Harlem River Lift Bridge to receive $47.2M overhaul

The bridge opened to commuter trains back in 1954

The Harlem Lift Bridge
The Harlem Lift Bridge

At 60 years old, the Harlem River Lift Bridge, which eased the commutes of millions of suburbanites when it opened in 1954, is getting a $47.2 million face-lift.

The bridge is getting a top-to-bottom overhaul, including new cables to raise and lower the 340-foot-long track sections, an electrical control system, new wiring and new power-supply equipment for the third rail on the tracks, according to the New York Times.

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The work, which is scheduled to wrap up mid-March 2015, will not stop trains. However, as the bridge continues to host 700 Metro-North trains a day, it will be locked in the “down” position 25 feet above the water.

Ships taller than 25 feet will have to sail to their destinations by an alternative route. [NYT]Christopher Cameron