Although original plans called for a four-lane bridge, funding difficulties resulted in the reduction in lanes. This span was designed by Modjeski & Masters and constructed by Frederick Snare, Drave, and Bethlehem Steel. The bridge originally carried NY 52 traffic, which was light, but the construction of Interstate 84 pushed the bridge over capacity, and planning for additional capacity began in 1972. After considering double-decking the decision was taken by NYSBA to add a second parallel span south of the original. The original span is made of steel that requires regular painting, however, the newer span is made of "rusting" steel, which surface corrodes to a brown color and does not need painting since the corrosion is only on the surface. On November 1, 1980, this second, parallel span, also designed by Modjeski & Masters but constructed by the American Bridge Company, was opened to traffic. The original span was closed for renovation, to add a lane and to paint it brown to match the color of the new span, from December 1980 to June 1984. In 1997, the bridge was officially renamed the Hamilton Fish Newburgh–Beacon Bridge, although it is commonly referred to by its original name. Road dimensions:
The westbound bridge opened in 1963, carrying one lane of traffic in each direction. Today it accommodates three travel lanes and has no permanent shoulders. Variable lane-use signs allow the right lane to be designated as a breakdown lane at night and off-peak travel times. When the right lane is being used as a shoulder, a red X appears on the signs above it, while a green arrow illuminates when the lane is used for travel during peak times.
The newer eastbound span was built with three travel lanes, a right shoulder, a left shoulder and a pedestrian sidewalk separated from the roadway by a concrete barrier. Because the eastbound span was built with shoulders, there is no need to reduce the travel lanes to two during off-peak times.
The span provides connections to the New York State Thruway and U.S. Route 9W in Newburgh and US 9 in Fishkill. The bridges includes a cantilever span, with a main span of and side spans of. The total length of all spans and approaches is for the north span and for the south span. The bridges, owned by the New York State Bridge Authority, carry six lanes of traffic and approximately 65,000 vehicles per day. Eastbound passenger vehicles are charged a toll of $1.75 to cross the span. The toll plaza is located on the eastern shore. Originally, tolls were collected in both directions. In August 1970, the toll was abolished for westbound drivers, and at the same time, eastbound drivers saw their tolls doubled. The tolls of eleven other New York–New Jersey and Hudson River crossings along a stretch, from the Outerbridge Crossing in the south to the Rip Van Winkle Bridge in the north, were also changed to eastbound-only at that time.
Awards, records, and trivia
The original bridge won the 1965 American Institute of Steel Construction "most beautiful bridge" award for long-span bridges. Modjeski & Masters used a curved cantilever, not the more typical peaked cantilever used by the Tappan Zee Bridge and others.
The newer bridge was claimed to be the longest bridge constructed of COR-TEN material when opened.
As of late 2005, the bridge spans are the 19th-longest cantilever spans in the world.
Suicide attempts have become more frequent in the last decade, so officials installed call boxes along the bridge in hopes of reducing them.
The western terminus of the bridge is not in the City of Newburgh, but in the Town of Newburgh. The boundary of the City of Newburgh is less than a hundred yards to the south.
The eastern terminus is within the Limits of the City of Beacon, by a few feet. By the time eastbound motorists have reached the first exit on the east shore, Exit 11, they have passed into the Town of Fishkill.
The pedestrian walkway, open dawn to dusk, is popular with local hikers, joggers, and bicyclists. The Bridge Authority provided two parking lots, just north of the overpass on either side of Grand Avenue on the west side of the bridge. New York State Bicycle Route 17 crosses the Hudson River on the Newburgh–Beacon Bridge.
