High Bridge
Spans the Harlem River.
This bridge, the first linking Manhattan with the mainland, carries water from upstate reservoirs. It used to be open to pedestrians, but
has been closed to all traffic since the 1970s because someone threw a rock from it, killing a tourist on a Circle Line boat below.
It has since deteriorated badly.
In response to a flood of postcards sent to Parks Commissioner Henry Stern in 1998, the Parks Department has announced it will pursue funding to reopen the unused High Bridge bike/ped network connection. Once funding is secured in Spring 1999, Parks will inspect the High Bridge and begin to stabilize its badly deteriorated structure. Parks will probably install ramps for bikes and rehabilitate existing stairs over the next five years. The estimated cost of bringing the bridge back to its former glory is $6 million.
Comments from Web site visitors:
"The High Bridge was closed in 1960, not 1970. The story of a Circle Line passenger killed by a rock is an urban myth. It was actually 1958, and four people were injured, not killed." (dated March 23, 2004)
"Aqueduct Bridge does not carry water in its three 'Mains' anymore. The old Croton system was shut down in 1917. It is the oldest bridge in NYC." (dated March 26, 2001)
T.A.
Magazine Articles on the High Bridge:
- Making the Grade 1998, T.A.'s Second Annual Report On Bicycling in NYC: Bridges, November/December 1998
High Bridge
Happening, July/August 1998- Push for Bike/Foot Access To Bronx/Manhattan Bridges, September/October 1997
T.A.
Quotes in the Media on the
-
Push is on to restore river span, Daily News, July 18, 1999
T.A
Testimony
on the High Bridges:
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New York City Council Parks and Recreation Committee Oversight Hearing on NYC Greenway Master Plan and High Bridge Park, December 14, 2004