Kickoff of Centennial Celebration of Iconic Bear Mountain Bridge

by M.C. Millman

The kickoff of the upcoming 2024 centennial celebrations of the Bear Mountain Bridge is underway.

Between now and the fall of 2024, several events and initiatives are already in the process of celebrating one of the Hudson Valley's most recognizable structures. So far, planned events include a centennial website, a documentary film, and an international bridge engineering conference. 

On Thursday, various leaders and community members joined the New York State Bridge Authority at the bridge to make the announcement. Participants also dedicated a time capsule to mark 100 years since the construction of the Bear Mountain Bridge began. 

The time capsule, which was sealed for the year 2124, included letters from Governor Hochul and Lieutenant Governor Delgado, artifacts related to the Harriman family, written memories of the bridge, and various mementos from the Bridge Authority and the Hudson Valley region as well as letters to the future written by 4th graders in Peekskill. The time capsule will be mounted in the bridge's west anchorage and will be reopened on April 2123. 

The Bear Mountain Bridge was dedicated on November 26, 1924. It was a groundbreaking engineering achievement for its time, being the first vehicular bridge over the Hudson River south of Albany and the first suspension bridge with a concrete deck. 

The twenty-month construction began in the spring of 1923. The success of the inventive methods broke new ground and paved the way for building other suspension bridges, such as the George Washington Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Once opened, the bridge offered users of the increasingly popular automobile a more direct connection to the nearby Bear Mountain State Park, replacing ferryboats that could no longer accommodate the large number of people and cars who wanted to cross the Hudson River.

The New York State Bridge Authority purchased the Bear Mountain Bridge for $2,275,000 on September 26, 1940, lowering the basic passenger car rate from $.80 to $.50 each way. Less than two years later, on January 1, 1942, the toll was lowered to $.35 and then to $.25 each in 1945. 

Starting May 1, 2023, the roundtrip toll will be $1.65 for E-ZPass drivers and $2.15 for Tolls by Mail customers for the over 7 million vehicles crossing the bridge annually. 

"As we celebrate the Centennial Anniversary of the Bear Mountain Bridge," Congressman Mike Lawler says, "we recognize the immense significance this iconic landmark holds for the Lower Hudson Valley. It has been a vital link between the counties of Orange, Rockland, Westchester, and Putnam, connecting communities and fostering economic growth in the Hudson Valley for a century. The Bear Mountain Bridge has truly stood the test of time, and we look forward to many more years of its service to our region."

Photo Credit - Sellery