The New York Public Library's exhibition of treasures includes several items relating to The Old Croton Aqueduct, including a set of brass keys that once unlocked the Old Croton Reservoir (which once stood on the spot that is now The New York Public Library.)
One effect of the happily welcomed reopening of High Bridge Tower in 2021 was to turn attention to the Old Croton Aqueduct’s High-Service Works, of which the Tower was a part. In fact, some accounts refer to this elegant, octagonal granite structure on the northeast Manhattan skyline as the High-Service Tower.
A Salute to the High Bridge on Fifth Anniversary of Its Re-opening
Time flies! June 9, 2015, was an unforgettable day for High Bridge and Croton Aqueduct fans. On that day five years ago a throng waited eagerly at the Manhattan end of the bridge for the signal to burst upon the gleaming, completely refurbished pedestrian bridge - the centerpiece of the original (“Old”) Croton Aqueduct. New York City Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver presided over the joyous opening ceremonies.
A parking lot that for more than 50 years has blighted a section of the Old Croton Aqueduct trail in Tarrytown is no more. Thanks to State Parks and the Village of Tarrytown, the parking lot - roughly paved, usually unkempt, and often full – has been replaced by a pristine swath of green, with a delineated path and new plantings.
On July 13, excited neighbors, youth groups, “parkies,” and city and state officials attended a groundbreaking for the NYC Parks Department’s $10 million project to renovate Adventure and Sunken playgrounds in Manhattan’s Highbridge Park. Adventure Playground is where the paved path to the Manhattan end of the High Bridge begins; adjacent Sunken Playground provides ADA-compatible access to that path.
A marvelous new attraction opened Wednesday evening, April 14, in the village of Ossining: a concrete walkway that lets visitors stroll in the Sing Sing Kill's rocky gorge, with the stream rushing along beneath it and trees clinging to the sides. The new walkway is ADA-compliant, has steel railings along its full length - which is about one third of a mile. You return the way you came.
Roads & Bridges, a national magazine bringing industry news to engineers and contractors, has selected the High Bridge as one of its 2015 Top 10 bridges http://www.roadsbridges.com/awards/top-10-bridges. These awards “recognize the top projects in North America.” The editorial staff makes its selections from nominations submitted to Roads & Bridges “based on project challenges, impact to region and scope of work.”
