Sentry Bridge at Watkins Glen State Park to be Upgraded for the Next Century

Design revealed for replacement of iconic footbridge

Watkins Glen, New York – The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) has revealed the design of a new signature footbridge at the entrance of Watkins Glen State Park. Designed by a team led by the New York-based studios of schlaich bergermann partner (sbp) and Snøhetta, the new Sentry Bridge will replace a historic concrete arch structure with stone veneer cladding created in 1908. It will be the most recent structure in a century-long tradition of pedestrian bridges, tunnels, trails, and lookouts along the popular, waterfall-filled Gorge Trail.

“We are excited to contribute to the next iteration of the Sentry Bridge,” says Michael Stein, Managing Director of sbp. “Given the Sentry Bridge’s importance as an entry point for over a million park visitors a year, our team knew the design needed to be both beautiful and durable. The inspiring collaboration between sbp, Snøhetta, and OPRHP was key to finding design solutions that will create a new enduring park symbol.”

The new Sentry Bridge design is a lightweight evolution of the former arch bridge. The stronger rock of the gorge’s north side will support its stainless-steel structure as it spans across the gorge with a total length of 46 feet, creating a new durable emblem for the park. Alluding to the curved form of the previous bridge, the half-arch design disappears behind the rocks, leading visitors into the park’s mystical Gorge Trail that lies beyond.

Learning from the history of the park, the new Sentry Bridge draws upon previous structures and craftmanship and assembles a construction rooted in both past and future. Craft and labor are celebrated with materials that are direct, unadorned, and welcoming to the marks of moisture and time. Stainless-steel, bronze details, board-form concrete, wood railings, and local stone each reveal the act of making and capture the rich nature and history of the gorge.

Alan Gordon, Architect, and Snøhetta’s Partner-in-Charge of the project offers, “Watkins Glen is a place for the senses. Its storied paths welcome adventurers of all ages to move through woodland stillness and into the roar of rushing water. The new Sentry Bridge will bring these experiences into focus. Careful material transitions will emphasize temperature, texture, and touch at the detail level, and visitors can look forward to stepping from a lofty cantilever to ancient bedrock, beginning their journey up the historic Gorge Trail.”

Although the existing bridge has become a symbol of the park, time and harsh weather have worn away its supporting abutments; a 2022 inspection of the Sentry Bridge found that erosion at the stone abutments had significantly compromised its structural integrity. After carefully studying the site conditions with the design team, OPRHP determined that a full replacement of the Sentry Bridge was needed to address the unstable rock conditions within the gorge. Given the poor condition of the southern abutment, it was important to find a solution where more of the bridge’s load could be carried by the more stable northern abutment. Under normal conditions, the bridge is designed as a single-span girder supported by both abutments. However, in the case of a failure at the southern abutment, the bridge can act as a cantilever, supporting itself solely on the north abutment. The site and user circulation will also be enhanced with a renovation of the north tunnel that leads to the bridge and the spiral tunnel located further down the trail, a reconfiguration of the bridge’s southern landing, and a new, indirect lighting design to highlight the bridge’s silhouette.

Construction sequencing for the bridge was also considered early in the design process due to the bridge’s difficult to access location. The bridge will be fabricated entirely off site and lifted into place in one piece, allowing for a shorter construction duration and less disturbance to the ecologically sensitive site. Creating a shorter construction timeline was also desired by OPRHP to minimize the amount of time the Gorge Trail will be closed to the public.

Demolition of the existing bridge and construction of the new Sentry Bridge will commence in the summer of 2025, with opening of the bridge anticipated prior to July 4, 2026.