Editing Bear Mountain Bridge

{{Short description|Bridge in United States of America}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2022}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox Bridge
|bridge_name   = Bear Mountain Bridge
|image         = File:Bear Mountain Bridge October 2022.jpg
|image_size=300px
|caption       = Bear Mountain Bridge in 2022
|official_name =
|also_known_as = Purple Heart Veterans Memorial Bridge (ceremonial)
|carries       = 2 lanes of {{jct|state=NY|US|6|US|202}} / [[Appalachian Trail]] / [[New York State Bicycle Route 9|State Bike Route 9]]
|crosses       = [[Hudson River]]
|locale        = [[Cortlandt, New York]] and [[Bear Mountain State Park|Bear Mountain, New York]]
|maint         = [[New York State Bridge Authority]]
|design        = [[Suspension bridge]]
|mainspan      = {{convert|1632|ft|m}}<ref name="asce">{{cite book |title=Guide to Civil Engineering Projects In and Around New York City |edition=2nd |publisher=Metropolitan Section, American Society of Civil Engineers |year=2009 |page=31 }}</ref>
|length        = {{convert|2255|ft|m}}
|width         = {{convert|48|ft|m}}
|height        = {{convert|360|ft|m}}
|clearance     =
|below         = {{convert|155|ft|m}}
|traffic       = 17,695 (2007)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/hds-respository/Traffic%20Data%20Report%202010%20Appendix%20C%20-%20AADT%20Values%20for%20Select%20Toll%20Facilities.pdf |title=2008 Traffic Data Report for New York State |publisher=[[New York State Department of Transportation]] |at=Appendix C |access-date=February 27, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120927023745/https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/hds-respository/Traffic%20Data%20Report%202010%20Appendix%20C%20-%20AADT%20Values%20for%20Select%20Toll%20Facilities.pdf |archive-date=September 27, 2012 }}</ref>
|open          = {{Start date and age|1924|11|27}}
|toll          = (Eastbound only) cars: <br>$1.65 [[E-ZPass]]<br>$2.15 tolls-by-mail
{{Infobox NRHP
| embed        = yes
| name         = Bear Mountain Bridge
| nrhp_type    =
| image        =
| caption      =
| location     = [[Cortlandt, New York|Cortlandt]] / [[Bear Mountain State Park|Bear Mountain]]
| coordinates  = {{coord|41|19|12|N|73|58|49|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin     = New York#USA
| area         =
| built        = {{Start date and age|1923}}
| engineer     = Baird, Howard C.
| builder      = Terry & Tench Construction Co.
| architecture =
| added        = November 23, 1982<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2008a}}</ref>
| mpsub        = [[Hudson Highlands MRA]]
| refnum       = 82001266
| designated_other1 = New York State Register of Historic Places
| designated_other1_abbr = NYSRHP
| designated_other1_date = September 30, 1982
| designated_other1_numer = 11902.000040
| designated_other1_num_position = bottom
}}
 | map_cue       =
 | map_image     =
 | map_text      =
 | map_width     =
 | lat           =
 | long          =
}}

The '''Bear Mountain Bridge''', ceremonially named the '''Purple Heart Veterans Memorial Bridge''',<ref name="lohud">{{cite news |title=Unlike Tappan Zee, the Bear Mountain Bridge keeps historic name while honoring heroes|last=Cutler|first=Nancy|date=October 4, 2018|website=lohud.com|url=https://www.lohud.com/story/opinion/perspective/2018/10/04/unlike-tappan-zee-bear-mountain-bridge-salutes-purple-heart-history/1511883002/}}</ref> is a toll [[suspension bridge]] in [[New York State]].  It carries [[U.S. Route 6 in New York|US&nbsp;6]] and [[U.S. Route 202 in New York|US&nbsp;202]] across the [[Hudson River]] between [[Bear Mountain State Park]] in [[Orange County, New York|Orange County]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bear Mountain Bridge (US 6 and US 202)|url=http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/bear-mountain/|access-date=October 31, 2020|website=www.nycroads.com}}</ref> and [[Cortlandt, New York|Cortlandt]] in [[Westchester County, New York|Westchester County]]. At completion in 1924 it was the [[List of longest suspension bridge spans|longest suspension bridge]] in the world<ref>{{Cite web|title=New York State Bridge Authority Bear Mountain Bridge Page|url=http://www.nysba.state.ny.us/bridgepages/BMB/BMBpage/NYSWeb_bmb_page_NoLogo.htm|access-date=October 31, 2020|website=www.nysba.state.ny.us}}</ref> until this record was surpassed 19 months later by the [[Benjamin Franklin Bridge]] between [[Philadelphia]] and [[Camden, New Jersey]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ben Franklin Bridge|url=http://drpa.org/bridges/ben-franklin-bridge.asp|access-date=October 31, 2020|website=drpa.org}}</ref> Like the [[Williamsburg Bridge]] in New York City, the approach spans of the Bear Mountain Bridge are unsuspended; only its main span (between the towers) is suspended by cables.

