The 59th St. Bridge or Queensboro bridge stretches high above the East River and connects the Queens neighborhood of Long Island City to the island of Manhattan. Development for a bridge to connect Queens to Manhattan began as early as 1903 and the bridge was finally finished in 1909. Completion of the Queensborough bridge cost around 18 million dollars and 50 people died in its construction.. Simon and Garfunkel’s, “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)” was written about the Queensborough Bridge. In 2011 it was officially renamed after former New York City Mayor Ed Koch.