Press Release
August 19, 2014
Randy Simons
Dan Keefe
(518) 486-1868
Walkway Over the Hudson Waterfront Elevator to Be Serviced This Week
New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation announced today that the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park waterfront elevator will be serviced this week and will not be open to the general public. It is expected that the elevator will periodically be taken out of service for routine maintenance and monitoring throughout the initial schedule of operations.
Since opening last week, nearly 2000 visitors have taken a ride aboard the waterfront elevator, which connects the heavily visited Walkway State Historic Park to the Poughkeepsie waterfront. The average capacity for each ride is between 15-18 persons with a round-trip ride lasting one minute and 20 seconds. State Parks will issue regular maintenance announcements on when the elevator is being serviced so that visitors can plan accordingly.
The elevator is expected to resume operation on Saturday, August 23 in time for the busy summer weekend.
"This is an outdoor elevator unique to our state park system. The effect of busy weekends, weather, and regular wear and tear will all be closely monitored during the early part of the elevator's life," said State Parks Regional Director Linda Cooper. "We've already received tremendous feedback on the elevator and like all things we love, we need to properly take care of it to ensure it will be with us for a very long time."
The waterfront elevator provides a direct connection from the elevated park to the Hudson River shoreline, including Waryas Park and the new Upper Landing Park, and facilitates tourism by providing more direct access to the Poughkeepsie train station and easier access to the park for persons with disabilities. The $2.8 million construction project was funded primarily by a $2.4 million federal Transportation Enhancement Program (TEP) grant and other grants secured by the not-for-profit Walkway Over the Hudson friends group.
A former railroad bridge completed in 1889, Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park opened in 2009 and is now visited by over 700,000 people a year. A 2012 study found that spending by Walkway visitors generated nearly $24 million in sales and supported 383 jobs in Dutchess and Ulster counties.
New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees 180 state parks and 35 historic sites. For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit www.nysparks.com, connect on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.