At some point in the past , a sign on the bridge informed travelers , " In event of attack , drive off bridge , " '' New York Times '' columnist William Safire wrote in 2008 . The " somewhat macabre sign " , he wrote , must have " drawn a wry smile from millions of motorists . " On November 19 , 2008 , the Triborough Bridge was officially renamed after Robert F. Kennedy at the request of the Kennedy family . Forty years had passed since the New York United States Senator and former U.S. Attorney General had been assassinated during a 1968 presidential bid . Traffic and news reports have come to commonly refer to the bridge as the " RFK Triborough Bridge " and at times simply the " Triborough Bridge " to avoid confusion among residents long accustomed to its original name
assassinated
Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy
Triborough Bridge