Macomb’s Dam Bridge
Macomb’s Dam Bridge, 1900s
Then
The story of Macomb’s Dam Bridge goes back to 1814-16, when Robert Macomb built a dam across the Harlem River; the dam had a bridge over it and a small lock for boat passage. The lock was filled in with stone in the 1820s, rendering it nearly impassable. Lewis G. Morris stepped in to help local citizens. Several times in 1838, Morris took a small boat and requested passage from the bridge tender; he was always denied. He arranged for a coal shipment, and when he was again denied, 100 of the boat’s crew ripped down enough of the dam to allow the boat through.
In 1861, after the removal of the dam, a wooden Central Bridge was completed; Lewis G. Morris was one of its commissioners. It was replaced by a wooden “A” frame in 1877; the approaches were replaced with iron in 1883. The current steel swing bridge was engineered by Alfred P. Boller and opened on May 1, 1895 to no particular ceremony.
Macomb’s Dam Bridge, 2012
Now
Initially Boller’s bridge was also named the Central Bridge, but its name was officially changed to Macomb’s Dam Bridge in 1902. The IRT ran trolley service ran over the bridge from 1907 to 1918, when the trolleys went out of service. They were replaced by the Ninth Avenue Elevated line, which ran over the Sedgwick Avenue Bridge (also known as the Putnam Bridge); it ran parallel to Macomb’s Dam and was torn down in the 1960s.
While the appearance of the bridge has not changed much, a major rehabilitation project began in 1999 and lasted through 2004. The overall structure was repaired and repainted, the decks were replaced, the draw mechanism’s electrical system refurbished, and trusswork over Metro-North, CSX, the Major Deegan Expressway, and the Harlem River Drive was replaced. More information about the bridge can be found at bridgesnyc.com.