Expand Hours On High Bridge Connecting Wash Heights, Bronx: Pols Say

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — Uptown elected officials are pushing to expand the hours of a bridge that lets pedestrians and bikers travel from Washington Heights to The Bronx.

The High Bridge, connecting Washington Heights to Highbridge in The Bronx, is the city's oldest standing bridge. It is also the only crossing bridge between the boroughs that is car-free, specifically made for pedestrians and cyclists.

The bridge is currently open until 7 p.m. during the winter months and until 8 p.m. during the spring months, however, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, uptown Council Member Carmen De La Rosa, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson and Bronx Council Member Althea Stevens want to see those hours extended.

Specifically, the four elected officials from both sides of the bridge penned a letter to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation asking for the bridge's hours to get extended to 10 p.m. year-round.

"The High Bridge serves as a crucial connector between Manhattan and the Bronx and is the only crossing between the boroughs that is car-free, offering premier access for pedestrians and cyclists," reads the letter. "We do not place hourly limits on other transportation infrastructure, and should expand the hours of operation on the High Bridge year-round to increase access between the two boroughs to utilize this bridge not only as premier public space but also as a crucial transportation link."

"We thank the elected officials for their advocacy on this matter—we are reviewing the recommendations put forth in their letter," a spokesperson for the Parks Department told Patch.

The entrance to High Bridge from the Washington Heights side is at West 172nd Street and Amsterdam Avenue, while the entrance on the Bronx side is at University Avenue and 170th Street.

The bridge first opened in 1848 to carry the aqueduct across the Harlem River, and its walkway was completed in 1864.

After the construction of the Major Deegan Expressway in 1956 and the Harlem River rive in 1964, public use of the waterfront diminished. In the 1970s, public access to the bridge was then discontinued.

Over the following decades, local pressure grew for the city to reopen the bridge, and in 2012 the bridge began to be rehabilitated. It was reopened in 2015.

You can find out more about High Bridge on the Park's Department website.