Wilmington Bridge
NBI Information
Location
State: New York
County: Essex County
Feature Carried: NY-86
Feature Crossed: West Branch Ausable River
Latitude, Longitude: 44.3891,-73.8178
Toll: On free road
Maintenance Responsibility: State Highway Agency
Structure Open, Posted, or Closed to Traffic: Open, no restriction
History
Year Built: 1935
Historical Significance: Bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Year Reconstructed: 2014
Picture Date: July 17, 2026
Geometry
Lanes on Structure: 2
Lanes under Structure: 0
Skew: 0 degrees
Number of Main Spans: 2
Main Structure Type: Frame
Main Structure Material: Concrete Continuous
Number of Approach Spans: None
Approach Structure Type: None
Approach Structure Material: None
Condition
Inspection Date: July 2023
Deck Condition: Not Applicable
Superstructure Condition: Excellent
Substructure Condition: Good
Channel Condition: Excellent
Culvert: Not Applicable
NBI Year: 2025
Bridge Information
The Wilmington Bridge is a concrete arch bridge which is faced in stone. It was built in 2015 and was designed to mimic the original bridge at this location.
The previous bridge was built from 1934 to 1935. It was a concrete bridge faced with anorthosite (granite), which was excavated during the construction of the nearby Whiteface Memorial Highway. The first documented bridge at this location was a wooden and steel truss bridge built in the 1890’s. This was replaced with a more substantial steel lenticular truss bridge at some point in the early 1900’s.
References
“The Wilmington Bridge.” The Historical Marker Database, https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=147455. Accessed 22 Sept. 2026.
Wilmington, NY History: The Wilmington Bridge. 11 Feb. 2019, http://crepuscularthad.blogspot.com/2019/02/wilmington-ny-history.html. Accessed 22 Sept. 2026.
