Wurts Street Bridge

The Wurts Street Bridge was built in 1921 and is the oldest suspension bridge in the Hudson Valley region. It is an impressive structure and is often noted for its unusual stiffening truss. The stiffening truss is continuous across all three spans, which was very unusual at the time it was built. It also varies in depth and is 5 feet deeper at the piers then at the center of the span.

Planning for the bridge began in 1914, and construction started in 1916. This bridge was the final link in the first north-south highway on the West Shore of the Hudson River, and it replaced the Rondout Creek chain ferry (nicknamed the Skillypot), which was known for its sporadic service. Unfortunately, the construction was hampered by local politics and financial difficulties, as well as material shortages caused by World War I. Construction was suspended and began again in 1920. The bridge was officially opened on November 2, 1921, with a dedication ceremony, which was attended by ten thousand people.

During the construction, a Danish-American master welder by the name of Catherine Nelson welded together the cable splices above the main span. These splices were welded in place, meaning that she was at the project site, climbing the cables and welding. This became quite a spectacle, and people would travel to the construction site just to see her. At this time, it was very unusual to have a women working in the trades. She was reportedly the only outdoor woman welder in the world at that time.

The bridge remained the only crossing in this area, until the John T. Loughran Bridge was built a quarter mile west in 1979. After this, the Wurts Street Bridge only had minor maintenance performed, and it fell into disrepair. The structure was extremely rusted and deteriorated, and the paint was badly flaking. The bridge was closed in September of 2020, when it was determined to be unsafe for traffic.

The New York State Department of Transportation decided to save the bridge (instead of tearing it down), and a rehabilitation project began in October of 2021. The bridge was anticipated to reopen on October 1, 2023. The project included major steel repairs and replacement, painting, replacement of the existing suspension cables, bridge deck, sidewalks, pedestrian fences, and bridge concrete traffic barriers, partial reconstruction of concrete cable anchorage chambers, seats and pedestals, and strengthening of the main cable eyebars, approach slab replacement, asphalt resurfacing, installation of bridge and pedestrian lighting, and minor roadside construction. During this reconstruction, a mysterious time capsule was found in the footing of the bridge. Unfortunately, the contents did not survive, but a new time capsule was added created and added to the reconstructed footing. The bridge reopened on July 2, 2024, and now has a 20-ton weight limit.

A film documentary is being made about the restoration of the bridge. It will describe the many engineering challenges, the history of the bridge, and its impact to local industries. It will also tell the stories of the workers and the surrounding communities, both then and now. A video previewing the film along with information on the project can be viewed at wurtsstreetbridgefilm.com.