Poughkeepsie Bridge: Its Birth, Abandonment, and Rebirth

Abstract

When opened the Poughkeepsie Bridge incorporated the longest span—548 ft—cantilever in the world; the longest simple span, 525 ft; and its overall length, 6,767 ft, was for a short time the longest bridge in the world. Between 1871 and 1889, its opening, some of the leading engineers and railroad men had been involved in its planning and design including three future presidents of ASCE. Construction is currently under way to convert the bridge to a pedestrian/bicycle pathway across the Hudson River.