Washington Crossing Bridge (officially the Washington Crossing Toll Supported Bridge) is a

truss bridge A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...

spanning the Delaware River that connects Washington Crossing, Hopewell Township in Mercer County,

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 ...

with Washington Crossing, Upper Makefield Township in

Bucks County Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the English ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. It was built in 1904 by the Taylorsville Delaware Bridge Company. The bridge is currently owned and operated 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 ...

History

On February 14, 1831, an act was passed by the New Jersey Legislature and concurred by the Pennsylvania General Assembly, creating the Taylorsville Delaware Bridge Company. By the act's provisions, a bridge was to be located at Taylor's Ferry, close to where

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

crossed the Delaware River in 1776. This

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...

bridge was constructed beginning in 1831 and was completed in 1834. Its six spans gave it a total length of 875 feet. The first bridge remained in service until it was swept away by the

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

of January 8, 1841. A replacement bridge was constructed shortly afterward and remained in service until it was carried away by the flood of October 10, 1903. In 1904, the bridge's current steel superstructure was built. The DRJTBC bought the private

toll bridge A toll bridge is a bridge where a monetary charge (or '' toll'') is required to pass over. Generally the private or public owner, builder and maintainer of the bridge uses the toll to recoup their investment, in much the same way as a toll road ...

in 1922.

Washington Crossing Bridge-Pennsylvania Approach

The flood of August 19, 1955, did considerable damage to Washington Crossing Bridge. Floating debris in the form of whole trees, steel barrels and even houses smashed against the bridge, resulting in damage to all six spans. More than half the bridge's bottom chords were bent or twisted beyond repair. These members were replaced with new fabricated steel members and the bridge was reopened to traffic on November 17, 1955. During the fall of 1994, the bridge underwent an extensive structural rehabilitation. As described by the

Many truss members were replaced with new fabricated galvanized steel. Floor system members and the open steel grid deck were replaced in the first three bays of each end span. All remaining structural steel was blast cleaned, metallized, and painted. A new wooden sidewalk was installed and renovations were made at both approaches to the bridge.

Structure

Washington Crossing Bridge is a six-span double Warren truss structure measuring in length. Its riveted-steel grid deck provides a roadway width of . The roadway is made of a grate.The bridge's substructures, composed of rubble stone-faced masonry, are from the original 1831 bridge, while its superstructure dates to 1904. Five piers (one of which has been faced with mortar) and two abutments support the bridge. The downriver (south) side of Washington Crossing Bridge supports a

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cant ...

ed, wood planked pedestrian sidewalk that was added in 1926.

Floods

The remnants of

Hurricane Ivan Hurricane Ivan was a large, long-lived, Cape Verde hurricane that caused widespread damage in the Caribbean and United States. The cyclone was the ninth named storm, the sixth hurricane and the fourth major hurricane of the active 2004 Atlant ...

caused heavy rainfall on September 17 and 18 of 2004; fell over a 12-hour period. Flood peaks along the main section of the Delaware River were the highest since the flood of 1955. The bridge was temporarily closed. Unusually heavy rains experienced in late March 2005 and early April 2005 combined with melting snow resulted in another flood. One of the piers of Washington Crossing Bridge had its masonry core exposed after being battered by a floating object. In the aftermath of the flood, the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission requested $500,000 in emergency flood repairs. Although the bridge remained opened for a short time following the flooding, it was closed on April 7, 2005, when receding flood waters revealed the extent of the damage to the pier. The bridge was reopened to continuous traffic on May 4, 2005, although it was closed for nighttime repairs beginning May 18. In 2006, the Delaware River experienced of rain from June 23 to June 28. The river's peak levels were comparable to those of the April 2005 flood. Washington Crossing Bridge was closed until July 1, when it reopened to vehicular and pedestrian traffic at 10:15 a.m.

References

External links

Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service
{{Crossings navbox , structure = Crossings , place = Delaware River , bridge = Washington Crossing Bridge , bridge signs = , upstream = New Hope–Lambertville Bridge , upstream signs = , downstream =

Scudder Falls Bridge The Scudder Falls Bridge is a toll bridge that carries Interstate 295 (I-295) over the Delaware River, connecting Lower Makefield Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with the Scudders Falls section of Ewing Township in Mercer County, ...

, downstream signs = Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission 1904 establishments in New Jersey 1904 establishments in Pennsylvania Road bridges in Pennsylvania Bridges over the Delaware River Bridges in Mercer County, New Jersey Bridges completed in 1904 Bridges in Bucks County, Pennsylvania Road bridges in New Jersey Former toll bridges in New Jersey Former toll bridges in Pennsylvania Hopewell Township, Mercer County, New Jersey Steel bridges in the United States Warren truss bridges in the United States Interstate vehicle bridges in the United States

History

Structure

Floods

See also

References

External links