Rosendale Trestle

Rosendale Trestle
The trestle, photographed in April 2011
The trestle in April 2011
Coordinates41°50′36″N 74°05′18″W / 41.84333°N 74.08833°W / 41.84333; -74.08833
CarriesWallkill Valley Rail Trail, formerly Wallkill Valley Railroad
Crosses
LocaleRosendale, New York, United States
Characteristics
DesignPost truss[1]
MaterialSteel
Total length940 feet (290 m)[2]
Width6 ft (1,829 mm) (broad gauge)[1]
No. of spans9
Clearance below150 feet (46 m) above the water[3]
History
Constructed by
Fabrication byCarnegie Steel Company
Construction start1870
Construction end1872
InauguratedApril 6, 1872
Location
Map
The original Wallkill Valley rail line, stretching from Montgomery to Kingston

The Rosendale Trestle is a 940-foot (290-meter) continuous truss bridge and former railroad trestle in Rosendale Village, a hamlet in the town of Rosendale in Ulster County, New York. Originally constructed by the Wallkill Valley Railroad to continue its rail line from New Paltz to Kingston, the bridge rises 150 ft (46 m) above Rondout Creek, spanning both Route 213 and the former Delaware and Hudson Canal. Construction on the trestle began in late 1870, and continued until early 1872. When it opened to rail traffic on April 6, 1872, the Rosendale trestle was the highest span bridge in the United States.

The trestle was rebuilt in 1895 by the King Bridge Company to address public concerns regarding its stability, and it has been repeatedly reinforced throughout its existence. Concern over the sturdiness of the trestle has persisted since its opening, and was a major reason Conrail closed the Wallkill Valley rail line in 1977. After the rail line's closure, Conrail sold the bridge in 1986 for one dollar to John E. Rahl, a private area businessman, who tried unsuccessfully to operate the trestle as a bungee jumping platform in the 1990s. A similar attempt was made the following decade. The trestle was seized by the county in 2009 for tax nonpayment, and renovated as a pedestrian walkway for the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail. The deck and railings now continue all the way across the trestle, and access is from a parking lot about 14 mile (400 meters) north on Binnewater Road. It opened to the public with a celebration on June 29, 2013.

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference documents was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference ny299-plan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Mabee 1995, pp. 18–20.