Wittpenn Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wittpenn Bridge |
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Wittpenn Bridge, looking east in a 2004 photo
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| Coordinates | 40°44′26″N 74°04′53″W / 40.740625°N 74.081336°W |
| Carries | 4 lanes of  Route 7 |
| Crosses | Hackensack River |
| Locale | Jersey City and Kearny, New Jersey |
| Official name | Wittpenn Bridge |
| Other name(s) | Route 7 Bridge |
| Maintained by | New Jersey Department of Transportation |
| ID number | 0909150 |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Lift bridge |
| Total length | 2,169 feet (661 m) |
| Width | 40 feet (12 m) |
| Longest span | 83 feet (25 m) |
| Clearance below | 35 feet (11 m) (lowered) 100 feet (30 m) (raised) |
| History | |
| Opened | November 5, 1930 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 50,000 |
The Wittpenn Bridge is a special kind of bridge called a vertical-lift bridge. It helps cars cross the Hackensack River in New Jersey. This bridge connects two towns: Kearny and Jersey City. It is named after H. Otto Wittpenn, who used to be the mayor of Jersey City.
The bridge has four lanes for traffic. It is about 2,169 feet long and 40 feet wide. When it is lowered, the bridge stands 35 feet above the water. A special part of the bridge, called the main lift span, is 209 feet long. Construction on the Wittpenn Bridge started in 1927. It opened for cars on November 5, 1930. About 50,000 vehicles, including 2,000 trucks, use the bridge every day.
When the bridge needs to let tall ships pass, its middle section lifts straight up. This gives ships 100 feet of space to go under. Raising the lift span takes about 15 minutes. For example, in 2005, the bridge was lifted 80 times to let boats pass underneath.
Building a New Wittpenn Bridge
The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is building a brand new Wittpenn Bridge. They are also updating all the roads that lead to it. This big project is expected to cost around $600 million. The money for this comes from the federal government.
The first part of building the new bridge began in July 2011. The whole project is planned to take about 11 years to finish. The new bridge is being built right next to the old one, a little to the north.
Part of the funding for the new bridge comes from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The new bridge was expected to be fully open in 2021. In 2018, there was an investigation by the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA). This happened because an airline wondered if money they paid for using Newark Airport was being used for road projects like the Wittpenn Bridge. These road projects are not owned or run by the Port Authority.
Once the new bridge is finished, it will be part of two important trails. It will carry the East Coast Greenway, which is a very long path for biking and walking. It will also be part of the Meadowlands Connector. This is a New Jersey trail for biking and walking that connects Hudson and Essex counties.
In October 2020, the last main part of the new bridge's deck was put into place. The new bridge was expected to open in spring 2021.
