| Bridge Name: | Kingston–Port Ewen Suspension Bridge |
| Official Name: | Kingston–Port Ewen Suspension Bridge |
| Carries: | Wurts St. (Old) |
| Crosses: | Rondout Creek |
| Locale: | Kingston, New York |
| Maint: | New York State Department of Transportation |
| Id: | 1007350 |
| Design: | Wire cable Suspension bridge |
| Mainspan: | 705 feet (215 m) |
| Length: | 2 side spans of 176.25 feet (54 m) each, anchorages, total length 1,145 ft (349 m) |
| Width: | 2 lanes plus walkway, 37 feet (11 m) |
| Below: | 85 ft (26 m) |
| Traffic: | 15,700 |
| Open: | 1921 |
| Closed: | September 25, 2020 |
| Toll: | no |
| Coordinates: | 41.9172°N -73.9842°W |
The Kingston–Port Ewen Suspension Bridge, sometimes known as the "Rondout Creek bridge", "Old Bridge" or "Wurts Street Bridge", is a steel suspension bridge spanning Rondout Creek, near where it empties into the Hudson River. It connects the City of Kingston to the north, with the village of Port Ewen to the south. Completed in 1921, it was the final link in New York's first north-south highway on the West Shore of the Hudson, and is considered an important engineering accomplishment associated with the development of early motoring.
The bridge has a very hilly approach on the north side and crosses over a small island in the creek. It forms a dramatic backdrop to the Rondout-West Strand Historic District in Kingston, to the east.
Construction began in 1916, with the intent to replacing the Rondout Creek chain ferry named Skillypot, known for sporadic service. The Skillypot was named after a derivative of a Dutch word for tortoise, schildpad. [1] The bridge was designed by the firms of Holton D. Robinson and John A. Roebling's Sons Company,[2] with Holton D. Robinson, Daniel E. Moran, William Yates listed as chief engineers[3] Construction was hampered by local political and financial difficulties, as well as material shortages caused by entry by the United States into World War I, and was suspended until 1920.
When construction resumed, David B. Steinman was among the engineering staff, acting as Assistant Engineer. Terry & Tench was the contracting company assigned to build the bridge; remaining completion took about a year. Noteworthy was the work of Danish-American master welder Catherine Nelson, employed by Weehawken Welding Company, who welded together the cable splices that made up the longest length of the cable span.[4] While commonplace during World War II, women working in the trades was opposed by men in the 1920's. Ten thousand people attended the bridge's dedication on November 2, 1921.
The bridge was closed on September 25, 2020, for a three-year reconstruction project estimated to cost $44.6 million.[5] The final cost of the project was $60 million according to Governor Hochul's office. The construction was completed and the bridge was reopened in July 2024.[6]
