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Walkway over the Hudson
The Walkway over the Hudson (also known as the Poughkeepsie Bridge, Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge, Poughkeepsie–Highland Railroad Bridge, and High Bridge) is a steel cantilever bridge spanning the Hudson River between Poughkeepsie, New York, on the east bank and Highland, New York, on the west bank. Built as a double track railroad bridge, it was completed on January 1, 1889, and formed part of the Maybrook Line of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad.
The bridge was removed from service on May 8, 1974 after damage from a tie fire. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and its entry updated in 2008. The bridge was designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2009.
It reopened on October 3, 2009, as a pedestrian walkway, and part of the new Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park. The New York State Bridge Authority owns and is charged with maintaining the bridge structure (as directed by the Governor and Legislature in July 2010). The park is operated by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. In 2017, the walkway hosted 593,868 visitors. Connecting the Hudson Valley Rail Trail in Highland to the Dutchess Rail Trail, the span forms part of the Empire State Trail.
At a length of 6,768 feet (2,063 m), it was the world's longest pedestrian footbridge from its opening until October 2016, when it became the second-longest after being surpassed by the 7,974-foot (2,430 m) Mile Into the Wild Walkway in Keenesburg, Colorado, United States. The Walkway over the Hudson now refers to itself as the world's longest elevated pedestrian bridge as it has a much higher elevation than the Mile Into The Wild. The Walkway over the Hudson allows bicycles and the Mile Into The Wild does not. Also, the Walkway over the Hudson does not have an admission fee.
In 1868, no bridge spanned the Hudson south of the Troy–Waterford Bridge. That year, an engineer proposed a railroad bridge across the Hudson River at Poughkeepsie, in a letter published in the Poughkeepsie Eagle newspaper. The proposal seemed so absurd that the Eagle ridiculed it, and it was effectively forgotten for a few years.
Over the years, many plans had been made for a fixed span across the Hudson River south of Albany to replace numerous car float and ferry operations. One of the most persistent was originally chartered in 1868 as the Hudson Highland Suspension Bridge Company, whose proposed bridge would have crossed from Anthony's Nose to Fort Clinton, now roughly the site of the Bear Mountain Bridge. It was never built.
The State of New York chartered the Poughkeepsie Bridge Company in 1872 with the support of Harvey G. Eastman, Mayor of Poughkeepsie and a member of the New York State Assembly. Eastman had met Andrew Carnegie, principal owner of the Keystone Bridge Company of Pittsburgh and previously a manager at the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR). J. Edgar Thomson, President of the PRR, was persuaded to provide financial support, and Keystone became the contractor for the initial attempt to build a bridge at Poughkeepsie. Keystone prepared a four pier bridge design, but the Panic of 1873 killed financial support for project.
In 1875 Eastman and his colleagues made a second attempt at a bridge project, developing an agreement with the American Bridge Company of Chicago (founded 1870). American Bridge developed a plan and confronted the challenge of building the support piers in deep water. Pier construction began in 1876, but the contractors encountered the failure of a pier foundation and related construction difficulties in 1877. By early 1878 the company was bankrupt, and Eastman died later that year. It took several more years to find new investors for the project.
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Walkway over the Hudson
The Walkway over the Hudson (also known as the Poughkeepsie Bridge, Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge, Poughkeepsie–Highland Railroad Bridge, and High Bridge) is a steel cantilever bridge spanning the Hudson River between Poughkeepsie, New York, on the east bank and Highland, New York, on the west bank. Built as a double track railroad bridge, it was completed on January 1, 1889, and formed part of the Maybrook Line of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad.
The bridge was removed from service on May 8, 1974 after damage from a tie fire. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and its entry updated in 2008. The bridge was designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2009.
It reopened on October 3, 2009, as a pedestrian walkway, and part of the new Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park. The New York State Bridge Authority owns and is charged with maintaining the bridge structure (as directed by the Governor and Legislature in July 2010). The park is operated by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. In 2017, the walkway hosted 593,868 visitors. Connecting the Hudson Valley Rail Trail in Highland to the Dutchess Rail Trail, the span forms part of the Empire State Trail.
At a length of 6,768 feet (2,063 m), it was the world's longest pedestrian footbridge from its opening until October 2016, when it became the second-longest after being surpassed by the 7,974-foot (2,430 m) Mile Into the Wild Walkway in Keenesburg, Colorado, United States. The Walkway over the Hudson now refers to itself as the world's longest elevated pedestrian bridge as it has a much higher elevation than the Mile Into The Wild. The Walkway over the Hudson allows bicycles and the Mile Into The Wild does not. Also, the Walkway over the Hudson does not have an admission fee.
In 1868, no bridge spanned the Hudson south of the Troy–Waterford Bridge. That year, an engineer proposed a railroad bridge across the Hudson River at Poughkeepsie, in a letter published in the Poughkeepsie Eagle newspaper. The proposal seemed so absurd that the Eagle ridiculed it, and it was effectively forgotten for a few years.
Over the years, many plans had been made for a fixed span across the Hudson River south of Albany to replace numerous car float and ferry operations. One of the most persistent was originally chartered in 1868 as the Hudson Highland Suspension Bridge Company, whose proposed bridge would have crossed from Anthony's Nose to Fort Clinton, now roughly the site of the Bear Mountain Bridge. It was never built.
The State of New York chartered the Poughkeepsie Bridge Company in 1872 with the support of Harvey G. Eastman, Mayor of Poughkeepsie and a member of the New York State Assembly. Eastman had met Andrew Carnegie, principal owner of the Keystone Bridge Company of Pittsburgh and previously a manager at the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR). J. Edgar Thomson, President of the PRR, was persuaded to provide financial support, and Keystone became the contractor for the initial attempt to build a bridge at Poughkeepsie. Keystone prepared a four pier bridge design, but the Panic of 1873 killed financial support for project.
In 1875 Eastman and his colleagues made a second attempt at a bridge project, developing an agreement with the American Bridge Company of Chicago (founded 1870). American Bridge developed a plan and confronted the challenge of building the support piers in deep water. Pier construction began in 1876, but the contractors encountered the failure of a pier foundation and related construction difficulties in 1877. By early 1878 the company was bankrupt, and Eastman died later that year. It took several more years to find new investors for the project.