The Rip Van Winkle Bridge is a 5,040 ft (1,540 m) cantilever bridge spanning the Hudson River between Hudson, New York and Catskill, New York. Affording 145 feet (44 m) of clearance over the water, the structure carries NY 23 across the river, connecting US 9W and NY 385 on the west side with NY 9G on the east side. The bridge also passes over Rogers Island and Hallenbeck Creek.
Rip Van Winkle Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Rip Van Winkle Bridge from the western end plaza | |
| Coordinates | 42°13′25″N 73°51′01″W / 42.22358°N 73.85038°W |
| Carries |  NY 23 |
| Crosses | Hudson River |
| Locale | Hudson, New York and Catskill, New York |
| Maintained by | New York State Bridge Authority |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Cantilever and truss |
| Total length | 5,040 ft (1,536.5 m) |
| Width | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
| Longest span | 800 ft (243.8 m) |
| Clearance above | K |
| Clearance below | 145 ft (44.2 m) |
| History | |
| Opened | July 2, 1935 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 15,000 |
| Toll | (eastbound only) passenger cars $2.15 toll-by-mail, $1.65 E-ZPass[1] |
| Location | |
 | |
The bridge is named after the 1819 short story of the same name by Washington Irving, which mentions Hudson and Catskill.
Construction
edit
Erecting the bridge
editThe bridge was built by the newly created New York State Bridge Authority, opening on July 2, 1935, at a cost of $2.4 million ($53,340,000 with inflation[2]).
A fireworks display marked the 50th anniversary of the bridge's construction in 1985.[3]
A multi-year repainting project was completed in 2009 which removed all lead-based paint.
A pedestrian walkway was completed in 2018 on the south side of the bridge. It is open from dawn to dusk.
Bicyclists may use the roadway or walk their bikes across the pedestrian walkway.[4] The walkway is also a link on the Hudson River Skywalk, which connects the homes of Hudson River School painters Thomas Cole and Frederic Church.[5]
Tolls
editUpon its opening, the toll was $0.80 ($17.78 with inflation[2]) per passenger car and $0.10 ($2.22 with inflation[2]) per passenger up to $1 ($22.22 with inflation[2]). Originally, tolls were collected in both directions. In August 1970, the toll was abolished for westbound drivers, and at the same time, eastbound drivers saw their tolls doubled. The tolls of eleven other New York–New Jersey and Hudson River crossings along a 130-mile (210 km) stretch, from the Outerbridge Crossing in the south to the Rip Van Winkle Bridge in the north, were also changed to eastbound-only at that time.[6]
In 2019, the bridge authority announced that tolls on its Hudson River crossings would increase each year beginning in 2020 and ending in 2023. On May 1, 2021, the toll for passenger cars traveling eastbound on the Mid-Hudson Bridge went to $1.75 in cash and $1.45 for E-ZPass users. In May 2022, tolls increased to $1.55 for E-ZPass users and $2 for toll-by-mail payers. In 2023, the E-ZPass toll rose to $1.65, and the mail-in toll increased to $2.15.[7]
At midnight on November 1, 2021, the bridge was converted to all-electronic tolling.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Toll Rates | New York State Bridge Authority".
- ^ a b c d 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "Rip Van Winkle Bridge | History | Facts". nysba.ny.gov. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
- ^ "Walking & Biking Across Our Bridges | New York State Bridge Authority". nysba.ny.gov. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
- ^ "Hudson River Skywalk". Hudson River Skywalk. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
- ^ Moran, Nancy (August 13, 1970). "One‐Way Tolls Confusing Some Drivers". The New York Times. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
- ^ Doxsey, Patricia (April 12, 2021). "Hudson River bridge tolls for E-ZPass users rise next month". Daily Freeman. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
External links and Resources
edit- Photosphere from Rip Van Winkle Bridge Walkway
- New York State Bridge Authority - Official site
- Historical Overview: Rip Van Winkle Bridge - NYCRoads.com
- Rip van Winkle Bridge at Structurae
