Department of Transportation

Socio-Economic/Cultural Resources/Environmental Process

In 1999, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), in coordination with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the New York State Historic Preservation Office (NYSHPO), initiated a statewide inventory of historic bridges. The three-year project updates a previous inventory of pre-1925 bridges conducted in the 1980s. The scope of the current inventory includes bridges built prior to 1961 that are located on public highways, including both state and locally-owned bridges. As a result of this effort, over 6,600 bridges were evaluated for eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. A total statewide population of nearly 600 historic bridges has been identified.

The following documents were prepared as part of the Historic Bridge Inventory project:

• Contextual Study of New York State's Pre-1961 Bridges, November 1999
  The contextual study establishes a framework for understanding the historic and engineering significance of New York's bridges. The study includes an overview of national trends in bridge engineering, the history of bridge design and construction in New York State, and the development of New York's transportation networks.
• Evaluation of National Register Eligibility, January 2002
  The evaluation report presents background information on the purpose and scope of the inventory, chronology of project activities, evaluation criteria, and methodology for evaluating National Register eligibility. Recommendations for bridges selected for field survey are discussed within the context of bridge type.
• Historic Bridge Management Plan, September 2002
  The Management Plan presents practices and recommendations consistent with the needs of transportation and preservation, that NYSDOT and other bridge owners can apply to their historic bridges.
• Historic Bridges of New York, December 2002
  This informational brochure features a sample of historic bridges across the state, highlighting NYSDOT's stewardship role in managing these historic resources.