Bridge Point

"Use extreme caution when approaching the bridge. Radio silence from that outpost leads me to believe it has come under Combine control. Still, you're clearly the right man for the job!"

- Odessa Cubbage

Bridge Point (see below for a note regarding the name) was once a Resistance outpost on the Coast near a large railroad bridge. Its occupants were eliminated by the Combine and Xen wildlife some time before Gordon Freeman's arrival.

Overview


The base consists of three houses, two small sheds and a windmill. The largest of the buildings is three stories tall. All the larger buildings contain beds and other necessary items for living. In the way of New Little Odessa and other Resistance bases, the windmill was possibly used to generate electricity or pump up ground water; however there does not appear to be any infrastructure for either function.

Bridge Point is located right beside an old 2-track train bridge spanning a river which, at Gordon Freeman's time of arrival, is used by the Combine to connect Nova Prospekt and City 17. One track is blocked by a partially derailed train and the Combine has secured the bridge and the tunnels leading to it with Force Fields to prevent unauthorized traffic from crossing. The narrow catwalks and walkways under the bridge have fallen into serious disrepair, presumably from general disuse. The power supply for the Force Fields located on the far side being only seen to be accessible using these walkways, the Combine troops stationed there were probably brought by Dropship.

On the cliff face on which Bridge Point rests upon is a small path which leads to the lower levels of the bridge. It is evident that this pathway, and the catwalks under the bridge, are rarely used, as various Xen wildlife have taken up residence there.

It is evident that Resistance soldiers made use of the base at some point before Gordon Freeman's arrival. However, probably because of its location near an important supply railroad, the Combine Overwatch has eliminated the residents. Now the Combine seem to have no particular use for the base and simply left it abandoned. The other Resistance occupied bases and outposts (such as New Little Odessa and Shorepoint) apparently did not risk attempting to retake the base.

Half-Life 2
During the events of Half-Life 2, Gordon Freeman visits the base in his journey along the Coast to Nova Prospekt. The Combine decided to reinforce the base when Freeman was detected heading that way and two squads are air-dropped in by Combine Dropship right before Freeman reaches the spot. As he must cross the bridge with his Scout Car to proceed, he has to deactivate both Force Fields barring its way. Crossing the bridge on foot by using the catwalks located under it, he succeeds in deactivating the Force Fields protecting the bridge, destroying the Combine Overwatch garrisons located there as well as a Gunship sent as reinforcements by the same occasion. After going back to the main site, he is now able to cross the bridge, but has to narrowly escape a Razor Train coming from the opposite direction.

The Combine probably did not retake the base after this, as their military presence in the area was significantly weakened after the destruction of Nova Prospekt.

Behind the scenes

 * The name "Bridge Point" used on the wiki is not given in any official source; it was merely chosen for more convenience.


 * Early versions of the bridge can be found in the maps " ", " " and " ".


 * In the playable Half-Life 2 Beta, the two maps bear several differences: the bridge is not a railway bridge, but a road bridge; Smart Barriers are used instead of Force Fields; the Combine Dropship is shown holding a placeholder of its final container model; the bridge command building stands above the bridge and not next to it.

Trivia

 * The Razor Train can only be avoided by using the turbo key of the Scout Car. If one does not succeed, death ensues and the game reloads. Another way to avoid the train is to leave the Scout Car in a safe location, and go on the tracks on foot, standing aside from the tracks to avoid the train. When the train is triggered, it won't pass a second time, allowing the player to proceed calmly.

List of appearances

 * Half-Life 2
 * Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar