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| In 1933 the newly formed Bridge Authority acquired the bridge from the New York State Department of Public Works which had built it. |
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The east approach to the Mid-Hudson Bridge was widened in 1949. The new approach was created to help the flow of rush hour and weekend traffic move more efficiently. One lane was added to the existing two-lane road, and a third toll booth was added. |
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In 1960 the Bridge Authority helped the City of Poughkeepsie buy the rights to land on which the Poughkeepsie Arterial Highway would be built. The new roadway was designed to help traffic between the bridge and Poughkeepsie flow smoothly. The Arterial was opened to traffic in September 1966. |
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The Bridge Authority received a $1.5 million loan from the New York State Legislature in 1965 in order to build a new approach highway and toll plaza on the western side of the bridge, replacing |
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| the eastern toll plaza. The new toll plaza was opened in December 1967, with new electro-mechanical toll collecting equipment that was connected to the accounting system in the headquarters building. | ||
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There was a commemorative ceremony celebrating the bridge's 50th Anniversary on August 24, 1980, at 5 p.m. It was marked by a rededication of the bridge plaque by the son of Gov. Smith, speeches from Town of Poughkeepsie Supervisor Anna Buchholz, Town of Lloyd Supervisor William E. Miller and City of Poughkeepsie Mayor Thomas C. Aposporos, a reception at Barrett House, an antique car parade, and fireworks. |
| In the summer of 1983 a new traffic flow system was tested on the Mid-Hudson Bridge. The normally two-lane roadway was converted to three lanes during rush hour, with two lanes moving in the direction of heaviest traffic. | |
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A deck replacement project was undertaken in 1987-88 to replace the 57 year old roadway. Most work was done during the night, with one lane of traffic moving in alternating directions to keep interruption of traffic to a minimum. The Bridge Authority ensured smooth rush hour traffic flow by threatening monetary penalties for failure to open the bridge in the morning. The contractor, I. & O.A. Slutzky, successfully opened the entire bridge to traffic each morning for rush hour, suffering almost no penalties. | |
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| In order to facilitate work and inspections under the bridge, four travelers were installed just beneath the decking girders in 1997-98. The travelers are large mobile platforms that move at about two miles per hour to allow maintenance, repairs, and inspections of the superstructure. A traveler runs from each shore to the nearest tower, and two run between the towers. | ||
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When Dan Byam of Montgomery crossed the Mid Hudson Bridge on March 31st, 1999, at midnight and handed his commuter ticket to Toll Collector Sue Ellen Eckert, he became the last person to ever use a NYSBA commuter ticket. The commuter ticket is now part of history, having been replaced by the E-ZPass toll collection system. E-ZPass allows motorists to pass through the toll barriers using an electronic tag that transmits information to the toll computers, so travelers don't have to stop at the booths. |
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