Mid-Hudson Bridge

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**Mid-Hudson Bridge**

Official name	Franklin D. Roosevelt Bridge
Carries	US 44 and NY 55
Crosses	Hudson River
Locale	Highland, New York and Poughkeepsie, New York
Maintained by	New York State Bridge Authority
Design	Suspension bridge
Longest span	457.2 meters (1,500 feet)
Total length	914.4 meters (3,000 feet)
Vertical clearance	41.15 meters (135 feet)
Opening date	August 25, 1930
Toll	$1 passenger cars, eastbound via cash or (E-ZPass)

The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Mid-Hudson Bridge is a toll bridge, which carries US 44 and NY 55 across the Hudson River in New York State. The span connecting Poughkeepsie and Highland. The bridge is often referred to as the "Mid-Hudson Bridge" as opposed to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Mid-Hudson Bridge.

The suspension bridge is 3,000 feet (900 m) long, and has a clearance of 135 feet (41 m) above the Hudson. What makes this bridge unlike most others is that the stiffening trusses were intentionally constructed on top of, not below, the deck. An example of unintentionally building the truss above the deck is the Whitestone Bridge about 100 miles to the south in The Bronx,NY. The Whitestone span encountered wind difficulties.

The eastbound Mid-Hudson Bridge.

Sign bearing the official name of the span.

The Mid-Hudson bridge was built by the State of New York Department of Public Works in 1930. When completed, it was the sixth largest suspension bridge in the world. Ownership of the bridge was transferred to the New York State Bridge Authority in 1933, shortly after the Authority was created.

Today, the bridge carries three lanes and a pedestrian/bicycle walkway over the Hudson. The center lane is usually closed and only used for rush hour congestion. Several "variable message" type signs with either a green down arrow or a red "X" indicate which lanes are open for travel in a said direction. This system is similar to that of the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge about 20 miles to the south. The bridge has a computer-controlled LED decorative lighting system attached to the suspension cables, allowing the bridge to be decorated for Christmas (red, green) or the Fourth of July (red, white, and blue), etc.

The bridge is officially named in memory of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was Governor of New York at the time the bridge opened, though this name is not widely used.