New York's High Bridge reopens to bikes, pedestrians

NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York City's oldest standing bridge designed for pedestrians and bicyclists is once again open for the first time in 45 years.

The $61 million renovation of the High Bridge is now complete, spanning the Harlem River and connecting Washington Heights to the Bronx. And fanfare marked the reopening Tuesday, with politicians from both boroughs coming together over the waterway, as people once did more than a century ago.

Unlike most bridges, the High Bridge wasn't built to get people across the river, but water, as it was initially used as an aqueduct that delivered clean water from upstate down to the city. The pipe that carried the water was covered with turf and later brick for people to walk across, but by the late 1960s, it fell out of use.

Ellen MacKnow joined the parks department when the bridge turned 150 years old, and 18 years later, she's thrilled to see it in use again.

The Nievez family is pretty happy that they can now walk from the Bronx to Manhattan, and with the High Bridge pool on the other side, it's something the kids have longed for.

The High Bridge was built in the mid-1800s and was constructed as part of the Croton Aqueduct system. It became a popular promenade that attracted hotels, restaurants and amusement parks to the area, but it all began to wane with construction of the Major Deegan Expressway and the Harlem River Drive.

The bridge was closed in the 1970s, and the $61.8 million restoration began in 2012.

Historic sites near the bridge include Bennett Park, Manhattan's highest point. The Little Red Light House under the George Washington Bridge also is nearby.