List of bridges, tunnels, and cuts in Hudson County, New Jersey facts for kids

Hudson County, New Jersey, is a very busy place! It's located right in the middle of the Port of New York and New Jersey, which is one of the biggest ports in the world. This area is also a major crossroads for people traveling in the New York Metropolitan area and the larger Northeast Megalopolis. Because of its location, Hudson County has many important vehicular and rail bridges, tunnels, and cuts. These structures help people and goods move across rivers, bays, and hills.

Hudson County sits on two peninsulas, which are pieces of land almost surrounded by water. It has a lot of waterfront along the Hudson River, Upper New York Bay, Kill van Kull, Newark Bay, and the Hackensack and Passaic Rivers. The main part of Hudson County is on Bergen Hill, a large hill that starts at sea level in Bayonne and rises to 260 feet as it goes through Jersey City and North Hudson. Other areas like Secaucus and West Hudson are part of the New Jersey Meadowlands, which is a large wetland area. The bridges, tunnels, and cuts listed here generally go from south to north.

Hudson County, on left, has many hills and miles of waterfront.

Bayonne Bridge before deck raising

Crossing the Hudson River: Tunnels and Bridges

The Hudson River is a huge waterway that separates New Jersey from New York City. To get across it, engineers built amazing tunnels and bridges. These crossings are super important for daily travel and trade.

Uptown Hudson Tubes include a flying junction.

The Lincoln Tunnel comprises three tubes.

Crossing Name	What it Carries	Location (NJ side)	What to Know
Downtown Hudson Tubes	Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH trains)	Jersey City	These tunnels connect Jersey City to the World Trade Center in Manhattan. They are used by thousands of commuters every day.
Holland Tunnel	I-78 and NJ 139	Jersey City	The Holland Tunnel was one of the first mechanically ventilated tunnels in the world. It carries cars and trucks under the Hudson River.
Uptown Hudson Tubes	Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH trains)	Jersey City	These tubes connect Jersey City to different parts of Manhattan, making it easy for people to travel between the states.
Gateway Tunnel (proposed)	Amtrak and New Jersey Transit trains	North Bergen	This is a planned new tunnel to help more trains cross the Hudson River, which is very busy.
THE Tunnel (project cancelled)	New Jersey Transit trains	Weehawken	This tunnel project was planned to connect Secaucus Junction to Penn Station in New York, but it was stopped.
North River Tunnels	Amtrak and New Jersey Transit trains	Weehawken	These tunnels are used by many trains daily, connecting New Jersey to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan.
Lincoln Tunnel	NJ 495	Weehawken	The Lincoln Tunnel has three tubes and is one of the busiest tunnels in the world, carrying millions of vehicles each year.
George Washington Bridge	I-95, New Jersey Turnpike, US Route 1, US 9, US 46	Fort Lee (in Bergen County, just north of Hudson County)	This famous bridge connects New Jersey to Upper Manhattan. It's one of the world's busiest motor vehicle bridges.

Bridges Over Kill van Kull and Newark Bay

The Kill van Kull and Newark Bay are other important waterways in Hudson County. They separate parts of New Jersey from Staten Island and Newark.

CRRNJ Newark Bay Bridge was dismantled in the 1980s.

Crossing Name	What it Carries	Location	What to Know
Bayonne Bridge	NJ 440 and NY 440	Bayonne - Staten Island	This is a very tall steel arch bridge. Its deck was recently raised to allow larger ships to pass underneath.
CRRNJ Newark Bay Bridge (defunct)	Central Railroad of New Jersey trains	Bayonne - Elizabethport	This old railroad bridge is no longer in use and was taken apart in the 1980s.
Newark Bay Bridge	I-78 and New Jersey Turnpike	Bayonne - Newark	This bridge carries a major interstate highway and the New Jersey Turnpike over Newark Bay.
Upper Bay Bridge	CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, Conrail freight trains	Bayonne - Newark	This bridge is used by several freight train companies to move goods.

Bridges Over the Hackensack River

The Hackensack River flows through Hudson County, and many bridges cross it, carrying both roads and trains.

PATH, Harsimus Branch, Wittpenn, and Lower Hack in 1978

Upper Hack Lift

One of the twin span of Route 3

Crossing Name	What it Carries	Location	What to Know
HD Draw (defunct)	Old Newark and New York Railroad trains	Jersey City & Kearny Point	This was an old railroad bridge that is no longer used.
Lincoln Highway Hackensack River Bridge	U.S. Route 1-9 Truck, Lincoln Highway, East Coast Greenway	Jersey City & Kearny Point	This bridge is part of the historic Lincoln Highway, one of the first roads to cross the United States.
Pulaski Skyway	U.S. Route 1/9	Jersey City & Kearny Point	The Pulaski Skyway is a famous elevated highway that offers great views, but it's also very busy.
PATH Lift Bridge	PATH trains	Jersey City & Kearny Meadows	This bridge lifts up to let boats pass on the Hackensack River.
Harsimus Branch Lift	Conrail freight trains	Jersey City & Kearny Meadows	Another lift bridge for freight trains.
Wittpenn Bridge	NJ 7	Jersey City & Kearny Meadows	This bridge carries a state highway and is also a lift bridge.
Lower Hack Lift	NJ Transit Morris and Essex Lines trains	Riverbend	This bridge is used by commuter trains.
Portal Bridge	Amtrak Northeast Corridor trains	Secaucus & Kearny Meadows	A very important bridge for Amtrak trains on the busy Northeast Corridor.
New Jersey Turnpike	Interstate 95	Secaucus & Kearny Meadows	This part of the New Jersey Turnpike crosses the Hackensack River.
DB Draw (Abandoned)	Norfolk Southern Railway trains	Snake Hill & Kearny Meadows	An abandoned railroad bridge.
Upper Hack Lift	NJ Transit Main Line trains	Harmon Cove & Kingsland	Another lift bridge for New Jersey Transit commuter trains.
HX Bridge	NJ Transit trains (Bergen County Line, Pascack Valley Line, Meadowlands Rail Line)	Harmon Cove & Meadowlands Sports Complex	This bridge carries multiple NJ Transit train lines.
Route 3 Bridge (twin span)	NJ 3	Secaucus & Meadowlands Sports Complex	This bridge has two separate sections for traffic.
Old Bridge (defunct)	Old Jersey City, Hoboken and Rutherford Electric Railway and Paterson Plank Road	Secaucus North End & Meadowlands Xanadu	This bridge is no longer in use.

