The Northampton Street Bridge is a bridge that crosses the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...

, connecting

Easton, Pennsylvania Easton is a city in, and the county seat of, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River, a river tha ...

, and

Phillipsburg, New Jersey Phillipsburg is a town located along the Delaware River in Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located across the river directly east from Easton, Pennsylvania. Phillipsburg is the most populous municipality in Warren County w ...

, United States. It is maintained by the

Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC) is a bistate, public agency that maintains and operates river crossings connecting the U.S. states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The agency's jurisdiction stretches roughly along the Dela ...

despite not being a toll bridge. It is known locally as the "Free Bridge" thus distinguishing it from the Easton–Phillipsburg Toll Bridge just upstream to the north. The crossing was first a ferry crossing run by David Martin, beginning in 1739. The original wooden bridge opened on October 14, 1806. The original bridge was designed and built by Timothy Palmer, one of the most famous

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

builders of his time. Palmer's covered bridge at Easton endured many floods and storms while other bridges fell. However, by the late nineteenth century, when horse-drawn streetcars were replaced by trolley cars, the old wooden bridge could no longer handle the demands of traffic and a new structure was erected in 1895. The new bridge was designed by James Madison Porter III, an alumnus of nearby

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 1832. The founders voted to name the college after General Laf ...

and later a professor of

civil engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage ...

there. Porter hailed from a family long prominent in Easton and Pennsylvania history. Tolls were charged until 1921, when the DRJTBC bought it from the Delaware Bridge Company. The bridge is currently posted for a weight limit and a speed limit. Noted as "combining aesthetics with economical design", the bridge was designated a

National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark __NOTOC__ The following is a list of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks as designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers since it began the program in 1964. The designation is granted to projects, structures, and sites in the United State ...

by the

American Society of Civil Engineers American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

and commemorated in 1995.

History

1955 damage

Flooding from Hurricanes Connie and Diane in August 1955 ravaged the Delaware River valley. During the flooding, four bridges sustained serious damage or were washed away. The Portland–Columbia Covered Bridge, the Point Pleasant–Byram Bridge, and the

Yardley–Wilburtha Bridge The Yardley–Wilburtha Bridge was a bridge spanning the Delaware River. A majority of the bridge was washed away by severe flooding in 1955 and was later demolished in 1961 after the completion of the nearby Scudder Falls Bridge. History Origi ...

had all or most of their spans washed away. At 5 am on August 20, 1955, remains of the covered bridge further north washed their way downstream and jammed at the Northampton Street Bridge. The jam, combined with the rushing water, cut through the structure, causing a gap in the center span. The remaining parts of the bridge were littered in debris from the rushing waters. The span washing away also destroyed telephone cables, which had to be restored by 300 men stringing temporary wire together. Tolls on the Easton–Phillipsburg Toll Bridge were ten cents at the time, but they were lowered to five cents on September 1, 1955 until the Northampton Street Bridge was repaired. The

United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

installed two parallel

Bailey bridge A Bailey bridge is a type of portable, pre-fabricated, truss bridge. It was developed in 1940–1941 by the British for military use during the Second World War and saw extensive use by British, Canadian and American military engineering units. A ...

s between the damaged free bridge and the toll bridge. Those bridges opened on March 15, 1956, built with a speed limit of and a weight limit of .

References

External links

DRJTBC Official page
* * {{Crossings navbox , structure = Crossings , place =

, bridge = Northampton Street Bridge , bridge signs = , upstream = Easton–Phillipsburg Toll Bridge , upstream signs = , downstream = Lehigh and Hudson River Railway Bridge , downstream signs = Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission Bridges over the Delaware River Bridges completed in 1806 Bridges in Warren County, New Jersey Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks Bridges in Northampton County, Pennsylvania Phillipsburg, New Jersey Road bridges in New Jersey Road bridges in Pennsylvania Historic American Engineering Record in New Jersey Historic American Engineering Record in Pennsylvania Former toll bridges in New Jersey Former toll bridges in Pennsylvania Steel bridges in the United States Interstate vehicle bridges in the United States

History

1955 damage

See also

References

External links