Planning Plans for the construction of a new bridge across the Hudson River connecting to
Hoosick Street in Troy were proposed in 1954 as part of a system of new arterials in the cities of Troy,
Watervliet and
Cohoes, which was designed to alleviate traffic congestion in the area through 1970. At the time, as much of 60 percent of the vehicles on NY 7 passing through Troy were out-of-town through traffic. A subsequent study of vehicles crossing the Hudson River in the 1970s showed that approximately 50 percent of traffic using the
Green Island Bridge and approximately 25 percent of the traffic using the
Congress Street Bridge were traveling to/from Hoosick Street or points north of Troy. The proposed span across the Hudson River was approved as part of the
Interstate Highway System in 1957. On August 15, 1962, a public hearing on the proposed north-south highway along the west bank of the river (now I-787), which would run from
Albany to the intersection of Hoosick Street and Eighth Street in Troy. As originally planned, the project would include an interchange near the west end of the new bridge (the Maplewood Interchange) that would provide future access to two other proposed highways:
Alternate Route 7 and a riverfront arterial route to
Waterford (now
NY 787). The Maplewood Interchange was completed in 1972, and the design of the current bridge began that same year as the final portion of I-787. One of the options was developed in consultation with the planners of the
Uncle Sam Mall and involved a relocation of Sixth Avenue between Hoosick and Jacob streets using a portion of an abandoned railroad right-of-way; A bus garage for the
Capital District Transportation Authority was planned to abut the south side of the bridge near Sixth Avenue, which would serve as a buffer to the adjacent neighborhood. Overall, the alternatives for the bridge were projected to displace about 30 to 40 existing businesses and anywhere from 135 to 213 existing families, depending on the option selected. The EIS for the Hoosick Street Bridge was completed in 1976—the first such document prepared by NYSDOT under the
National Environmental Policy Act—and the project was approved by the
Federal Highway Administration in April of that same year. However, a coalition of 10 individuals and organizations filed a lawsuit in May 1976, claiming that the EIS was inadequate.
Construction and opening Bids for the first phase of construction of the Hoosick Street Bridge were opened on March 24, 1977. NYSDOT had originally planned to hold off on awarding the bid until April 6, 1977, which was later pushed back to May 7, 1977 due to the ongoing litigation. a groundbreaking ceremony for the new span was held on July 20, 1977, although by that time preliminary work on the new structure had already begun. To speed up the completion of the bridge, construction of the span had been split into three separate contracts: river
piers, the segment of the span from Green Island to River Street in Troy, and the remaining section of the bridge in Troy including the associated relocation/reconstruction of local streets. The bridge's official name, a reference to the City of Troy's nickname, was selected by an elderly couple in nearby
Berlin. Suggestions to name the structure after
Uncle Sam from a bridge naming contest were not selected due to doubts of the authenticity of the legend that the name was derived from Troy resident
Samuel Wilson. The official name of the structure was codified into the description of I-787 in the
Consolidated Laws of New York. When the eight-lane span opened to traffic on August 14, 1980, it became the Hudson River crossing with the second most number of traffic lanes after the
George Washington Bridge. The ribbon cutting for the new structure was performed by the couple that had suggested the bridge's name. It was estimated that 2,000 people attended the opening ceremonies, which included speeches and a parade of antique cars. Troy residents and businesses—including merchants at Troy Plaza on Hoosick Street and the
Uncle Sam Atrium in downtown Troy—were particularly grateful that the new bridge had opened, as the Green Island Bridge located immediately downstream of the Collar City Bridge had been destroyed by a flood in 1977 and the Congress Street Bridge had been overwhelmed with traffic congestion. s for I-787 and NY 7 shown traveling west on the bridge In December 1985, a new
limited-access highway opened between the Maplewood Interchange and Exit 7 of the
Adirondack Northway (I-87) in
Latham. Although
NYSDOT designated the route of the new highway as NY 7 and designated the former section of NY 7 between the Northway and Watervliet as
NY 2, the segment of expressway between I-87 and I-787 is still commonly referred to as "Alternate Route 7". The following year, the history of the Collar City Bridge and Uniting Line project were featured in a documentary film about the bridge titled
Bridging the Divide that premiered on
WMHT-TV. The inclusion of public art in the area below the bridge was a recommendation identified in the 2020 Hoosick Hillside Study. The report also recommended the addition of a
skatepark at Hoosick Street and Fifth Avenue, which was proposed by the city in 2022. ==See also==