Bridges Over the Passaic River

The Passaic River also forms part of Hudson County's border, and it has several bridges that connect Hudson County to Newark and other areas.

Pulaski Skyway

Amtrak Dock Vertical Lift

Abandoned NX, aka the Annie Bridge

Crossing Name	What it Carries	Location	What to Know
PD Draw (defunct)	Old Newark and New York Railroad trains	Kearny Point & Newark Ironbound	An old railroad bridge that is no longer used.
Lincoln Highway Passaic River Bridge	U.S. Route 1-9 Truck and Lincoln Highway	Kearny Point & Newark Ironbound	Another part of the historic Lincoln Highway.
Pulaski Skyway	U.S. Route 1/9	Kearny Point & Newark Ironbound	The Pulaski Skyway also crosses the Passaic River.
Point-No-Point Bridge	Passaic and Harsimus Line freight trains	Kearny Meadows & Newark Ironbound	A bridge for freight trains.
Chaplain Washington–Harry Laderman Bridge	Interstate 95 and New Jersey Turnpike	Kearny & Newark	This bridge carries the busy Interstate 95 and New Jersey Turnpike.
Jackson Street Bridge	Frank E. Rodgers Boulevard	Harrison & Newark Ironbound	A local road bridge.
Amtrak Dock Vertical Lift	Amtrak, New Jersey Transit, and Port Authority Trans Hudson trains	Harrison & Penn Station (Newark)	A major train bridge that lifts to allow boats to pass.
Centre Street Bridge (defunct)	Old New Jersey Railroad	Harrison & Newark	This old railroad bridge is no longer in use.
Bridge Street Bridge	County Route 508	Harrison & Newark	A county road bridge.
Newark Drawbridge	New Jersey Transit trains	Harrison & Newark Broad Street Station	A drawbridge for commuter trains.
William A. Stickel Memorial Bridge	Interstate 280	Harrison & Newark	This bridge carries Interstate 280.
Clay Street Bridge	Central Avenue and Clay Street	East Newark & Newark	A local road bridge.
NX Bridge (abandoned/open position)	Old Erie Railroad trains	Harrison & Newark	An abandoned railroad bridge that is stuck in the open position.
WR Draw (not in use/closed position )	Old New York and Greenwood Lake Railway and Erie Railroad trains	Kearny & North Newark	This old railroad bridge is no longer used and is stuck in the closed position.
Belleville Turnpike Bridge	NJ Route 7	Arlington & Belleville	This bridge carries a state highway.

Tunnels and Cuts in Bergen Hill-Hudson Palisades

Bergen Hill and the Hudson Palisades are natural hills that run through Hudson County. To build roads and railways, engineers had to dig through these hills, creating tunnels and "cuts" (open trenches).

Long Dock Tunnel OR Old Bergen Tunnel, east end, taken February 10, 1906

Entrances to four of the railroad tunnels under Bergen Hill

HBLR 8th Street Viaduct

CCRNJ right-of way at Richard St Station on former Morris Canal

National Docks Secondary

Journal Square Transportation Center was built over Bergen Hill Cut.

Bergen Hill Cut is also used by Conrail's North Jersey Shared Assets lines.

The Bergen Arches seen behind NJ Turnpike viaduct

One of the Bergen Arches

Road Cuts	What it Carries	Location	Connects
State Highway (Depressed Highway)	New Jersey Route 139	Jersey City	Connects the Pulaski Skyway to the Holland Tunnel.
Lincoln Tunnel Approach/Lincoln Tunnel Helix	NJ Route 495	North Hudson	Connects the New Jersey Turnpike to the Lincoln Tunnel.
GWB Plaza		Fort Lee (in Bergen County)	Connects to the George Washington Bridge.
There are many other roads that cut into the eastern side of the Hudson Palisades, like New York Avenue, Mountain Road, Paterson Plank Road, Wing Viaduct, Hackensack Plank Road, Shippen Street, Boulevard East, Pershing Road, Bull Ferry Road, and Gorge Road.

Meadowlands Crossings

The New Jersey Meadowlands is a large area of wetlands. It also has important bridges that help trains cross. The Sawtooth Bridges carry the Northeast Corridor train lines over other train lines like NJ Transit, PATH, and Conrail.

See also

• List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in New Jersey
• List of tunnels documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in New Jersey
• Timeline of Jersey City area railroads