Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge - Walkway Over the Hudson (City of Poughkeepsie, New York)

 walkway, footbridge, interesting place

When the Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge opened for service in 1888, it was the longest bridge in the world and an engineering marvel, deserving of an article in Scientific American. It was the first rail crossing of the Hudson River below Albany, at last allowing direct transit between New England and the western US. For almost 100 years, the bridge served as crucial part of a major transportation route.

With railroads in decline (not to mention Penn Central going bankrupt), the bridge was abandoned when fire damaged it in 1974. In 1995, fundraising commenced; private and corporate donations and state and federal grants combined to convert the bridge into a unique linear park, Walkway Over the Hudson, connecting rail trails on both sides of the river.

On October 3, 2009, the bridge was officially opened as New York's newest State Park and, at 1.28 miles, the longest elevated pedestrian bridge in the country, 212 feet above the Hudson River. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Benches and tables are at either end of the bridge.