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| Opening of the New Span | Please be patient while pictures load. |
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The bridge dedication ceremonies for the South Span took place on November 1, 1980, almost exactly 17 years after the dedication of the original bridge. Speakers included U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Deputy Federal Highway |
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| Administrator Alinda C. Burke who came on behalf of the Carter administration, and various representatives of local government and the Bridge Authority. |  |
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To commemorate the opening of the bridge, a 5-mile race was run through Newburgh and across the bridge the morning of November 1st. The winners were Margarete Deckert of LaGrangeville and Bill Rogers from Groton, Connecticut. |
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| The bridge was officially opened with a motorcade of officials and dignitaries, heading over the new span (in the wrong direction) from the Beacon toll plaza to Newburgh and then back. By late afternoon the new bridge was accepting its first commercial eastbound traffic, while the older bridge began handling all westbound vehicles. | |
| In 1981 the Newburgh bicycle & pedestrian crossing opened, only the second to cross a federal interstate. County Executives Lucille Pattison and Louis Heimbach celebrated the opening with a ride across the 1.9-mile span. | |
| The older Newburgh-Beacon Bridge was closed in December of 1980 for strengthening and widening. It was also repainted to match the deep brown rust color of the new bridge's weathering steel. |  |
The northern span was re-opened on June 2, 1984, after a total of 3½ years of work. The ceremony was attended by David C. Briggs of the Federal Highway Administration and John K. Mladinov from the State Dept. of Transportation, along with other dignitaries. |
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