Wednesday, February 15, 2023

1921 Kingston-Port Ewen (Wurts Street) Bridge over Roundout Creek at Hudson River

(Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; B&T; Satellite)

"This impressive suspension bridge is the oldest in the Hudson River valley region and is noted for its unusual stiffening truss. The stiffening truss varies in depth, having 5 feet less depth at the center of the span. The stiffening truss is also continuous throughout the three spans, noted as unusual at the time the bridge was built." [HistoricBridges]

"Kingston’s Rondout district was transformed in the 1820s from a quiet farm community to a major seaport with the introduction of the Delaware and Hudson (D&H) Canal, a 108-mile route that enabled the Wurts brothers of Pennsylvania to transport coal from their mine in Carbondale, Pennsylvania to the Hudson River, for dispatch by ship to New York City....The bridge stands 85 feet above the water, which enabled sailing vessels with high masts to easily travel under it." [PoughkeepsieJournal]

Street View, Sep 2021

Street View, Jun 2012

In the next street view that is available, Oct 2016, the tower had a fresh paint job.

In 1979, the main road, US 9W, was moved to the UCEB (Ugly Concrete Eyesore Bridge) that we can see here.
Street View, Oct 2016

Street View, Jul 2018

The bridge has been closed since Sep 2020, and a $44.6m reconstruction project began in Oct 2021. In 2021 it was expected to be done by the fall of 2023. $37m was funded in 2016, but delays caused the cost to go up. [DailyFreeman] I was not able to find what caused the delays.
1 of 5 photos posted by Bridges & Tunnels
The Kingston-Port Ewen Suspension Bridge, opened in May 1922, was the first bridge of its kind for automobiles in the Hudson Valley. It was also a key component in creating New York's first north-south highway along the west shore of the Hudson River.
The bridge's design was not finalized until 1919, initially calling for a steel and concrete viaduct. However, due to high construction costs, only two piers and abutments were completed, and it was later determined that the foundation could not support the weight. As a result, the design was revised to a combination viaduct and steel truss, before eventually being changed to a wire suspension bridge.
The Kingston-Port Ewen Suspension Bridge is currently closed to all traffic as part of a long-awaited $45 million rehabilitation project.
➤ Check out more photos and the complicated history of this bridge at http://bridgestunnels.com/location/kingston-port-ewen-suspension-bridge/


HudsonValleyFilmCommission
Since 2012, this bridge has been used in five film and TV productions.
[I'm guessing they painted just the towers to look nice in one of those productions.]


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