The Arthur Kill Bridge was a railroad bridge connecting Staten Island, New York to

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

's Chemical Coast by crossing the Arthur Kill. It existed from 1888 until 1959, when it was replaced by the current

Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge The Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Railroad Bridge is a rail vertical-lift bridge connecting Elizabethport, New Jersey and the Howland Hook Marine Terminal on Staten Island, New York, United States. The bridge was built by the Baltimore and Ohio Rai ...

, built nearby. It was the only land connection to Staten Island until 1928.

Proposal for a bridge

Although a temporary pontoon bridge to Elizabeth, New Jersey was built by the British during the

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

, Staten Island was usually accessible only by ferry to New Jersey or by private boat. It was not until 1810 that regular ferry service was established to

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. As early as 1850, campaigns for a bridge to Bayonne, New Jersey were begun by some summer residents of the island, although opposed by many permanent residents. In 1870 the

New York State Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an officia ...

passed a bill authorizing a swing-span bridge from

New Brighton, Staten Island New Brighton is a neighborhood located on the North Shore of Staten Island in New York City. The neighborhood comprises an older industrial and residential harbor front area along the Kill Van Kull west of St. George. New Brighton is bounded by ...

Ellis Island Ellis Island is a federally owned island in New York Harbor, situated within the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, that was the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United States. From 1892 to 1954, nearly 12 mil ...

via Robbins Reef. A charter was granted to the Staten Island Bridge Company, but the project was eventually abandoned due to fiscal constraints.Sharon Reier. ''The Bridges of New York'', Dover Publications, Inc., pp. 109-110. The proposal to build a railroad bridge over the Arthur Kill existed from at least 1886, when

Erastus Wiman Erastus Wiman (21 April 1834 – 9 February 1904) was a Canadian journalist and businessman who later moved to the United States. He is best known as a developer in the New York City borough of Staten Island. Biography Wiman was born in Churc ...

, a developer who was founder and president of the Staten Island Railway, persuaded the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad to finance a bridge over the Arthur Kill in exchange for use of Wiman's railroad facilities on the island. In the summer of 1886 the Board of Army Engineers for Fortifications held a hearing at the Army Building in

to determine the preferred location for the interstate bridge that had recently been authorized by

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

. Speaking in favor of the bridge were representatives of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and Erastus Wiman. Opposed to the proposed location were Senator Chase, representing the Pennsylvania Railroad, and I. L. Fisher of the Bee Towing Company. The opponents preferred building a bridge near Buckwheat Island, about south of the proposed location. The Board reported to the

Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...

."The Arthur Kill Bridge", ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', August 28, 1886 (Note: The article refers to "Senator Chase", possibly intending

Jonathan Chace Jonathan Chace (July 22, 1829June 30, 1917) was a United States representative and Senator from Rhode Island. Biography Born at Fall River, Massachusetts, the son of Harvey Chace and the grandson of Oliver Chace. In 1854, he married Jane C. Moo ...

of Rhode Island.)

Description and history

Baltimore & Ohio Viaduct Under Construction Over the Arthur Kill Connecting Staten Island and New Jersey

The approved bridge was designed by Charles Ackenheit (or Ackenheil), the chief engineer for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The cost was approximately $500,000. Construction occurred from 1887 to 1889 and the bridge opened with ceremony on January 1, 1890. It was also called the "Achter Kill Bridge" after the alternate spelling and pronunciation of Arthur Kill. At the time of its completion, it was the longest of its type in the world. It was a swing-span railroad bridge with a center pier, connecting the Howland Hook area of Staten Island to Elizabeth, New Jersey, where tracks could connect with a Baltimore and Ohio branch line. The center span was long, with two fixed side spans, for a total length of . Compared to the bridge proposed by the Pennsylvania Railroad, the bridge was built only above Arthur Kill at low water. This would necessitate frequent openings, especially in later years after the kill was dredged and numerous ocean-going ships needed to pass through the strait. In 1952, for example, the bridge was required to be open to allow 13,346 ships to pass. The span was moved by two steam-powered engines. In foggy weather a steam whistle would sound twice to indicate the bridge was closed, or four times so boats would know it was open. The bridge was used for freight trains. There was never any regular passenger service over the bridge, although during both

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, numerous troop trains would deliver soldiers bound for Europe to ships waiting at the Staten Island port of embarkation piers. Also, in October 1957, a train carrying Queen Elizabeth II and

Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...

from

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

to the

Staten Island Ferry The Staten Island Ferry is a passenger ferry route operated by the New York City Department of Transportation. The ferry's single route runs through New York Harbor between the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Staten Island, with ferry ...

during a state visit crossed the bridge.Forgotten New York: Staten Island Railway
/ref> In late 1952, the swing span was turned by heavy winds and could not be closed for some time. At other times at least one ship crashed into the bridge, and there was at least one case where boats collided while navigating under the bridge. By the 1950s the bridge was considered outdated and a hazard to navigation. A replacement bridge, the

, was built away from the Arthur Kill Bridge. The new bridge, financed primarily by the federal government, had a center span longer than the old bridge, with no center pier, and its clearance was more than higher than the old span. The new bridge was inaugurated in August 1959, and the Arthur Kill Bridge was then removed; its granite piers had to be blasted away.

References

External links

*{{Cite news, url=https://www.nytimes.com/1888/03/22/archives/the-arthur-kill-bridge-arguments-for-and-against-the-proposed-plans.html, title=The Arthur Kill Bridge.; Arguments For and Against the Proposed Plans., date=March 22, 1888, newspaper=The New York Times, issn=0362-4331 Railroad bridges in New York City Railroad bridges in New Jersey History of Staten Island Buildings and structures in Elizabeth, New Jersey Bridges in Staten Island Bridges in Union County, New Jersey Swing bridges in the United States Baltimore and Ohio Railroad bridges Staten Island Railway