New York Central Railroad 69th Street Transfer Bridge | |
 69th Street Transfer Bridge, February 2012 | |
| Location | Hudson River W of the West Side Highway bet. West 66th and 70th streets, Manhattan, New York City, New York State |
|---|---|
| Built | 1911 |
| NRHP reference No. | 03000577 |
| NYSRHP No. | 06101.007750 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | June 26, 2003 |
| Designated NYSRHP | March 25, 2003 |
The 69th Street Transfer Bridge, part of the West Side Line of the New York Central Railroad, was a dock for car floats which allowed the transfer of railroad cars from the rail line to car floats which crossed the Hudson River to the Weehawken Yards in New Jersey. Its innovative linkspan design kept the boxcars from falling into the river while being loaded. [1]
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The transfer bridge was constructed in 1911 based on an innovative design by James B. French that allowed cargo to be rapidly loaded and unloaded. [2]
After it fell into disuse, it was in danger of being torn down and removed, but around the year 2000, during renovations of Riverside Park, following the example of Gantry Plaza State Park, it became a prominent feature of the park. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. [3]
Similar facilities are in use between 65th Street Yard in Brooklyn and Greenville Yard in Jersey City by the New York New Jersey Rail, LLC, which still operates car floats across Upper New York Bay.
As of October 2014 [update] , the New York City Department of Parks is in the design phase of a project to reconstruct, restore and adaptively reuse the 69th Street Transfer Bridge. [4]
