High Bridge (New York City)

High Bridge
View of the closed bridge from Highbridge Park in 2008
Coordinates	40°50′32″N 73°55′49″W / 40.842308°N 73.930277°W / 40.842308; -73.930277
Carries	Pedestrians and bicycles
Crosses	Harlem River
Locale	Manhattan and the Bronx, New York City
Owner	City of New York
Maintained by	NYC Parks
Preceded by	Alexander Hamilton Bridge
Followed by	Macombs Dam Bridge
Characteristics
Design	Arch bridge
Total length	1,450 ft (440 m)[1]
Height	140 ft (43 m)[1]
History
Opened	1848 (aqueduct) 1864 (walkway) 2015 (dedicated walkway)
Rebuilt	1927
Closed	1949 (water supply) c.1970–2015
Statistics
High Bridge
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
New York State Register of Historic Places
New York City Landmark No. 0639
NRHP reference No.	72001560
NYSRHP No.	06101.006666
NYCL No.	0639
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	December 4, 1972
Designated NYSRHP	June 23, 1980[2]
Designated NYCL	November 10, 1970
Location

The High Bridge (originally the Aqueduct Bridge) is the oldest bridge in New York City, having originally opened as part of the Croton Aqueduct in 1848 and reopened as a pedestrian walkway in 2015 after being closed for over 45 years. A steel arch bridge with a height of 140 ft (43 m) over the Harlem River, it connects the New York City boroughs of the Bronx and Manhattan. The eastern end is located in the Highbridge section of the Bronx near the western end of West 170th Street, and the western end is located in Highbridge Park in Manhattan, roughly parallel to the end of West 174th Street.^[3]

High Bridge was originally completed in 1848 with 16 individual stone arches. In 1928, the five that spanned the Harlem River were replaced by a single 450-foot (140 m) steel arch. The bridge was closed to all traffic from around 1970 until its restoration, which began in 2009. The bridge was reopened to pedestrians and bicycles on June 9, 2015.

The bridge is operated and maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.