A Brief History

1868 - An article in the Poughkeepsie Journal introduced the idea of building a railroad bridge across the Hudson.
1871 - The Poughkeepsie railroad bridge was chartered.
1873 - The first cornerstone of the bridge was laid.
1888 - The bridge opened in December and was considered a technological wonder.
1889 - Trains started crossing and at that time it was the longest bridge in the world.
World War II - through the war, the bridge carried troops to be shipped overseas. At its height, 3,500 train cars crossed the bridge on a daily basis.
1974 - Fire severely damaged the tracks, ending almost a century of continuous use.
1992 - Walkway Over the Hudson began its efforts to provide public access to the bridge and link rail trails on both sides of the Hudson.
1998 - Walkway Over the Hudson assumed ownership of the bridge.
2007 - Walkway Over the Hudson partnered with the Dyson Foundation to access public and private funding in order to transform the bridge into the world's largest pedestrian park.
2008 - After a groundbreaking held in May, construction work began to transform the bridge into a pedestrian park.
2009 - Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park opens to the public, October 3, 2009.

View the Grand Opening Commemorative Publication