The High Bridge, which crosses the Harlem River between Manhattan and the Bronx and used to carry water from upstate, is reopening after more than 40 years. Paul Owen revisits its history in his series Bite of the Apple

Bite of the Apple: New Yorkers can stroll once more along the city's oldest bridge

The oldest bridge in New York City will re-open to pedestrians on Tuesday after a gap of more than 40 years.

The High Bridge was completed in 1848 – 35 years before the Brooklyn Bridge – to carry water from the Croton River upstate to two reservoirs in the growing city of New York, crossing the Harlem River between the Bronx and Manhattan at a spot just up from where Yankee Stadium is today.

Nineteenth-century New Yorkers would promenade from Washington Heights to the area that became known as Highbridge along the 114ft-tall bridge much like their modern-day equivalents do today at the High Line in Chelsea, as freshwater gushed towards the city through pipes beneath their feet.

Daredevils would jump from the bridge into the river to demonstrate their bravery, and win fame and notoriety.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The High Bridge today, with the steel span that replaced its central arches in 1927 visible to the left. Photograph: Paul Owen/The Guardian

The bridge was originally composed of 15 stone arches, meant to resemble a Roman aqueduct. But in 1927 the central arches were removed on the orders of the Army Corps of Engineers to allow bigger ships to pass beneath and were replaced by a single utilitarian steel span – resulting in the unusual half-and-half design seen today. The distinctive octagonal High Bridge water tower on the Manhattan side was completed in 1872.

But the bridge stopped carrying water in the mid-1950s, having been replaced by other aqueducts. By about 1970 (the New York Parks Department is not totally sure of the date), it was closed for good.

“At that time, the city lacked the funds and the resources to maintain and patrol the bridge, so it gradually fell into decay before closing due to this lack of interest,” said a Parks spokesperson. Rumours that the bridge was closed because of people throwing stones off it at passing ferries are just that, the Parks Department believes.

In 2006, urged on by activists the Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct, the Parks Department announced a plan to reopen the bridge – a project that eventually cost $61.7m, much of it from former mayor Michael Bloomberg’s PlaNYC scheme to deal with long-term challenges facing the city. It will finally come to fruition on Tuesday, with a celebratory festival to follow on 25 July.

The starting point of the High Bridge on the Manhattan side

The bridge will allow Bronx residents a quick and pleasant route – with the silhouetted towers of Midtown clearly visible to the south – across to the languid Highbridge Park, with its enormous outdoor swimming pool, baseball field, basketball court and vertiginous views down over the Harlem River. It will be a big improvement on the present walk alongside the cars and trucks thundering over the Washington Bridge.

On Saturday, at the end of the steep set of steps that will join Highbridge Park to the bridge, workmen could be seen putting the finishing touches to the walkway, with its pleasant-looking benches, new brickwork echoing the original design and Victorian-style street lamps.

A large handmade sign had been placed at the bottom of the steps reading: “Thanks for restoring High Bridge”, and then again in Spanish (Washington Heights is mainly Dominican, while Highbridge has a large Puerto Rican population): “Gracias por restaurar High Bridge.”

A city known for its stunning views is about to get one more.