:

1955: Roosevelt Island Bridge, then known as the Welfare Island Bridge opens. The bridge connects the Island to Queens via 36th Avenue in Long Island City. Previously, pedestrians and vehicles were transferred to the Island by an elevator midway on the Queensboro Bridge. The elevator was closed down and finally demolished in 1970.

1976: The tram opens as a temporary measure until the subway is completed. The tram's bright red gondolas are the only ones in North America used for mass transit.

1976: The residents of Roosevelt Island are provided with the Red Bus service free of charge, and the Q102 bus of the Queens Surface Transportation begins service to the Island. New York City buses have been serving the Island since the 1950s.

1989: The Q subway station opens, connecting Roosevelt Island to Brooklyn, Manhattan and Long Island City.

1990: Free service of the Red Bus ends, with a 10-cent fare imposed. Four years later, in 1994, the fare increases to 25 cents.

1998: Eleven people suffer minor injuries when a construction crane working on the Queensboro Bridge slams into the gondola.