dates from the early 20th century and is operated by the City of New York. It's one of several moveable bridges crossing the Harlem River between upper Manhattan and the Bronx.

When the bridge swings open for river traffic, vehicle traffic is blocked until it closes again. The camera feed captures these moments, which happen when tugs, barges, or recreational vessels need to pass. The bridge openings take approximately 10 to 15 minutes and require advance notice to the bridge operator.

The Bridge's Location and Traffic Role

Third Avenue Bridge carries Third Avenue traffic between Manhattan and the Bronx, connecting the commercial corridor of Third Avenue in East Harlem with Third Avenue in the South Bronx. Third Avenue in this section of the Bronx runs north through Mott Haven and continues as a significant commercial street in the South Bronx.

For vehicle traffic, the Third Avenue Bridge is one of the lower-traffic-volume Harlem River crossings because it doesn't serve a major highway connection and it's a moveable bridge (which means it can be delayed by river traffic). Higher-volume crossings nearby include the Triboro Bridge to the east and the Madison Avenue Bridge and Third Avenue Bridge cluster further west.

The Harlem River Crossings as a System

There are approximately a dozen crossings of the Harlem River between upper Manhattan and the Bronx, ranging from the Triboro Bridge (the largest) to several moveable bridges like the Third Avenue Bridge. The NYC Live Command Center carries camera feeds for several of these crossings, and watching them together gives a sense of how traffic distributes across the Harlem River.

On days when a major crossing is constrained — the Triboro has a traffic incident, or the Major Deegan upstream is backed up — the smaller bridges like Third Avenue absorb some overflow traffic. The camera at Third Avenue Bridge shows this overflow effect when it happens: a noticeable increase in vehicle volume on a structure that normally operates well under capacity.

The South Bronx at Third Avenue

The South Bronx neighborhood visible from the Third Avenue Bridge camera is the Mott Haven and Hunts Point area. This section of the Bronx has undergone significant change since the low point of the 1970s, with sustained residential and commercial investment particularly in the last decade.

The camera shows the transition between the bridge structure and the South Bronx street grid: Third Avenue in this area has a lower building scale than the Manhattan side, more surface parking, and a commercial strip that reflects the neighborhood's working-class character rather than the tourist or office-district character of the neighborhoods across the river.

Watching a Bridge Open

One of the more unusual things visible on the Third Avenue Bridge camera — less common on the large fixed bridges — is the bridge opening cycle. When a vessel needs to pass through the Harlem River at this point, the bridge operator receives a request, barriers drop on the vehicle roadway, and the bridge span swings open on its central pivot. Waiting vehicles at both the Manhattan and Bronx ends stop, the vessel passes, and the bridge swings back to its closed position before vehicle traffic resumes.

This takes place a handful of times per day depending on river traffic, and the camera captures it in full. Watching a moveable bridge in operation is a piece of New York infrastructure that most residents who don't cross at this specific point have never seen.

*The NYC Live Command Center carries the NYCDOT camera at the Third Avenue Bridge over the Harlem River.*

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