14 Years Ago: Walkway Over The Hudson Opens

Over 25,000 people packed the Walkway Over the Hudson at its first public opening 14 years ago.

The World's Longest elevated Pedestrian Bridge known as the Walkway Over the Hudson (formerly known as the Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge) is a steel cantilever bridge spanning the Hudson River between Poughkeepsie, New York, on the east bank and Highland, New York, on the west bank.

Built as a double-track railroad bridge, the Walkway was completed on January 1, 1889, and formed part of the Maybrook Railroad Line of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad. It was taken out of service on May 8, 1974, after it was damaged by fire. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and its entry was updated in 2008.

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The bridge was designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2009. It was reopened on October 3, 2009, as a pedestrian walkway as part of the new Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park.

ThinkStock/PATRICK TEWEY

Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park took to social media this week to acknowledge that it had been 14 years since the Walkway first opened to the public back on Oct. 3, 2009.

On this date 14 years ago, Walkway Over the Hudson officially opened to the public for the first time. More than 25,000 people from across the #HudsonValley, New York State, and the nation packed the park for their first look at our one-of-a-kind #HudsonRiver views.

Since then, we've been visited by nearly eight million people from all 50 states and more than 50 countries from around the world.

-Walkway Over the Hudson State Park

Townsquare Media of Poughkeepsie Promotions Director and Live Events Coordinator Anthony Verano recalled driving the first non-construction vehicle across the bridge before it was opened to the public with the radio station truck.

Radio Personality Robyn Taylor recalled broadcasting live for the public opening of the Walkway. Robyn Taylor interviewed an Iron Worker on the bridge at the opening of the Walkway Over the Hudson in 2009.

Photo credit: David Rocco

I absolutely love the Walkway over the Hudson. I think it's one of the greatest things that the Hudson Valley has to offer and, it happens to be free to visit. I've taken full advantage of it over the years, having it right practically in our own backyard. I have often made it a routine to walk the walkway from the Poughkeepsie side to the Highland side and back as a regular exercise routine sporadically. I even walked it for over 80 straight days in a row some years back, while trying to reach a personal goal. I hoped to do at least 100 days, but just couldn't make it happen. Maybe I'll try again in the future. Here's to many more years of the Walkway of the Hudson!