The bridge, situated over the Hudson River is beautiful. It allows visitors to see the surrounding town (including Marist College), the amazing scenery, and of course the Hudson River. The bridge, 1.5 miles in each direction, is the perfect place for walkers, joggers, bike riders, scooter riders, dog walkers, everyone. When you get up there, you will see this collection of people enjoying the gorgeous scenery.
As you traverse across the Walkway Over the Hudson, there are plaques to read about the wildlife in the area, historic Poughkeepsie, its original use as a train bridge, etc. There is also a food truck at the beginning of the bridge so you can get food and drinks for your walk or after you finish your run. If, as a Poughkeepsie resident, you haven't been to the bridge, I highly encourage everyone to go. And since it's free, there's no reason not to make time to visit.
Here are some additional fun facts about the Walkway from their brochure:
- At 6,767 feet Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park is the world's longest, elevated pedestrian bridge.
- The Walkway soars 212 feet above the Hudson River and continues 130 feet below the river's surface to compacted gravel.
- Walkway State Park's deck is comprised of 973 prefabricated concrete panels, each weighing up to 15 tons.
- A series of LED-filled tubes provide lighting for occasional night-time use. More than 81,000 light-emitting diodes use less than $1.80 an hour of electricity.
- It's estimated that nearly 1 million rivets are used to hold the 20,000 tons of steel together. Each of the 4 river piers contains 40,000 tons of timber, stone and concrete.
