We took a Sunday excursion to the High Bridge. It wasn't possible to get a better shot of the actual bridge from our location...since there are still so many nice trees along the river.
The bridge was built starting in 1837 as an aqueduct to bring water from upstate to New York City. By 1864 they already had to increase the size of the pipes to bring even more water into the city.
The bridge connects the Bronx to Manhattan but was never used for train or car traffic. The "High" bridge was in danger of being knocked down in the late 1920's because it was no longer needed to bring water to the city and it wasn't deemed so high any more as boats were getting bigger. The arches didn't allow some of the bigger boats to sail through. They found a compromise solution and reconstructed some of the arches into a higher steel arch that allowed the boat traffic to pass through which saved the bridge for us.
The bridge was closed sometime in the 1970's for safety reasons but has just reopened to foot traffic after a major restoration. They went for safety rather than clear views for photographers!
By the 1870's and until the 1920's the bridge was a popular destination for day trips. People came by steamboat and streetcar to walk and socialize.
This shot shows the ghostly mid-town Manhattan in the background about 6 miles south of the bridge.
We threw together a quick picnic when we decided to make the impromptu trip to the bridge.
No comments:
Post a Comment