Walkway Over the Hudson: A New Way to Experience the Hudson River

As a Hudson Valley native, I recall the Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge as something of an eyesore. I was still a preschooler when the landmark bridge burned in 1974. The fire proved devastating to the historic span, which was the longest bridge in the world in 1889, when it began carrying trains across the Hudson River.

The railroad bridge was such a white elephant that it was sold three times in the 1980s and '90s: each time for $1. Walkway Over the Hudson, a non-profit created in 1992, acquired the bridge in 1998 and set about parlaying its $1 investment into an invaluable scenic attraction.

On October 3, 2009, Walkway Over the Hudson opened, and visitors enjoyed a first look at the $39 million transformation of the abandoned bridge into a linear park stretching from Poughkeepsie to Highland. I took these photos during an opening weekend stroll across the restored, 1.25-mile bridge, which is now a prime destination for walking, biking, bird watching, leaf peeping and photography.