A major crossing, it carries Interstate 90 in the east–west direction between Albany and Rensselaer Counties.

A patroon was a proprietor of a tract of land in the 17th-century Dutch colony of New Netherland in North America.

There is an estimated 60 feet (18 m) of clearance for shipping on the Hudson River below, which changes with the local tide.

Subsequently, the bridge was deemed safe for the time being, but would need substantial repairs and retrofitting in order to ensure motorist safety, and to extend its useful service life if replacement was found not to be a viable option in the near future.

On May 31, 2016, the New York State Department of Transportation declared that it had completed a $148-million-dollar renovation and rebuild of the bridge.