Long-distance hikers and day-trippers alike will enjoy a new bridge along the Appalachian Trail at Harriman State Park, thanks to a partnership between the Open Space Institute (OSI), cadets from the United States Military Academy at West Point, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (State Parks), and the Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC).
The 34-foot-long steel bridge was constructed as part of a senior-year capstone project by a team of five civil engineering cadets with support from three faculty advisors.
Located near where the Appalachian Trail crosses Seven Lakes Drive, the new pedestrian bridge features safety upgrades, including level wood decking over steel girders, decorative handrails, concrete abutments and stone armor to minimize streambank disturbance and erosion.
In addition, the bridge is nearly two feet higher than the previous version to accommodate seasonal flooding.
OSI’s collaboration with West Point provides the cadets with hands-on design and expeditionary construction experience as they pursue their civil engineering degrees and train for military careers, while creating or replacing infrastructure within New York’s state parks.
“For the eighth consecutive year, the cadets have produced an innovatively designed bridge that enhances public access to nature,” said Peter Karis, OSI’s vice president of parks and stewardship.
“I’m so pleased to continue this wonderful tradition that enables cadets to engage in hard-core design and construction work in a remote environment while at the same time supporting the communities that surround West Point,” said Led Klosky, a Professor of Civil Engineering and the Dean’s Executive Agent for Design and Construction at West Point. “Innovation, stakeholder engagement, in-depth design calculations, challenging construction operations – this project is the whole package and delivers an exceptional developmental experience for future Army officers. The cherry on top is that this year’s bridge is truly beautiful.”
Each bridge built by the cadets has a distinct style inspired by the landscape. This year, the design features an elegant, asymmetrical curved railing evocative of the Appalachian Mountain range.
The bridge also incorporates a prominent “AT” design in the reinforcing steel plates mounted to the railing posts. The project included environmental and engineering analyses, design, and construction of the bridge and its concrete foundation.
This year, OSI also contracted with the Jolly Rovers, an all-volunteer trail building crew, to enhance the project by installing stone steps on both sides of the bridge.
Over the past eight years, OSI has contributed more than $125,000 toward cadet-built pedestrian bridges in state parks.
Donations from community partners have also played a vital role in the collaboration’s success. This year, two community leaders stepped in to support the project with in-kind donations of materials: John Bernauer, President of Industrial Services Enterprises donated steel, and Teodor Badea, President of Ted Badea, Incorporated donated lumber.
OSI’s ongoing connection with West Point has yielded nine trail bridges over eight years. This year’s bridge is the second replacement to be completed at Harriman State Park.
Projects have also been accomplished at Schunnemunk State Park, and five bridge replacements were completed along the School Mountain Road section of the Hubbard Perkins Loop Trail at Fahnestock State Park. A tenth cadet bridge that predates the OSI partnership is located near the residence on Bannerman Island.
OSI has worked to expand and improve Harriman State Park for several decades, adding more than 2,400 acres to the park itself, as well as conserving land for wildlife habitat and recreational connectivity between Harriman and Sterling Forest State Park, which was originally saved by OSI in the 1990s.
Illustration: Harriman State Park’s Appalachian Trail West Point Cadet-built bridge, 2025 (Bill Amos photo courtesy of the Open Space Institute).
Source link
