Kingston-Port Ewen Suspension Bridge

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Kingston-Port Ewen Suspension Bridge
Official name Kingston-Port Ewen Suspension Bridge
Carries Wurts St. (Old 9W)
Crosses Rondout Creek
Locale Kingston, New York
Maintained by NY State
ID number 1007350
Design Wire cable Suspension bridge
Longest span 705 ft
Total length 2 side spans of 176.25 ft each, anchorages, total length 1145 ft
Width 2 lanes plus walkway, 37 ft
Clearance below 85 ft
AADT 15,700
Opening date 1921
Destruction date still open but reportedly limited to 5 tons
Toll no

The Kingston-Port Ewen Suspension Bridge, sometimes known as the "Rondout Creek" bridge, is a steel suspension bridge spanning Rondout Creek, near where it empties into the Hudson River. It connects the City of Kingston to the north, with the village of Port Ewen to the south. Completed in 1921, it was the final link in New York's first north-south highway on the West Shore of the Hudson, and is considered an important engineering accomplishment associated with the development of early motoring.

Construction began in 1916, with a view to replacing the Rondout Creek ferry Skillypot[1], known for sporadic service. The bridge was designed by the firms of Holton D. Robinson and John A. Roebling's Sons Company[2], with Holton D. Robinson, Daniel E. Moran, William Yates listed as chief engineers[3] Construction was hampered by local political and financial difficulties, as well as materiel shortages caused by entry by the United States into World War I, and was suspended until 1920.

When construction resumed, David B. Steinman was among the engineering staff, acting as Assistant Engineer. Completion took about a year, and local legend has it that the contractors employed a woman as a welder: commonplace during World War II, but unheard of in 1920. Ten thousand people attended the bridge's dedication on November 2, 1921. The bridge has a very hilly approach on the north side and crosses a small island in the creek.

Although the bridge was a key US Route 9W link when it opened, carrying 9W and Wurts Street, in 1978 9W was rerouted to a newer interstate highway style plate girder 4 lane bridge. 9W at that point is also called Frank Koenig boulevard. The weight limit on the bridge now appears to be only 5 tons[4].

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Skillypot was a chain ferry, named after a derivative of a Dutch (upstate New York had a heavy Dutch influence) word for tortoise. (National Park Service site)
  2. ^ information from the Structurae page
  3. ^ Information from the Bridgemeister.com site
  4. ^ Top picture on this Bridgemeister.com page shows a 5 ton limit sign

[edit] External links

U.S. National Register of Historic Places - (List of entries)

National Park Service . National Historic Landmarks . National Battlefields . National Historic Sites . National Historic Parks . National Memorials . National Monuments
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