The span enables connections between the [[Palisades Interstate Parkway]] and [[U.S. Route 9W in New York|US&nbsp;9W]] on the west bank near [[Bear Mountain (Hudson Highlands)|Bear Mountain]] and [[New York State Route&nbsp;9D|NY 9D]] on the east bank as well as [[U.S. Route 9 in New York|US 9]] and the [[Bear Mountain Parkway]] farther east. It also carries the [[Appalachian Trail]] and [[New York State Bicycle Route 9]] across the Hudson.

The bridge has two undivided vehicle lanes flanked by sidewalks. Cyclists may ride with motor vehicle traffic or walk their bikes on the sidewalks.

==History==
===Hudson Highland Suspension Bridge===
Plans for a bridge at the site began with the charter of the Hudson Highland Suspension Bridge Company in 1868 after a bill was passed by the legislature and signed by [[Reuben Fenton|Governor Fenton]].<ref name="ASCE">{{cite web |url=http://www.ascemetsection.org/committees/history-and-heritage/landmarks/bear-mountain-bridge |title=Bear Mountain Bridge |work=ASCE Metropolitan Section |access-date=July 1, 2022}}</ref><ref name="RIHS">{{cite web |url=https://www.rihs.org/mssinv/Mss483sg24.htm |title=Hudson Highland Bridge and Railway Company Records |work=Rhode Island Historical Society |access-date=July 1, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Courant">{{cite news |author=<!--not stated-->|date=April 29, 1868 |title=General News| url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/369390258|language= |work=[[Hartford Courant]]|location=[[Hartford, Connecticut]] |access-date=July 7, 2022|via=Newspapers.com|quote=}}</ref> Early investors in the company included [[Erastus Corning]], [[Isaac Bell Jr.|Isaac Bell]], and [[Addison P. Jones]].<ref name="Courant" />

The following year, ''The New York Times'' reported that a contract had been signed and construction would "speedily commence" on the "Hudson Highland Suspension Bridge" between [[Fort Clinton]] and [[Anthony's Nose (Westchester County, New York)|Anthony's Nose]]. The intent was to carry a railroad toward [[Derby, Connecticut]], to supply coal and iron for industry in the lower [[Naugatuck Valley]]. The surface of the bridge was to be {{convert|150|ft|m}} above high tide.{{Citation needed|date=December 2019}} In 1871, a board of engineers had been selected to work on the bridge, including [[Horatio Allen]], [[George B. McClellan]], [[Edward W. Serrell]], and [[Quincy Adams Gillmore]].  It was reported that [[Financial capital|capital]] of $2.5 million was needed and that much of it had been raised from the railroads who would benefit from the bridge. At this time, construction was expected to begin in June 1871 and to be complete by 1875.<ref name="Times May 1871">{{cite news |author=<!--not stated-->|date=May 20, 1871 |title=The Hudson Bridge: New Railroad Connections-Vast Saving in Time, Trouble and Expense-Coal Direct from the Mines| url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/26017747|language= |work=[[The New York Times]]|location=[[New York City|New York]] |access-date=August 18, 2022|via=Newspapers.com|quote=}}</ref>

In 1887, reports said the bridge would be finished in two years. By 1889, "work on the anchor pits was progressing rapidly."<ref>{{cite news |title=The Anthony Nose Bridge.; Work on the Anchor Pits Progressing Rapidly |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1889/09/04/archives/the-anthony-nose-bridge-work-on-the-anchor-pits-progressing-rapidly.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=September 4, 1889 |page=3 |access-date=February 13, 2010}}</ref> On March 5, 1896, the Hudson Highland Bridge and Railway Company filed for incorporation with capital of $84,900. The company was a reorganization of the former Hudson Suspension Bridge and New England Railway Company.<ref name="Democrat and Chronicle">{{cite news |author=<!--not stated-->|date=March 6, 1896 |title=A Suspension Bridge Company| url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/135248172|language= |work=[[Democrat and Chronicle]]|location=[[Rochester, New York]] |access-date=July 7, 2022|via=Newspapers.com|quote=}}</ref>

None of these attempts to build the bridge were successful, with only foundation preparations having progress made.<ref name="ASCE" /> Much of this period coincided with the so-called [[Long Depression]], including  stock market crashes called the [[Panic of 1873]] and [[Panic of 1893]]. A charter for construction of the bridge expired in 1916.<ref>{{cite news |title=New Scenic Motor Highway in Highlands of the Hudson |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1923/05/06/archives/new-scenic-motor-highway-in-highlands-fo-the-hudson-three-mile.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=May 6, 1923 |page=XX6 |access-date=February 13, 2010}}</ref>

