Cochecton–Damascus Bridge, Steel bridge across Delaware River between New York and Pennsylvania.
The Cochecton-Damascus Bridge is a steel structure spanning the Delaware River and linking Sullivan County in New York with Wayne County in Pennsylvania. It carries Pennsylvania Route 371 and Sullivan County Route 114, serving as a direct road connection between the two states.
Ferries under royal charter crossed here before 1817, when construction began on a 550-foot wooden bridge that opened in 1819 with a single midriver pier; military crossers were toll-exempt after the War of 1812. That bridge soon collapsed, and a sturdier replacement followed in 1821. A private toll bridge built later in the 19th century proved stable and was eventually bought by a joint commission of both states, which abolished the toll. The current steel bridge dates from 1950.
The bridge represents a critical connection between communities in New York and Pennsylvania, facilitating regular movement of residents between the two states.
The bridge carries a two-lane asphalt roadway 26 feet wide, with a pedestrian walkway on the upstream side. Northbound traffic from State Route 97 is directed onto Cochecton Road a mile south of the hamlet; southbound drivers turn onto County Route 114. On the Pennsylvania side, Route 371 meets River Road just past the span, and a public boat launch sits by the beach at Beaverdam Creek.
The first bridge here, a 550-foot wooden structure on a single midriver pier, opened in 1819; after the War of 1812, soldiers crossed it toll-free. It soon collapsed into the Delaware and ferries ran again until a sturdier replacement was built in 1821. The current 1950 truss has a pedestrian walkway on the upstream side.
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