Newark Bay Bridge
The Newark Bay Bridge and the Newark skyline as seen from Richard A. Rutkowski Park in Bayonne.
Coordinates40°41′43″N 74°07′06″W / 40.6953°N 74.1184°W / 40.6953; -74.1184
Carries4 lanes of I-78 / Newark Bay Extension
CrossesNewark Bay
LocaleNewark, New Jersey and Bayonne, New Jersey
Official nameVincent R. Casciano Memorial Bridge
Other name(s)The Turnpike Bridge
Maintained byNew Jersey Turnpike Authority
Characteristics
DesignThree-span continuous through arch bridge
Total length9,560 feet
Width115 feet
Longest span387.10 meters (1,270.0 feet)
Clearance above135 feet
Clearance below135 feet (41 meters)
History
OpenedApril 4, 1956 (1956-04-04)
Statistics
Daily traffic65,000
TollVaries by distance travelled on NJ Turnpike
Location

The Newark Bay Bridge, officially the Vincent R. Casciano Memorial Bridge, is a steel through arch bridge[1] that is continuous across three spans. It crosses Newark Bay and connects the cities of Newark (in Essex County) and Bayonne (in Hudson County) in New Jersey, United States. It was completed April 4, 1956, as part of the New Jersey Turnpike's Newark Bay (Hudson County) Extension, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Governor of New Jersey Robert B. Meyner.[2]

The main span is 1,270 feet (390 m), with a 135-foot (41 m) clearance over water to allow marine access to Port Newark. The bridge is similar in design to the Delaware River–Turnpike Toll Bridge, and is similar in length to the Francis Scott Key Bridge at Baltimore's Outer Harbor. It runs parallel to the earlier built Lehigh Valley Terminal Railway's Upper Bay Bridge.

This bridge is also known as "The Turnpike Bridge" and "The Turnpike Extension Bridge". It carries traffic on a toll regulated section of Interstate 78 along the New Jersey Turnpike to interchanges 14 through 14A. It provides access from the New Jersey Turnpike's main roadway to Hudson County, New Jersey and the Holland Tunnel. The turnpike route creates the border between Bayonne and Jersey City and then runs northward along Port Jersey, Liberty State Park, and Downtown Jersey City. Hoboken is just north of the entrance to Holland Tunnel which continues to Lower Manhattan in New York City.

From March 2014 until May 2019, during certain hours, the eastbound shoulder of the Turnpike Extension (including the bridge) was opened for normal traffic (by green arrows above, instead of red Xs), for a total of 5 lanes (3 eastbound, 2 westbound).[3] This system was discontinued on May 20, 2019.[4]

There is a long-term capital improvements project to build a new bridge.[5]

View from a plane landing at Newark Liberty International Airport, with the Upper Bay Bridge in the foreground

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ NYCRoads.com, Bayonne-Port Newark Bridge
  2. ↑ "NEWARK BAY BRIDGE ON TURNPIKE OPENS", The New York Times abstract, April 5, 1956. Accessed October 7, 2007. "Gov. Robert B. Meyner cut a ribbon to open a two-mile bridge over the Newark Bay between Hudson and Essex Counties today."
  3. ↑ Higgs, Larry (May 28, 2015). "When will NJ Turnpike extension shoulders be open to traffic? Ask @Commuting Larry". NJ Advance Media. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  4. ↑ Turnpike Authority, New Jersey (17 April 2019). "NJ Turnpike Newark Bay Extension Eastbound shoulder no longer used as a travel lane on May 20, 2019 as the revised date" (PDF). New Jersey Turnpike Authority. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  5. ↑ West, Teri (6 January 2022). "Turnpike Authority says it needs Marist High School property in Bayonne for expansion project". NJ.com.
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