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The idea for the Mid-Hudson Bridge was introduced to the New York Legislature by J. Griswold Webb & John M. Hackett in 1923.  At the time, the Bear Mountain Bridge was the only span across the Hudson south of Albany.  In June of 1923 the legislation for the

bridge was signed by Governor Alfred E. Smith.  $200,000 was appropriated to provide surveys, plans, specifications, and other preliminary work.  The task of constructing the span was given to the New York State Department of Public Works, and the design and construction of the bridge was awarded to the team of Modjeski & Moran.  Ralph Modjeski, one of the most distinguished bridge designers in America in the early 20th Century, designed the span.  Modjeski was familiar with the site, since in 1907 he had been charged with strengthening the nearby Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge, which was one of the largest railroad bridges in America when it was built in 1888.

The gothic design of the span has brought it national recognition.  It has been described as "superbly beautiful...the span is one of the very finest American suspension bridges," by Daniel Plowden in his 1974 book Bridges.  When it opened, the bridge won recognition as the most beautiful suspension bridge in this part of the country.  Then in 1983 it was honored by the American Society of Civil Engineers as a New York State Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.  

Construction began in May 1925, and the cornerstone was laid on October 9th of that year.  The ceremony took place in unrelenting rain, but this did not deter Governor Smith and thousands of local spectators from attending.  
The contract for the river piers was let to the Blasklee-Rollins Corp.  The piers were built atop huge 200,000 pound U-shaped concrete blocks called caissons.  These are set into the riverbed with the open end facing straight down, and then the dirt beneath is dug out as weight is put on top of the caisson to push it into the riverbed until it hits solid rock.  Unlike newer bridges that use clam-shell buckets from above water-level to dig out the flooring, Mid-Hudson was built using manned caissons.  Men would get into the pressurized cavity of the caisson and slowly remove the earth with pick axes and shovels.  The dirt and the men would leave the caisson through an airlock that ran from the top of the caisson to the work chamber.  The bridge progress was 
delayed for over a year when on July 27, 1927, a severe tilt developed in the east caisson.   84 feet below the water, the structure was slowly shifted back to perpendicular with pulleys and dredging over the course of two years, at the rate of 18 inches per day.  
The decking of the bridge, before the roadway was laid. The superstructure was begun in April, 1929, by the American Bridge Company.  Construction proceeded smoothly until it was completed 16 months later.  The total cost of the bridge was just under six million dollars.  The current replacement value of the bridge stands at nearly 30 times that, which is approximately $175 million.
The bridge was officially opened on August 25, 1930.  The celebration was attended by Governor and Mrs. Roosevelt, former Gov. Smith, and Poughkeepsie Mayor Lovelace.
 There was a parade at 2:15 p.m, followed by an official dedication ceremony in Union Square.  At 5:30 Mrs. Smith cut the ribbon on the east side, and Mrs. Roosevelt the ribbon on the west side.  An auto procession started from both sides and met in the middle to exchange greetings.   There was also a clambake, concert music, a block dance, and fireworks were set off from Eastman Park that night.  During the first day, 12,000 automobiles and 30,000 pedestrians crossed the new bridge for free.

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