Newburgh–Beacon Bridge
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|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°31′09″N 73°59′39″W / 41.5192°N 73.9943°W |
| Carries | Interstate 84 and NY-52 (4 and 3) |
| Crosses | Hudson River |
| Locale | Beacon, NY and Newburgh, NY |
| Official name | Hamilton Fish Bridge |
| Maintained by | New York State Bridge Authority |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | cantilever bridge |
| Total length | 7789 ft (2374 m) and 7855 ft (2394 m) |
| Longest span | 1,000 ft (305 m) |
| History | |
| Opened | November 2, 1963 |
| Location | |
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The Newburgh-Beacon Bridge is a cantilever bridge that spans the Hudson River in New York State and was opened to traffic on November 2, 1963 as a two-lane (one in each direction) bridge .
Although original plans called for a four-lane bridge, funding difficulties resulted in the reduction in lanes. By 1964 according to the www.nysba.net reference cited below, the original two-lane structure was already over capacity, and planning for additional capacity began in 1972. After considering doubledecking (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 was made of steel that needs painting, but the newer span is made of "rusting" steel, which surface corrodes to a brown color and does not need painting as corrosion does not go deeper. On November 1, 1980, this second, parallel span 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.
Today, then, there are actually two spans;
- The northern, originally two lane bridge, now has three westbound lanes with no shoulder.
- The southern, newer, three lane with shoulder span, for eastbound traffic.
The bridges carry I-84 and Route 52 with connections to the New York State Thruway (Interstate 87) in Newburgh and U.S. Highway 9 in Fishkill. The bridges includes a 2,204 foot (672 m) cantilever span, with a main span of 1,000 feet (305 m) and side spans of 602 feet (183 m). The total length of all spans and approaches is 7855 feet (2394 m) for the north span and 7789 feet (2374 m) for the south span.
The bridges, owned by the New York State Bridge Authority, carry six lanes of traffic and approximately 65,000 vehicles per day. They are the only part of I-84 in New York not maintained by the New York State Thruway Authority.
Eastbound vehicles pay a one dollar toll for crossing the bridge. The toll plaza is located on the east (Beacon) side.
In addition to variable message displays, both bridges have lane status indicators all along to indicate whether a lane is open or not. Usually, the eastbound bridge has the left three lanes open and the right (shoulder lane) closed. The westbound bridge sometimes will have all three open, but sometimes when the traffic volume is low (i.e. all three aren't necessary), the right lane will be closed to be used as a shoulder.
External links
Template:NYC Hudson River crossings Template:Hudson River crossings