The New Bridge on the Hubbard Perkins Loop in Cold Spring is a Site to Behold
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
By Paula Andros
Those of us who regularly walk or bike the path from Hubbard Lodge have been watching an astonishing month-long process of preparing the site and building a new bridge at the first divergence of the School Mountain Trail near Cold Spring.
With just a mini excavator and cables attached to trees, this 13,000-pound bridge was lifted in two sections using only hand power. Placed on prepared cement platforms, the sections were carefully aligned and then secured with beams and trusses. Not a single tree was cut in the process.
The new bridge on the Hubbard Perkins Loop Trail is the last phase of a multiyear restoration project, funded by the Open Space Institute and a consortium of private and public entities, including the Freeman Foundation, Friends of Fahnestock and Hudson Highlands State Parks, the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and private donors, that was six or seven years in planning.
The experienced team at Tahawus Trails based in Accord, N.Y. in Ulster County, widened the banks of the stream and stabilized the slope before creating the resting platforms. Like playing with a gigantic erector set, they pieced together the many parts of the side railings and lifted each from the ground using a “high-line” system of cables, which had been attached to trees on either side of the stream by climbers. Using pulleys and winches, the team placed the rails parallel to one another.
Next, support beams were placed under the railings and trusses were added to give the bridge support. The team had to clip themselves to the cable as they worked so as not to fall into the stream. The bridge material is a moss green fiberglass reinforced polymer, and though perhaps not as elegant as the wooden bridges constructed by West Point cadets, it answers the challenge of the 65-foot span. It truly looks like it is here to stay.
As days of construction passed, the faces of Eddie Walsh and Aaron Chute became familiar to us all, along with other workers, all of whom enthusiastically explained their process and plan. We “Hubbard regulars” looked forward to seeing our new friends and their progress.
Many will remember the previous bridge, with its large rectangular iron platform, washed away in one of the great storms. The iron pieces rested by the stream for years but are now finally gone.
After the loss of that bridge, the park placed a pair of iron beams just above water level, and these worked satisfactorily for most of us, except after storms when they were temporarily under water or when we hikers lost our balance! There was even a case of a small dog falling from the beam and getting stuck underneath. The new bridge makes a safe and easy crossing for all, and when spring comes the moss green beams will blend nicely with the vegetation.
We are so lucky to live in a community that values our access to nature. We should all give thanks to our parks department that cares for so many beautiful Philipstown acres.
Paula Andros is a Garrison resident.
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