The Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge is a 19^th Century engineering marvel on the national historic register. The cornerstone was laid in 1873, and when it was completed in 1888, five years after the Brooklyn Bridge, it was the longest bridge in the world (6,767 feet). It had the largest cantilever spans ever built, and the four river piers were supported on massive concrete filled timber crib foundations over ten stories tall. As the first bridge spanning the Hudson River between Albany and New York City, it had an enormous impact on the transportation of freight in the Northeast, and today’s transportation network. In 1974, a fire brought an end to its use as a railroad bridge.

Historic etching of the bridge & river

After years of discussion and studies on how to make the best use of the structure, Walkway over the Hudson, a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit membership organization, has obtained full ownership of the bridge for use as a public park and walkway. In addition to providing breathtaking views of the Hudson River Valley from 212 feet in the air, the historic bridge will serve as an educational resource on bridge engineering and construction. The goal of the organization is to have the Walkway open to the public in 2009, the 400^th Anniversary of Henry Hudson’s Halfmoon sailing up the Hudson, an American Heritage River.

West shore view of the bridge

A current view of the bridge surface

Get Involved! As a member of the bridge industry, I encourage you to learn more about the history of this important structure, and support the Walkway’s efforts so that this unique landmark can be enjoyed for generations to come. Support is growing every day from elected officials, government agencies, the private sector and the general public. For example, the National Park Service just joined the effort by providing technical advice.

To learn more about Walkway over the Hudson’s efforts, or to purchase Bridging the Hudson, Pulitzer Prize winning author Carleton Mabee’s fascinating book on the history of the bridge, please feel free to log onto www.walkway.org.

Future Walkway visualization

back to top | back to archive