Upper Bay Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Upper Bay Bridge |
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| Coordinates | 40°41′57″N 74°07′10″W / 40.699052°N 74.119574°W |
| Carries | North Jersey Shared Assets |
| Crosses | Newark Bay |
| Locale | Newark and Bayonne New Jersey |
| Official name | Upper Bay Bridge |
| Other name(s) | Bridge K072 Lehigh Valley Drawbridge |
| Owner | Conrail Shared Assets (CSAO) |
| Maintained by | Conrail |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Vertical lift bridge |
| Total length | 3,044 ft (928 m) |
| Clearance above | 35-39 feet |
| History | |
| Opened | 1930 |
The Upper Bay Bridge, also known as the Lehigh Valley Railroad Bridge, is a special kind of bridge called a vertical lift bridge. It crosses the Newark Bay in New Jersey, a state in the United States. This bridge is used by CSX Transportation trains, which are part of a big rail network. It's located right next to the New Jersey Turnpike's Newark Bay Bridge. A famous train called the Juice Train, which carries orange juice from Florida, uses this bridge!
Where is the Upper Bay Bridge?
The western side of the bridge is near Oak Island Yard. This area is close to the Port Newark–Elizabeth Marine Terminal and Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark. It's a busy industrial part of the city.
The eastern side of the bridge is in Bayonne. From here, train tracks continue east across Bergen Hill. They lead to important shipping and industrial areas. These include Port Jersey, Greenville Yards, and Constable Hook. These places are along the shores of the Upper New York Bay and Kill Van Kull.
A company called New York New Jersey Rail LLC uses a special train ferry, called a carfloat, at this end. It connects to the Bush Terminal Yard. Trains can also connect to the rail network to the north. This happens using the National Docks line through Jersey City and the Long Dock Tunnel to Croxton Yard.
Building the Upper Bay Bridge
The train route for this bridge began in 1893. It was part of the Jersey City, Newark and Western Railway. This railway soon joined with the Lehigh Valley Terminal Railway. Their goal was to reach train terminals on the North River and at Black Tom.
The Pennsylvania Railroad also used this bridge. They used it to reach their Greenville Yard on Upper New York Bay. The first bridge here was made of wood. Sadly, it was badly damaged by a large fire on June 14, 1913.
After the fire, the companies rebuilt the bridge very quickly. It was considered an amazing achievement. They rebuilt it in just twelve days after construction started!
The bridge you see today was built between 1928 and 1930. It is the last of the big railroad bridges that cross the bay. Other bridges, like the CRRNJ Newark Bay Bridge and the Newark and New York Railroad Bridge, have been taken down.
