The George Clinton Kingston–Rhinecliff Bridge is a
continuous under-deck truss toll bridge that carries
NY 199 across the
Hudson River
The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...
in
New York State
New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...
north of the City of
Kingston and the hamlet of
Rhinecliff. It was opened to traffic on February 2, 1957, as a two-lane (one in each direction) bridge, although it was not actually complete. The formal opening was May 11, 1957. The original cost was $17.5 million.
[New York State Bridge Authority. Highland, NY]
"The 'George Clinton' Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge"
Accessed 2017-11-08.
The bridge, owned by the
New York State Bridge Authority (NYSBA), carries two lanes of traffic and approximately 17,000 vehicles per day. It was designed by
David B. Steinman and the builders were Harris Structural Steel and
Merritt-Chapman & Scott Corporation, and is the second northernmost, and second newest, of the five bridges that NYSBA owns and operates. The bridge has two main spans, since there is an east and west
channel in the Hudson River at this point.
Development
Planning for a bridge in this general area to replace the ferry service, which was viewed as sporadic and unreliable (there were no Hudson bridges for a half-hour or more drive time in either direction), began in the early 1940s. The site for the bridge, as originally proposed, was between Kingston Point and downtown
Rhinebeck, and the design was initially a
suspension bridge almost identical in appearance to the
Mid-Hudson Bridge. When the site was relocated about northward, there was no stable bedrock for anchorages, so the design was changed to a continuous under-deck truss. Construction commenced in 1954. When the
Newburgh-Beacon Bridge was proposed, provisions were inserted in the enabling legislation that construction on that bridge could not commence until the Kingston–Rhinecliff was completed.

Like all NYSBA bridges, the Kingston–Rhinecliff is a
toll bridge, with the toll collected only for eastbound vehicles. 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 in the south to the
Rip Van Winkle Bridge in the north, were also changed to eastbound-only at that time.
In 2000 the state ceremonially renamed the bridge after
George Clinton, New York's first
Governor
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
, fourth
Vice President of the United States
The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest ranking office in the Executive branch of the United States government, executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks f ...
and a resident of the
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley or Hudson River Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The region stretches from the Capital District (New York), Capital District includi ...
.
NYSBA stats
Designer D.B. Steinman
Builder Harris Structural Steel Co; Merritt-Scott & Chapman Corp.
Overall length 7,793 feet
Main span length 800 foot spans over both east and west channel
Clearance above river 152 feet (46 m)
Opened February 2, 1957
Acquired by NYSBA February 2, 1957
Bridge Type Continuous Under-Deck Truss
Original Cost $17,500,000
1998 Replacement Value $159,380,000
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In late 2019, a pedestrian path was added to the bridge. It is 4 feet wide, separated from traffic by a 3-foot-high barrier. The path is part of the
Empire State Trail project. The path is on the south side of the bridge, next to eastbound traffic. It is for pedestrians only; bicyclists on the span will continue to be required to use the shoulders of the road.
At midnight on December 1, 2021, the bridge was converted to all-electronic tolling in the eastbound direction and the toll plazas were dismantled. At the same time, the road heading towards the bridge was narrowed to two lanes, and a turn lane was added in the other direction.
Tolls
In 2019, the bridge authority announced that tolls on its 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 Kingston–Rhinecliff 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.
No toll is collected for westbound traffic.
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 (New York), Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York.
Crossings
The crossings are l ...
References
External links
NYCroads: Historic overview- NYSBA
*
rehabilitation project information
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge
Bridges over the Hudson River
Bridges completed in 1957
Bridges in Ulster County, New York
New York State Bridge Authority
Buildings and structures in Rhinebeck, New York
George Clinton
Continuous truss bridges in the United States
Road bridges in New York (state)
Toll bridges in New York (state)
Steel bridges in the United States