The Wittpenn Bridge is a

vertical-lift bridge A vertical-lift bridge or just lift bridge is a type of movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck. The vertical lift offers several benefits over other movable bridges such as the bascule and swin ...

that carries

New Jersey Route 7 Route 7 is a state highway in the northern part of New Jersey in the United States. It has two sections, an east–west alignment running from U.S. Route 1/9 Truck in Jersey City, New Jersey, Jersey City to New Jersey Route 21, Route 21 in ...

over the

Hackensack River The Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles (72 km) long, in the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, emptying into Newark Bay, a back chamber of New York Harbor. The watershed of the river includes part of the subur ...

connecting Kearny and

Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.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 ...

. It is named after H. Otto Wittpenn, a former mayor of Jersey City. The bridge has an

annual average daily traffic Annual average daily traffic, abbreviated AADT, is a measure used primarily in transportation planning, transportation engineering and retail location selection. Traditionally, it is the total volume of vehicle traffic of a highway or road for a y ...

(AADT) of nearly 50,000 vehicles, including about 2,000 trucks. Picture this: Drawbridge Operator
''

The Record (Bergen County) ''The Record'' (also called ''The North Jersey Record'', ''The Bergen Record'', ''The Sunday Record'' (Sunday edition) and formerly ''The Bergen Evening Record'') is a newspaper in New Jersey, United States. Serving Bergen, Essex, Hudson and P ...

'', April 11, 2005 In 2005, the bridge was raised to accommodate 80 boats passing underneath. The original span opened in 1930; a replacement opened in 2021.

Original structure

The original bridge carried four lanes, extended and stood above mean high water with a main lift span. Bridge construction commenced in 1927, and it was opened to vehicular traffic on November 5, 1930. When raised, the bridge provided of clearance for ships. Raising the lift span required 15 minutes. Following the opening of the 2021 span, demolition work commenced on this span with work being substantially complete by March 2022.

Replacement

Rte 7 approach to new Wittpenn Bridge 2020 jeh

The

New Jersey Department of Transportation The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transportat ...

(NJDOT) replaced the Wittpenn Bridge and all its approach ramps (including connections to U.S. Route 1/9), a project estimated to cost $600 million, funded by federal dollars. The first phase of construction began in July 2011. The new span opened in 2021, and all associated project work is expected to be completed in 2022. The new bridge is situated just north of the existing bridge. The reconstruction of the bridge was partially funded by the

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ, is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate compact authorized ...

. In November 2018, the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) investigated a complaint raised by United Airlines that the fees they were paying for Newark Airport use were being diverted to roadway and bridge projects such as the Wittpenn Bridge which are not owned or operated by the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey. In October 2020 the third and final section of the orthotropic bridge deck was hoisted into place. The bridge opened on October 1, 2021. In addition to Route 7, the new span carries the

East Coast Greenway The East Coast Greenway is a pedestrian and bicycle route between Maine and Florida along the East Coast of the United States. In 2020, the Greenway received over 50 million visits. The nonprofit East Coast Greenway Alliance was created in 1991. ...

, a long-distance biking and walking trail, and the Meadowlands Connector, a New Jersey biking and walking trail that links Hudson and Essex counties.

References

External links

*
Wittpenn Bridge
at Bridges & Tunnels
Wittpenn Bridge Replacement Project
at New Jersey Department of Transportation
Wittpenn Bridge
at NYCroads.com * {{Crossings navbox , structure = Crossings , place =

, bridge = Wittpenn Bridge , bridge signs = Circle sign 7

, upstream =

Lower Hack Lift The Lower Hack Lift is a lift bridge carrying the New Jersey Transit Morristown Line across the Hackensack River at mile 3.4, Jersey City, New Jersey. The massive 3-track lift span was built in 1927–28 by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Ra ...

, upstream signs = New Jersey Transit , downstream = Harsimus Branch Lift Bridge , downstream signs = Bridges completed in 1930 Buildings and structures demolished in 2022 Bridges completed in 2021 Bridges in Hudson County, New Jersey Road bridges in New Jersey Vertical lift bridges in New Jersey Bridges over the Hackensack River Buildings and structures in Jersey City, New Jersey Kearny, New Jersey

Original structure

Replacement

See also

References

External links