The Rip Van Winkle Bridge is a

cantilever bridge A cantilever bridge is a bridge built using structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end (called cantilevers). For small footbridges, the cantilevers may be simple beam (structure), beams; however, large cantilever ...

spanning the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

between

Hudson, New York Hudson is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in and the county seat of Columbia County, New York, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, it had a population of 5,894. On the east side of the Hudson River, f ...

and

Catskill, New York Catskill is a town in the southeastern section of Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 11,298 at the 2020 census, the largest town in the county. The western part of the town is in the Catskill Park. The town contains a v ...

. Affording 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. The bridge is named after the 1819 short story of the same name by

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He wrote the short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy ...

, which mentions Hudson and Catskill.

Construction

Erecting the bridge

The bridge was built by the newly created New York State Bridge Authority, opening on July 2, 1935, at a cost of $2.4 million ($ with inflation). A fireworks display marked the 50th anniversary of the bridge's construction in 1985. 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. The walkway is also a link on the Hudson River Skywalk, which connects the homes of Hudson River School painters

Thomas Cole Thomas Cole (February 1, 1801 – February 11, 1848) was an English-born American artist and the founder of the Hudson River School art movement. Cole is widely regarded as the first significant American landscape painter. He was known for hi ...

and Frederic Church.

Tolls

Upon its opening, the toll was $0.80 ($ with inflation) per passenger car and $0.10 ($ with inflation) per passenger up to $1 ($ with inflation). 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 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. 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. At midnight on November 1, 2021, the bridge was converted to all-electronic tolling.

References

External links and Resources

Photosphere from Rip Van Winkle Bridge WalkwayNew York State Bridge Authority
- Official site
Historical Overview: Rip Van Winkle Bridge
- NYCRoads.com * {{authority control Bridges completed in 1935 Bridges over the Hudson River New York State Bridge Authority Road bridges in New York (state) Toll bridges in New York (state) Cantilever bridges in the United States Truss bridges in the United States Catskill, New York Hudson, New York Hudson River School sites

Construction

Erecting the bridge

Tolls

See also

References

External links and Resources