After standing for more than 100 years over the Wallkill River, the Wallkill Bridge was closed this past summer for a huge overhaul. As you can imagine, the traffic it has had to carry has changed dramatically over the past 100 years and it just wasn't working anymore.

During the several months of its closure, the bridge had a great deal of work done on it and is now up to today's standards with wider lanes, better lighting, and sidewalks that are not only better for safer pedestrian use, but they also now comply with the ADA.

Ulster County Executive Mike Hein, along with other local dignitaries, officially opened the bridge on Bruyn Turnpike in the Hamlet of Wallkill earlier this week. In November, the Ulster County legislature voted to rename the bridge in honor of Stewart Cromwell, a dedicated teacher and community member whose grandfather had been the first person to walk across the original bridge.

There will be a formal dedication ceremony this spring.

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