Skip to main content

Wurts Street Suspension Bridge Rehabilitation Contract gets underway in Kingston, NY

Image
By

 

Deep in the heart of New York State's Hudson Valley region, a landmark rehabilitation contract is now well underway that will help bring an aging and landmark suspension bridge back to life so it may continue to serve the residents of Kingston, NY and the surrounding area.

Built in 1921, the Wurts Street Suspension Bridge (sometimes also referred to as the Rondout Creek Bridge or the Kingston-Port Ewen Suspension Bridge) was the first major suspension bridge built in the Hudson Valley for automobile traffic. 100 years of wear & tear on the structure have taken their toll and after about 10 years of delay and negotiation, a comprehensive $45 million contract was awarded in 2021 that will see the structure restored and reopened to all modes of traffic. This contract, awarded by the New York State Department of Transportation (Region 8) and being executed by a contracting team led by A. Servidone/B. Anthony Construction Corp., is intended to accomplish a number of critical to-do list items for the structure. 

In what will be a first for a suspension bridge in the Hudson Valley, a dehumidification & monitoring system will be installed for the bridge's main cables. This system is designed to slow the introduction of moisture into the cable strands and delay/prevent the onset of corrosion into the cables in order to extend their lifespan. All structural steel components are to be refurbished with the removal of the original lead-based paint, the performance of select structural repairs to connections and other components, and the repainting of the entire superstructure from the roadway down to the foundations. New precast concrete "lightweight" deck panels are to be installed upon completion of steel repairs and this will result in a much lighter deck capable of being supported far easier by the bridge's cable system. Aside from the new dehumidification system, the bridge's cable support system will be further enhanced by the full replacement of all suspender ropes that link the main cables vertically with the roadway. All of the above-described work is planned for this contract, which has a deadline of late 2023 for full completion.

Above: The Wurts Street Suspension Bridge spans the Rondout Creek between Kingston and Port Ewen, NY. The bridge was once part of the original alignment for US Route 9W through Ulster County.

The clusure of the Wurts Street Bridge to all traffic for upwards of three years has not been without its concerns and issues among local residents. The bridge has always been a popular pedestrian route for residents on both sides of Rondout Creek. Furthermore, partial street closures on the Kingston side of the bridge have made travel in the immediate area of the bridge challenging, especially on weekends with folks flocking to the Rondout Creek waterfront for recreation & tourism purposes. Nevertheless, this investment in this historic bridge has been many years in the making and it is hoped that the project will be executed and completed satisfactorily so that bridge enthusiasts everywhere many once again enjoy this old classic.

The following pictures were taken by the author of this post using a DJI quadcopter drone. Always use proper judgment and situational awareness when flying in areas such as this. Click on each photo to see a larger version.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Abandoned US Route 40 in the Truckee River Canyon

By
Within the Truckee River Canyon in the Sierra Nevada range numerous abandoned portions of US Route 40 can be found alongside modern Interstate 80.   This segment of highway was opened during 1926 as a bypass of the Dog Valley Grade which carried the early North Lincoln Highway and Victory Highway. The corridor of the Truckee River Canyon State Highway would be assigned as US Route 40 when the US Route System was commissioned during November 1926. During 1958 the segment of Interstate 80 between Boca, California and the Nevada state line was complete. When Interstate 80 opened east of Boca numerous obsolete portions of US Route 40 were abandoned. Some of these abandoned segments have been incorporated into the Tahoe-Pyramid Trail.  Part 1; the history of US Route 40 in the Truckee River Canyon The Truckee River Canyon for centuries has been an established corridor of travel known to native tribes crossing the Sierra Nevada range.  The first documented wagon crossi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Former California State Route 41 past Bates Station

By
When California State Route 41 was commissioned during August 1934 it was aligned along the then existing Fresno-Yosemite Road north of the San Joaquin River.  Within the Sierra Nevada foothills of Madera County, the original highway alignment ran past Bates Station via what is now Madera County Road 209, part of eastern Road 406 and Road 207.   Bates Station was a stage station plotted during the early 1880s at what was the intersection of the Coarsegold Road and Stockton-Los Angeles Road.   The modern alignment bypassing Bates Station to the east would be reopened to traffic during late 1939.   Part 1; the history of California State Route 41 past Bates Station Bates Station was featured as one of the many 1875-1899 Madera County era towns in the May 21, 1968, Madera Tribune .  Post Office Service at Bates Station is noted to have been established on November 23, 1883 and ran continuously until October 31, 1903.  The postal name was sourced...
Post a Comment
Read more

The William Flinn (not Flynn) Highway - Pittsburgh's Misspelled Street

By
For decades if you traveled along PA Route 8 in Pittsburgh's North Hills suburbs, you would have noticed signs that read "William Flynn Highway" at every intersection.  Even today, many businesses and residences have their addresses listed as XXXX William Flynn Highway.  However, it's not William Flynn Highway, it is William FLINN Highway - and the gentleman who it is named for has a long and storied past in Pittsburgh's infrastructure history. William Flinn was born in England in 1851; however later that year, his family emigrated to the United States and would settle in Pittsburgh.  A 10-year-old school dropout, Flinn grew interested in politics and would join the Allegheny County Republican Party in 1877 as a ward commissioner and a seat on the Board of Fire Commissioners.  Flinn would serve in the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives and Senate from 1877 to 1902. (1) Flinn along with James J. Booth would found the Booth and Flinn construction firm ...
2 comments
Read more