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| Kingston Bridge Opens |
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Originally scheduled to open in November of 1956, construction delays caused the dedication to be pushed back several months. In February 1957, the bridge was opened before it was fully completed as a convenience to industrial workers who needed the facility after the river froze and the ferry couldn't run. On February 2nd at noon, Nancy Ruth Heppner, daughter of Bridge Authority member Ernest Heppner, cut the ceremonial ribbon on the west shore. Governor Harriman, the principal speaker at the |
| informal opening, then stepped into the lead car of a ceremonial 2-mile caravan. More than 500 spectators stood in the chill air to watch the ceremony, and many more waited in long lines on the approaches to cross the new bridge for free before the Bridge Authority began collecting tolls at 4 p.m. | |
| At the time, temporary frame toll booths were used to collect fares, since permanent toll booths would not be built until the spring. 12 x 12 inch timbers were used to mark off the unfinished area where the permanent booths would be. Neither the garage nor the administration building was finished. On half of the bridge itself, huge timbers were set as temporary curbs until it was warm enough to pour cement for curbs and walkways. | |
| On May 11 there were formal dedication ceremonies for the completed Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge. Dedication ceremonies took place next to the bridge on the western shore, and included speeches by Governor Harriman and another motorcade across the span. Local and state elected officials also attended the festivities. |  |
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The first 200 vehicles to cross the newly-opened bridge were given commemorative certificates. They entitled the bearer to one free crossing on the bridge within the first 30 days after the bridge opened. |
| The ferry, one of the oldest in the country, had stopped running with the bridge opening in February. | |
| On May 16, the Bridge Authority let a contract for $1.3 million to construct a roadway between Rt. 32 and Rt. 9W on the west side of the bridge. By October the toll booths and canopy, administration building and maintenance garage were complete. | |
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