A bridge at this location was proposed as early as 1906, but Spuyten Duyvil residents and other civic groups opposed the bridge, arguing that it would destroy the virgin forest of Inwood Hill Park and bring traffic congestion to Bronx communities.[7][8]Robert Moses preferred the route along the Hudson River because he received the land for the Henry Hudson Parkway for free and used federal labor to build the parkway.[8][9]
The original single-deck structure was built for the Henry Hudson Parkway Authority by the American Bridge Company at a cost of $4.949 million and opened on December 12, 1936.[4][10] The upper level of the bridge was designed to be added at a later date and opened on May 7, 1938.[11] The second deck cost $2 million and was funded by toll revenue.[8] The bridge's construction helped open the Riverdale neighborhood to development.[12]
A rehabilitation project commenced in 2000 and was carried out by Steinman, Boynton, Gronquist and Birdsall, a successor of David B. Steinman's firm. Repairs took place nearly continuously for at least a decade, at a cost of $160 million.[13] The bridge was renovated from late 2017 to late 2020. The $86 million project replaced the last remnants of the original upper and lower decks, reopened the pedestrian and cycling path, eliminated the lower-level toll booth, upgraded roadway lighting, and made seismic improvements.[14]
Tolls
As of August 6, 2023[update], drivers pay $8.25 per car or $4.71 per motorcycle for tolls by mail/non-NYCSC E-Z Pass. E-ZPass users with transponders issued by the New York E‑ZPass Customer Service Center pay $3.18 per car or $2.17 per motorcycle. Mid-Tier NYCSC E-Z Pass users pay $5.04 per car or $3.46 per motorcycle. All E-ZPass users with transponders not issued by the New York E-ZPass CSC will be required to pay Toll-by-mail rates.[15] Starting in February 2024, all drivers who have a Bronx address and a NYCSC E-ZPass have received a 100 percent rebate;[16] Bronx residents are automatically enrolled in the program.[17]
The original toll was 10 cents. In January 2010, the MTA announced that it planned to implement a pilot program on the Henry Hudson Bridge to phase out toll booths and use open road tolling. On January 20, 2011, this toll pilot project got underway.[18][19][20] Drivers without E-ZPass are sent a bill in the mail. The new tolling system was implemented on November 10, 2012, and has since been implemented on all nine MTA crossings.[21]
On November 20, 2016, the tollbooths were dismantled, as drivers were no longer able to pay cash at the bridge. Instead, cameras and E-ZPass readers are mounted on new overhead gantries manufactured by TransCore[22] near where the booths were located.[23][24] A vehicle without E-ZPass has a picture taken of its license plate and a bill for the toll is mailed to its owner.[25] For E-ZPass users, sensors detect their transponders wirelessly.[23][24][25]
^Weingardt, Richard (2005). Engineering Legends: Great American Civil Engineers: 32 Profiles of Inspiration and Achievement. Reston, VA: American Society of Civil Engineers. p. 68. ISBN0-7844-0801-7.
^Reier, Sharon (2000). The Bridges of New York. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications. pp. 132–134. ISBN0-486-41230-X.
^McNamara, John (1984). History in Asphalt: The Origin of Bronx Street and Place Names. Bronx, NY: Bronx County Historical Society. p. 104. ISBN0-941980-16-2.
