The 69th Street Transfer Bridge is a glorious post-industrial wreck. Built in 1911 by the New York Central Railroad, it transported freight cars to and from barges on the Hudson River that traveled to New Jersey. As rail transport disappeared, the bridge was abandoned around the late 1960’s.
About a decade ago, the Riverside South Planning Corporation announced that it would become a ferry terminal, but that project never materialized. And as of a couple of years ago, some in-the-know locals were predicting that it would be torn down completely. In 2003, the site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
But the city has taken a different route, and is in the process of stabilizing the bridge. Funds to do so came from a wide array of parties, including the state and federal government, Extell Development, and the Riverside Park Fund. The project, which is underway right now, is expected to be completed this spring. What’s more, the long-term plan is to make the bridge “safely accessible to the public.”
(If anyone would like to write a piece on the history of the bridge for West Side Rag let us know)
A sign describing the work is below (click to enlarge):
