To the Editor:
Walkway Over the Hudson is giving ownership of the Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge to New York State. The artifacts on top of the bridge are being scrapped and the rehabilitation plan does not contain a museum for showcasing railroad, bridge or walkway history.
Recently, Sen. Charles Schumer stood on the bridge’s viewing platform and gave Walkway a White House American flag. Was he told the names of volunteers who, with ingenuity, dedication and commitment, built the platform he stood on? Was he told how “Highland” came to be added to the bridge’s name?
On the top of the bridge, the historical artifacts of railroad, bridge and walkway history are being discarded. Not a rail, a post, a rail expansion joint, a tie, nor a spike is being archived for a museum. Being able to provide visitors with an experience of what the bridge is like now is the way to show how the project has advanced.
The plan expects 250,000 visitors to the walkway each year, yet, decades after their inception, even without a view, the Roosevelt/Vanderbilt Estates have over 500,000 yearly visitors because they have museums filled with the artifacts and records of history. Historical museums would change the walkway from a thrill ride with a view to a completely fulfilling experience.
Local initiative created Walkway Over the Hudson. Keeping ownership local is the key to future improvements; otherwise, we will be as ineffective as we have been to modify the roundabouts on Raymond or the closures on the Taconic.
William Sepe
Poughkeepsie