Skip to Main Content

New York, New York: High Bridge

Tall, decaying chunk of 1848 urban infrastructure, restored and reopened for Manhattan-Bronx foot and bicycle traffic in 2015 after 40 years.

Address:
W 173rd St. (near), New York, NY
Directions:
The bridge is easier to reach from the Manhattan side: use the 163rd Street Amsterdam Ave. subway stop on the C line, head to West 173rd Streets Highbridge Park and its Water Tower Terrace.
Save to My Sights

Visitor Tips and News About High Bridge

Reports and tips from RoadsideAmerica.com visitors and Roadside America mobile tipsters. Some tips may not be verified. Submit your own tip.

High Bridge.

High Bridge

The High Bridge pedestrian walkway linking the Bronx and Manhattan got a new lease on life in June 2015, when it re-opened for pedestrians after some 40 years and $20 million in renovations.

Now being compared to Manhattan's High Line, the High Bridge is definitely worth a visit. On a recent day, a Circle Line boat plied the tidal Harlem River 140 feet below, while a cormorant swam and dived. Plenty of pedestrians strolled the brick deck, taking in the scrappy yet impressive view of the river, roads, railroad tracks and crumbled waterfront.

The bridge is part of the 26-mile Croton Aqueduct, which carried water to the city -- old pipeline is unseen and dormant under the bridge's deck. Today the old route of the aqueduct is a jogging, bike and hiking trail that passes, 22 miles to the north, by Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, yes that Sleepy Hollow, and four miles away, by the allegedly haunted Van Cortlandt Park.

On the Manhattan side of the bridge, a new wooden staircase hugs a steep bluff. Going down is no big deal. Go up if you must, but it would deter even a piano-laden Laurel and Hardy.

[Scott Berman, 06/29/2015]

Nearby Offbeat Places

Little Red LighthouseLittle Red Lighthouse, New York, NY - < 1 mi.
Hall of Fame for Great AmericansHall of Fame for Great Americans, Bronx, NY - 2 mi.
J Lo MuralJ Lo Mural, Bronx, NY - 2 mi.
In the region:
Nixon's Guardhouse, Saddle River, NJ - 16 mi.

Latest Tips Across Roadside America

Catch up on the latest discoveries from the road.

Explore Thousands of Oddball Tourist Attractions!

Unique destinations in the U.S. and Canada are our special obsession. Use our attraction recommendation and maps to plan your next road trip.

My Sights

My Sights on Roadside America

Save Cool Vacation Destinations! ...Try My Sights

Mobile Apps

Roadside America app: iPhone, iPad Roadside America app for iPhone, iPad. On-route maps, 1,000s of photos, special research targets! ...More

Roadside Presidents app: iPhone, iPad Roadside Presidents app for iPhone, iPad. POTUS landmarks, oddities. ...More

New York Latest Tips and Stories

Latest Visitor Tips

Sight of the Week

Sight of the Week

JFK's World Famous Twine Ball, Highland, Wisconsin (Mar 18-24, 2024)

SotW Archive

USA and Canada Tips and Stories

More Sightings

Favorite Quirky City Sights