<Tr> <Th> Toll </Th> <Td> As of March 19, 2017, $17.00 (non-New York E-ZPass and non-E - Zpass users; billed by mail); $11.52 (New York E-ZPass) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Verrazano - Narrows Bridge Location Verrazano - Narrows Bridge Location Verrazano - Narrows Bridge Location Show map of New York City Show map of New York Show map of the US Show all </Td> </Tr> <P> The Verrazano - Narrows Bridge is a double - decked suspension bridge that connects the New York City boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn . It spans the Narrows, a body of water connecting the relatively protected upper bay with the larger, wide open lower bay . </P> <P> The bridge is named for the Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano, who in 1524 became the first documented European explorer to enter New York Harbor and the Hudson River . It has a central span of 4,260 feet (1,298 m) and was the longest suspension bridge in the world from its completion in 1964 until it was surpassed by the Humber Bridge in the United Kingdom in 1981 . It has the 13th longest main span in the world, and the longest in the Americas . Its towers can be seen throughout New York City and in New Jersey . </P>

What is the body of water that runs underneath the verrazano bridge