Newburgh–Beacon Bridge
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Hamilton Fish Newburgh–Beacon Bridge is a
cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a canti ...
toll bridge that spans the
Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...
in
New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...
. The bridge carries Interstate 84 (I-84) and New York State Route 52 (NY 52) between Newburgh and
Beacon A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location. A common example is the lighthouse, which draws attention to a fixed point that can be used to navigate around obstacles or into port. More mode ...
and consists of two separate spans. The original northern span, which now carries westbound traffic, was opened on November 2, 1963, as a two-lane (one in each direction) bridge. A second span, completed in 1980, now carries all eastbound traffic. Still often referred to by its original name, the Newburgh–Beacon Bridge, in 1997 the bridge was rededicated in honor of
Hamilton Fish III Hamilton Fish III (born Hamilton Stuyvesant Fish and also known as Hamilton Fish Jr.; December 7, 1888 – January 18, 1991) was an American soldier and politician from United States Congressional Delegations from New York, New York State. Born ...
, a 12-term member of the
U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
, and his son and namesake
Hamilton Fish IV Hamilton Fish IV or Hamilton Fish Jr. (June 3, 1926 – July 23, 1996) was an American Republican politician who represented parts of New York's Hudson Valley region in the United States House of Representatives for thirteen terms from 1969 to ...
, a 13-term member of the House.


History

Although original plans called for a four-lane bridge, funding difficulties resulted in the reduction in lanes. This span was designed by Modjeski & Masters and constructed by Frederick Snare, Drave, and
Bethlehem Steel The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. For most of the 20th century, it was one of the world's largest steel producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its succe ...
. The bridge originally carried NY 52 traffic, which was light, but the construction of Interstate 84 pushed the bridge over capacity, and planning for additional capacity began in 1972. After considering double-decking (which the original bridge was not designed for) the decision was taken by NYSBA to add a second parallel span south of the original. The original span is made of steel that requires regular painting. The newer span is made of
weathering steel Weathering steel, often referred to by the genericised trademark COR-TEN steel and sometimes written without the hyphen as corten steel, is a group of steel alloys which were developed to eliminate the need for painting, and form a stable rus ...
(believed to be COR-TEN or similar, although sources are not clear), the surface of which intentionally corrodes, forming a brown colored protective layer that does not require paint. On November 1, 1980, this second, parallel span, also designed by Modjeski & Masters but constructed by the
American Bridge Company The American Bridge Company is a heavy/civil construction firm that specializes in building and renovating bridges and other large, complex structures. Founded in 1900, the company is headquartered in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pitts ...
, was opened to traffic. The original span was closed for renovation, to add a lane and to paint it brown to match the color of the new span, from December 1980 to June 1984. In 1997, the bridge was officially renamed the Hamilton Fish Newburgh–Beacon Bridge, although it is commonly referred to by its original name.


Road dimensions

* The westbound (northern) bridge opened in 1963, carrying one lane of traffic in each direction. Today it accommodates three travel lanes and has no permanent shoulders. Variable lane-use signs allow the right lane to be designated as a breakdown lane at night and off-peak travel times. When the right lane is being used as a shoulder, a red X appears on the signs above it, while a green arrow illuminates when the lane is used for travel during peak times. * The newer eastbound span was built with three travel lanes, a right shoulder, a left shoulder and a pedestrian sidewalk separated from the roadway by a concrete barrier. Because the eastbound span was built with shoulders, there is no need to reduce the travel lanes to two during off-peak times.


Connections

The span provides connections to the
New York State Thruway {{Infobox road , state = NY , type = NYST , alternate_name = Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway , maint = NYSTA , map = {{maplink, frame=yes, plain=yes, frame-align=center, frame-width=290, type=line, stroke-width=2, type2=line, from2=New Yor ...
(
I-87 Interstate 87 may refer to either of two unconnected Interstate Highways in the United States: * Interstate 87 (New York), a highway running from New York City north to the Canadian border in Champlain, New York. * Interstate 87 (North Carolina) ...
) and U.S. Route 9W (US 9W) in Newburgh and US 9 in Fishkill. The bridges includes a cantilever span, with a main span of and side spans of . The total length of all spans and approaches is for the north span and for the south span.


Usage

The bridges, owned by the
New York State Bridge Authority The New York State Bridge Authority (NYSBA) is a public benefit corporation in New York State, United States. The NYSBA was born out of the necessity to build a bridge over the Hudson River to link the city of Hudson and the village of Catski ...
, carry six lanes of traffic and approximately 65,000 vehicles per day.


Tolls

Eastbound passenger vehicles are currently (as of December 10th, 2022) charged a cash toll of $2.00 to cross the span, or $1.45 for E-ZPass. The toll plaza is located on the eastern (Beacon) shore. Originally, tolls were collected in both directions. In August 1970, the toll was abolished for westbound drivers, and at the same time, eastbound drivers saw their tolls doubled. The tolls of eleven other New York–New Jersey and Hudson River crossings along a stretch, from the
Outerbridge Crossing The Outerbridge Crossing, also known as the Outerbridge, is a cantilever bridge that spans the Arthur Kill between Perth Amboy, New Jersey, and Staten Island, New York. It carries New York State Route 440 (NY 440) and New Jersey Rou ...
in the south to the
Rip Van Winkle Bridge The Rip Van Winkle Bridge is a cantilever bridge spanning the Hudson River between Hudson, New York and Catskill (village), New York, Catskill, New York. Affording of clearance over the water, the structure carries New York State Route 23, NY 2 ...
in the north, were also changed to eastbound-only at that time. In 2019, the bridge authority announced that tolls on its five Hudson River crossings would increase each year beginning in 2020 and ending in 2023. As of May 1, 2021, the current toll for passenger cars traveling eastbound on the Mid-Hudson Bridge was $1.75 in cash, $1.45 for E-ZPass users. In May 2022, tolls will rise to $1.55 for E-ZPass users and $2 for cash payers. In 2023, the E-ZPass toll will increase to $1.65, and the cash toll will rise to $2.15. At midnight on July 7, 2021, the bridge was converted to all-electronic tolling on the eastbound span.


See also

* * * *
List of fixed crossings of the Hudson River This is a list of bridges and other crossings of the Hudson River, from its mouth at the Upper New York Bay upstream to its cartographic beginning at Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York. Crossings The crossings are listed from south to north. ...


References


External links


NYSBA - Newburgh-Beacon Bridge

NYCroads.com - Newburgh-Beacon Bridge
{{DEFAULTSORT:Newburgh-Beacon Bridge Bridges over the Hudson River Bridges in Orange County, New York New York State Bridge Authority Bridges completed in 1980 Bridges completed in 1963 Tolled sections of Interstate Highways Interstate 84 (Pennsylvania–Massachusetts) Beacon, New York Newburgh, New York Road bridges in New York (state) Weathering steel Bridges on the Interstate Highway System Toll bridges in New York (state) Steel bridges in the United States Cantilever bridges in the United States Buildings and structures in Newburgh, New York