 The Rip Van Winkle Bridge over the Hudson River between Catskill and Greenport was opened to traffic on July 2, 1935; however, NY 23 was not realigned to use the structure until the Athens–Hudson ferry was shut down in the late 1940s.NY 23 utilized modern NY 23B between the bridge and Hudson.In the late 1950s, NY 23 was realigned between the east end of the bridge and Claverack to follow a new, more southerly alignment via Bell Pond.