===Bear Mountain Hudson River Bridge Company===
In March 1922 through a bill introduced by [[C. Ernest Smith]], the state legislature authorized creation of the private Bear Mountain Hudson River Bridge Company to complete the project. The bridge was now for automobiles instead of rail, and included a {{convert|3|mi|km|adj=on}} approach road from the Albany Post Road north of Peekskill. The 11-member board of directors included financiers [[E. Roland Harriman]] and [[George Walbridge Perkins Jr.|George W. Perkins]]. Under the 1922 charter, ownership of the bridge was to revert by 1962 to New York State, which also had the right to acquire the bridge at any time.<ref>{{cite news |title=Would Span Hudson at Bear Mountain |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1922/02/09/archives/would-span-hudson-at-bear-mountain-bill-in-state-senate-to.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 9, 1922 |page=27 |access-date=August 23, 2022}}</ref> A $4.5 million bond issue was completed in April of that year through the Harriman banking and brokerage firm.

===Completion===
When the bridge formally opened on November 27, 1924, it was the [[List of longest suspension bridge spans|longest suspension bridge span]] in the world, and the first of its type to have a [[concrete]] deck.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nysba.ny.gov/bridge/bear-mountain| title=The Bear Mountain Bridge|author=New York State Bridge Authority|access-date=July 6, 2022}}</ref> It was the first automobile bridge to cross the Hudson south of [[Albany, New York|Albany]], and surpassed the 1888 [[Poughkeepsie Bridge|Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge]] as the southernmost crossing of the river.<ref>{{cite news |title=Open New Bridge Over Hudson River |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1924/11/27/archives/open-new-bridge-over-hudson-river-span-fron-bear-mountain-to.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 27, 1924 |page=21 |access-date=March 27, 2010}}</ref>

Construction methods pioneered on the Bear Mountain Bridge influenced much larger projects to follow, including the [[George Washington Bridge|George Washington]] (1931) and [[Golden Gate Bridge|Golden Gate]] (1937) bridges. Completion also inspired the state to extend the [[Bronx River Parkway]] from [[Kensico Dam]] northward, work which evolved into the [[Bear Mountain Parkway]] and the first phase of the [[Taconic State Parkway]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2019}}

===New York State Bridge Authority===
Ownership was transferred to the [[New York State Bridge Authority]] on September 26, 1940, and the toll was reduced to a flat rate of 50 cents per automobile.<ref>{{cite news | title=State Recaptures Bear Mt Bridge |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1940/08/08/archives/state-recaptures-bear-mt-bridge-flat-toll-of-50-cents-a-car-to-be.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=August 8, 1940 |page=21 |access-date=February 13, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=State Will Take Over Bear Mt. Span Today |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1940/09/25/archives/state-will-take-over-bear-mt-span-today-50cent-toll-begins-of.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=September 25, 1940 |page=21 |access-date=March 27, 2010}}</ref>

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 {{convert|130|mi|km|adj=on}} 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.<ref>{{cite web | last=Moran | first=Nancy | title=One-Way Tolls Confusing Some Drivers | website=The New York Times | date=August 13, 1970 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/08/13/archives/oneway-tolls-confusing-some-drivers.html | access-date=April 9, 2018}}</ref>

In 1982 the bridge and its then-abandoned original toll house several miles away on the Peekskill approach road, Routes 6 and 202, were added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris"/> The bridge was also designated as a local historic civil engineering landmark by the [[American Society of Civil Engineers]] in 1986.<ref name="ASCE"/>

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.  On May 1, 2021, the 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 rose to $1.55 for E-ZPass users and $2 for cash payers. In 2023, the E-ZPass toll was set at $1.65, and the cash toll was set at $2.15.<ref>{{cite web | last=Doxsey | first=Patricia | title=Hudson River bridge tolls for E-ZPass users rise next month | website=Daily Freeman | date=April 12, 2021 | url=https://www.dailyfreeman.com/2021/04/12/hudson-river-bridge-tolls-for-e-zpass-users-rise-next-month/ | access-date=December 31, 2021}}</ref> Tolls are collected from eastbound travelers only.

At midnight on October 1, 2021, the bridge was converted to all-electronic tolling and only in the eastbound direction.  Motorists can use their E-ZPass to pay the toll.  Those without E-ZPass are sent a bill in the mail.

