Friday, January 18, 2013
For 108 years the Hojack railroad bridge was one of the landmarks of at the mouth of the Genesee River, near the Port of Rochester. Built in 1905 for the New York Central railroad, the swing bridge was designed to connect track on the two side of the river but could rotate 90 degrees to allow boat traffic to pass through. It had been out of use since 1995 and was left in the open position. Starting in 1999 the Coast Guard pursued removal of the bridge and support column because they were hazards to navigation. For a variety of reasons, including a certain amount of public interest in saving the bridge, the demolition order was never carried out. A summary of the struggle to save the bridge can be found here (scroll down below the description of the book and proposed art exhibit.)
Apparently demolition was again pursued in the spring of 2011, but this time very quietly - the news took 6 months to reach the media, and the "Save Our Bridge" found their efforts stonewalled. Demolition of the bridge started in late October last year. Photos of the demolition can be found at the Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad Museum's Facebook page, and some of the most recent photos can be found on the Rochester Subway site.
I must admit to mixed feelings about this... on the one hand, the bridge was a rusting hulk in the middle of the river, and it's unlikely anything would have ever been done with it - the cost to renovate it for some other type of use (even if just decorative) would have been prohibitive (some versions of the story behind the current push to rmove the bridge state that CSX was the driving force, having finally realized they'd save more by no longer paying maintainence and insurance fees on a bridge that they'd never use - for that matter, they probably got a nice price for the scrap metal.) But at the same time there's something compelling about these relics of our past and it makes me a bir sad to see them torn down and thrown away - one more connection with those who came before us gone forever.
I think the biggest surprise was that when I dug through my photos I only had two that showed the bridge in any detail, both shot from a good ways away. I'm usually pretty camera-happy when it comes to relics like this. Only explanation I can offer is the location - the landings where the track came on shore is pretty out out of the way from both Ontario Beach Park and the Genesee Riverway Trail, which is where Ann and I would usually be if we were up by the mouth of the river. So this reinforces what I already knew - get photos when I can, since there's no telling when things will change without warning.
JMH
