New York replaced the 110-year-old Willis Avenue Bridge last summer. The new bridge, which spans the Harlem River between Harlem and the Bronx, weighs 2,400 tons and was shipped 136 miles on a pair of barges welded together. This gorgeous time-lapse film shows the installation.

The bridge was completed and opened to traffic Oct. 2, 2010. Although the $612 million it cost more than doubled the original estimate, the span was finished ahead of schedule. The New York City Department of Transportation says the four-lane span carries approximately 75,000 vehicles per day.

Photographer-filmmaker Stephen Mallon and his crew captured the move and installation in this spectacular and enchanting time-lapse video. He even managed to shorten one of Mayor Bloomberg’s speeches.

This post was written by Matt Hardigree and originally posted by Jalopnik on Feb. 8.

[Updated 1:05 p.m. Eastern: We’ve fixed the password issue with the video. Sorry about that folks.]



Video: Stephen Mallon and Princess Hairston