By: Michelle Herriman / Reader’s Digest
This walkway has seen many travelers. Opened in 1889 to transport Western freight back east, as well as take passengers to and from major Eastern cities, the former Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge was once the longest bridge in the world. (In case you were wondering, these are some of the world’s longest bridges today.) According to the walkway’s website, at its peak, as many as 3,500 rail cars crossed it each day. During World War II, it carried troops being shipped overseas and was painted black to make it less visible in the event of an enemy attack.
A devastating track fire in May 1974 put the brakes on its operation and led to decades of decline. However, the defunct rail line was rebuilt and reopened in October 2009 as an elevated pedestrian bridge. Now, more than 500,000 annual visitors visit this 1.28-mile-long walkway that’s 212 feet above the Hudson River to take in views north to the Catskills and south to the Hudson Highlands.
See the complete list, via Reader’s Digest.
Walkway's elevator to Upper Landing Park in Poughkeepsie is currently operating Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. until 90 minutes prior to the park's closing. It will open 7 days per week after Memorial Day.
SUNDAY, MAY 4 - Due to the high volume of participants in the Hudson Valley Marathon, the Walkway is closed to the general public until 11 a.m.
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