===Maintenance innovation===
The Bridge was used to test several new materials designed to lower the cost and environmental impact of bridge cable maintenance. One of them proved promising.<ref name="bridgeweb">{{cite web |url=http://www.bridgeweb.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/1482/Sticky_solution.html |title=Sticky solution |date=May 25, 2008 |work=Bridge Design & Engineering |access-date=August 13, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828200409/http://www.bridgeweb.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/1482/Sticky_solution.html |archive-date=August 28, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

During routine inspections, bridge cables are unwrapped and wedges are used to separate the individual strands.  Inspectors look for signs of moisture and corrosion throughout the cable. For over 100 years, a [[red lead]] paste was used to seal the strands against moisture intrusion. In addition to emerging as an [[environmental hazard]] during that span, the paste was also prone to drying out and cracking after a few years, creating an ongoing maintenance task.<ref name="bridgeweb"/>

In the 1990s engineers experimented with several materials on a small section of the cables of the Bear Mountain Bridge. After a year the test areas were reexamined and one [[polymer]]-based, non-toxic paste was found to be superior. The bridge cables were then rewrapped in 2000 using the material. Seven years later the cables were found to be free of additional moisture or corrosion.  New York State Bridge Authority chief engineer William Moreau expressed hope that the new material may lengthen the life of the cables, and lower the need for inspection and maintenance.<ref name="bridgeweb"/>

==Gallery==
<gallery class="center" widths="200px" heights="175px">
Image:Aerial of Bear Mountain Bridge, New York (1925 Press Photo).jpg|Aerial view in 1925
Image:Bear Mountain Bridge, NY, looking south from Hudson River.JPG|Bear Mountain Bridge in 2009
Image:Bear Mountain Bridge, NY from river level loking East.JPG|Looking east
Image:Bear Mountain Bridge from below.jpg|Looking northwest from the east bank
Image:Bear Mountain Bridge Toll House.jpg|Old Bear Mountain Bridge Toll House along Routes 6 and 202, between the bridge and Peekskill, today used as an information center for surrounding parkland
Image:Bear_Mountain_Bridge_EZPass_Toll,_August_2011.jpg|The Bear Mountain Bridge EZ Pass Toll  in August 2011.
Image:Bear Mountain Bridge WB.jpg|Heading westbound over the bridge
</gallery>

{{wide image|Panoramic View of Bear Mountain Bridge from Anthony's Nose.jpg|1000px|alt=Panoramic View of Bear Mountain Bridge from Anthony's Nose|Panoramic view of Bear Mountain Bridge from Anthony's Nose. To the right are three bridges over Popolpen Creek: the Popolopen Railroad Bridge, the Popolopen Pedestrian Bridge and the Popolopen Highway Bridge.}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Transport|Engineering|New York (state)|National Register of Historic Places}}
* [[List of fixed crossings of the Hudson River]]
* [[List of bridges and tunnels on the National Register of Historic Places in New York]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Rockland County, New York]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in northern Westchester County, New York]]

==References==
;Sources  <!-- really should be more specific: use inline cites -->
{{refbegin}}
* {{Structurae|id=20000530|name=Bear Mountain Bridge}}
{{refend}}

;Notes
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Bear Mountain Bridge}}
* [https://nysba.ny.gov/bridge/bear-mountain New York State Bridge Authority: Bear Mountain Bridge]
* [http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/bear-mountain/ Bear Mountain Bridge at nycroads.com]
* [http://www.bridgemeister.com/bridge.php?bid=141 Bear Mountain Bridge at bridgemeister.com]

{{Crossings navbox
|structure       = Crossings
|place           = [[Hudson River]]
|bridge          = Bear Mountain Bridge
|bridge signs    = [[Image:US 6.svg|20px]] [[Image:US 202 (NY).svg|25px]]<!-- Image with inadequate rationale removed:  [[Image:ANST-Triangle-Logo 1.jpg|25px]] -->
|upstream        = [[Newburgh–Beacon Ferry]]
|upstream signs  =
|downstream          = [[Haverstraw–Ossining Ferry]]
|downstream signs    =
}}
{{LongestBridge
| type = suspension
| start = 1924
| end = 1926
| previous = Williamsburg Bridge
| current = Bear Mountain Bridge
| next = Benjamin Franklin Bridge
}}
{{National Register of Historic Places}}

[[Category:Bridges over the Hudson River]]
[[Category:Toll bridges in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Suspension bridges in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Bridges completed in 1924]]
[[Category:U.S. Route 6]]
[[Category:U.S. Route 202]]
[[Category:Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Westchester County, New York]]
[[Category:New York State Register of Historic Places in Westchester County]]
[[Category:New York State Register of Historic Places in Rockland County]]
[[Category:New York State Bridge Authority]]
[[Category:Bridges in Rockland County, New York]]
[[Category:Appalachian Trail]]
[[Category:1924 establishments in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System]]
[[Category:Metal bridges in the United States]]