Built 1935 NJRHP # 1227 Area 4,000 m² Added to NRHP 3 October 1980 | NRHP Reference # 80002484 Opened 1935 Body of water Passaic River Carries Amtrak, NJ Transit, PATH | |
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Location Passaic River
Newark - Harrison
New Jersey Architect Waddell & Hardesty; Waddell,Dr.J.A.L. Architectural style Through-Truss Lift Bridge Bridge type Truss bridge, Vertical-lift bridge Similar Hudson and Manhatta, WR Draw, Newark Drawbridge, Lyndhurst Draw, Hale‑Whitney Mansion | ||
Barge passage dock bridge closing
Dock Bridge is a pair of vertical lift bridges crossing the Passaic River at Newark, Essex County and Harrison, Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, used exclusively for railroad traffic. It is the seventh crossing from the river's mouth at Newark Bay and is 5.0 miles (8.0 km) upstream from it. Also known as the Amtrak Dock Vertical Lift, it carries Amtrak, New Jersey Transit, and Port Authority Trans Hudson trains. It is listed on the state and federal registers of historic places.
Contents
History
The bridge was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) for its main line. The west span carries three tracks and opened in 1935 along with the west half of Newark Penn Station. The lift span is 230 feet (70 m) over bearings (clear channel 200 feet or 61 meters), the longest three-track lift span in the world when built. The east spans opened in 1937 when the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad (H&M, later called PATH) shifted its rapid transit trains from the Centre Street Bridge to the newly built station. With the opening of the eastern span, the PRR closed Manhattan Transfer station in the Kearny Meadows, where previously steam and electrical trains were changed and passengers could transfer to trains to New York Penn Station on the PRR or to Hudson Terminal on the H&M.
Description
The west span carries three tracks for the Northeast Corridor (NEC). The east span carries two PATH tracks and one Amtrak/NJ Transit track. The lower 17 miles (27 km) downstream of the 90-mile (140 km) long Passaic River below the Dundee Dam is tidally influenced and navigable. When closed the bridge has a vertical clearance of 24 feet (7.3 m) above mean high water and opens to clear 135 ft (41 m). It is infrequently lifted and, prior to 2014, had not received a request for a river traffic opening since 2004. In 2011 regulations were changed so that it need not be open on demand (as it previously had) but with a 24-hour notice. During 4 year removal of dredged materials from the Passaic the bridge is expected to open upwards of 10 times per day.