Pelham Bay Bridge

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This article is about the railroad bridge. For the nearby road bridge, see Pelham Bridge.

Pelham Bay Bridge
Hutchinson River Bridge.jpg
Coordinates40°51′48″N 73°49′04″W / 40.8634°N 73.8179°W / 40.8634; -73.8179Coordinates: 40°51′48″N 73°49′04″W / 40.8634°N 73.8179°W / 40.8634; -73.8179[1]
CrossesHutchinson River
LocaleThe Bronx, New York
Official namePelham Bay Bridge
Maintained byAmtrak
Characteristics
DesignBascule bridge, Warren truss
MaterialConcrete, Steel
Longest span81.7 feet (24.9 m)[1][2]
History
DesignerScherzer Rolling Lift Bridge Co., Chicago, Illinois[1]
Opened1907[3]
Location

The Pelham Bay Bridge, also known as the Amtrak Hutchinson River Bridge, is a two-track movable railroad bridge that carries the Northeast Corridor (NEC) over the Hutchinson River in the Bronx, New York, upstream from the vehicular/pedestrian Pelham Bridge. It is owned by Amtrak, which provides passenger service, and is used by CSX Transportation and the Providence & Worcester Railroad for freight traffic.

The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad completed construction of the bridge in 1907. Amtrak partially rehabilitated it in 2009.[4] The bridge is obsolete and requires extensive ongoing maintenance, with speeds restricted to 45 miles per hour (72 km/h). The lift span is manned and required to open on demand; it does so several times per day for commercial boats.[5]

Amtrak plans to replace the bridge with a new high-level fixed bridge with clearance for maritime traffic. Preliminary work began in 2013. MTA's Metro-North Railroad has proposed the Penn Station Access using the bridge for a so-called Hell Gate Line service which would allow some New Haven Line trains to access New York Penn Station.[3][6][7] In January 2019, Amtrak and the MTA reached an agreement regarding Penn Station Access. As part of the deal, the MTA would pay to replace the Pelham Bay Bridge.[8][9]

See also[]

As seen from Pelham Bridge with Coop City in background

References[]

  1. ^ a b c "Amtrak - Hutchinson River Bridge". bridgehunter.com. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  2. ^ Wai-Fah Chen, Lian Duan (1999). Bridge Engineering Handbook. CRC Press. pp. 21–3. ISBN 0849374340.
  3. ^ a b "Pelham Bay Bridge Replacement". Washington, D.C.: Northeast Corridor Commission. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  4. ^ "Amtrak to Begin Major Bridge Project in New York" (PDF) (Press release). New York, NY: Amtrak. November 19, 2009. ATK-09-096.
  5. ^ United States Coast Guard. Drawbridge Operation Regulations. "§117.793. Hutchinson River (Eastchester Creek)." Code of Federal Regulations, 33 CFR 117.793
  6. ^ Steinemann, Jeremy (August 23, 2011). "A 21st Century NEC: The Top Four Failing Bridges that Must Be Replaced". New York, NY: Northeast Alliance for Rail.
  7. ^ Schned, Daniel (January 2014). Getting Back on Track (PDF) (Report). New York, NY: Regional Plan Association. p. 21.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ "Amtrak, Metro-North Reach Deal on Bronx Expansion Plans - New York Public Radio, Podcasts, Live Streaming Radio, News". WNYC. January 22, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  9. ^ "Penn Station Access Project gets green light, will open West Side to Westchester commuters for first time". The Journal News. January 22, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
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