Lincoln Highway Passaic River Bridge

The Lincoln Highway Passaic River Bridge is a vehicular moveable bridge crossing the Passaic River at a point 1.8 mi (2.9 km) from the river mouth at Newark Bay in northeastern New Jersey, United States. The vertical lift bridge, along the route of the Lincoln Highway, carries U.S. Route 1/9 Truck (at milepoint 0.67)[11] and the East Coast Greenway between the Ironbound section of Newark and Kearny Point in Kearny. Opened in 1941, it is owned by and operated by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) and required by the Code of Federal Regulations to open on 4-hour notice for maritime traffic.

Lincoln Highway Bridge
Coordinates40°43′57″N 74°07′05″W / 40.7324°N 74.1180°W / 40.7324; -74.1180
Carries
US 1/9 Truck
East Coast Greenway
CrossesPassaic River
LocaleNewark and Kearny
Other name(s)Route 1&9 Lincoln Highway Bridge
Rte 1&9 Passaic River Bridge
OwnerNew Jersey Department of Transportation
ID number0705151
Characteristics
DesignVertical lift
MaterialSteel
Total length2,005 feet (611 m)
Width52 feet (16 m)
Longest span322.5 feet (98.3 m)
No. of spans18
Clearance above15.9 feet (4.8 m)
Clearance below35 feet (11 m) (mean high water)
40 feet (12 m) (mean low water)
140 feet (43 m) (open position)
History
DesignerAsh, Howard, Needles, and Tamman & Morris Goodkind[1]
Engineering design byFeidinan'd Coyne[2]
Construction start1939
Construction end1940
Construction cost$2,500,000
Opened1941
Location
Map
References
[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]

Location edit

The Lincoln Highway Bridge crosses the Passaic in the vicinity of Kearny Point Reach[12] following the route that was once Newark Plank Road. The east bank at Kearny Point is an industrial and distribution warehouse area. During the first half of the 20th century it was a site of yards of the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company. At its western end there are connections to Raymond Boulevard, US Route 1/9, and the New Jersey Turnpike.

The bridge and its sister, the Lincoln Highway Hackensack River Bridge are important components in the transportation of goods in the Port of New York and New Jersey. Since the nearby Pulaski Skyway prohibits trucks they often use Route 1/9 Truck to serve traffic at Port Newark, Newark Airport, the Holland Tunnel and the numerous intermodal freight transport facilities in the New Jersey Meadowlands. The NJDOT is considering building a new bridge along the alignment of the now defunct PD Draw, the former Newark and New York Railroad bridge at mile point 1.2.[13][14][15] Studies are being conducted as part of an extensive project conceived to facilitate freight transshipment through the port known as Portway. A new bridge could include a rail component. The dual bridge combination would allow for two one-way crossings of the Passaic.[16]

History edit

Approval for the bridge was given by the War Department in 1937.[17] Construction began in 1939[18] and it was opened in January 1941.[19] It was designed by the firm of Ash, Howard, Needles, and Tamman in conjunction with Morris Goodkind of the New Jersey Highway Department to incorporate many innovative concepts of the era.[1]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Route 1&9 TruckPassaic River Lift Bridge". Historic Bridges. Historic Documentation company, Inc. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  2. ^ "Feidinan'd Coyne". The New York Times. September 21, 1941. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  3. ^ "Historic Bridge Survey (1991-1994)" (PDF). NJDOT. 2001. p. 72. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
  4. ^ "Lower Passaic River Restoration Project Commercial Navigation Analysis" (PDF). United States Army Corps of Engineers. July 2, 2010. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
  5. ^ "Section 117.739 - Passaic River" (PDF). Code of Federal Regulations Title 33 - Navigation and Navigable Waters Volume: 1. Government Publishing Office. July 1, 2002. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
  6. ^ "Passaic River Bridge". Bridgehunter. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
  7. ^ "Drawbridge Schedules". NJDOT. April 12, 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
  8. ^ "U.S. Route 1-9 Truck straight line diagram" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2012-11-11.
  9. ^ Reyes, Daniel (June 25, 2012). "New Bike Path Connects Jersey City and Newark". The Jersey Journal. Retrieved 2012-11-28.
  10. ^ "US 1&9 TRUCK over Passaic Rvr and Local Roads". Ugly Bridges. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  11. ^ "U.S. Route 1-9 Truck straight line diagram" (PDF). NJDOT. Retrieved 2016-12-21.
  12. ^ "Passaic River, New Jersey" (PDF). Report of Channel Conditions 100 to 400 Feet Wide (ER 1130-2-306). US Army Corps of Engineers. April 18, 2011. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
  13. ^ "Lower Passaic River Restoration Project Commercial Navigation Analysis" (PDF). United States Army Corps of Engineers. July 2, 2010. Retrieved 2012-08-05. The abutments of a formerly utilized railroad freight bridge (Central Railroad of NJ) lie at approximately RM 1.2. These abutments limit channel width to 145 feet. However, NJDOT is currently investigating the feasibility of a new Lower Passaic River Bridge within the existing alignment of the former railroad freight bridge. If construction of the new bridge was to move forward, the derelict structure at RM 1.2 would be removed and would be replaced with a structure designed with adequate horizontal and vertical clearance for typical vessel traffic on the Lower Passaic River
  14. ^ "Port Newark/Elizabeth Northern NJ Rail Terminals". Port Connector Projects New Jersey-New York. Waterfront Coalition. Archived from the original on 2010-02-14. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
  15. ^ Portway Extensions Concept Development Study (PDF) (Report). NJDOT. September 26, 2003. New crossing of the Passaic River using abandoned railroad alignment and infrastructure, supplementing the existing Route 1&9 Truck crossing. The new crossing is intended to connect Doremus Avenue and Central Avenue.
  16. ^ "Portway-Passaic River Crossing" (PDF). FY 2010-2011 Studies and Development. NJDOT. Retrieved 2012-08-08. This project will study Doremus Avenue, Passaic River Crossing and Central Avenue over Route 1&9T as one project because of their connectivity. The areas of the project service industrial and commercial facilities in a section of Newark and the southern section of Kearny. The purpose of the proposed improvement is to create a connection with NJ Turnpike at Interchange 15E and Route 1&9T, and/or another variation of the two. The improved section will serve to improve access to/from trucking distribution facilities along Doremus Avenue and the NJ Turnpike and will help reduce truck traffic on Route 1&9T. It will range from replacing the existing Route 1&9T bridge to providing dual bridge structures. The reconfiguration of Central Avenue/Route 1&9T interchange may provide four 12-foot travel lanes and two 12-foot shoulders to improve flow and safety. The proposed geometry will primarily follow the existing alignment except at the interchange. Sidewalks could be provided within the proposed berm. A rail crossing on the same facility will also be investigated as part of this project.
  17. ^ "Jersey Bridge Approved; Proposed Span to Link Newark and Kearny Will Speed Traffic". The New York Times. December 2, 1937. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  18. ^ "New Bridge is Ready; Passaic River Closed to Traffic Till Span Is Placed". The New York Times. September 7, 1940. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  19. ^ "To Close Road, Open New Span". The New York Times. January 23, 1941. Retrieved 2012-12-06.

External links edit