Carries Route 18 Other name(s) Raritan River Bridge Opened 1983 Locale New Jersey Carry New Jersey Route 18 | Crosses Raritan River Construction begin Late 1960s Body of water Raritan River Named for John A. Lynch Sr. | |
Similar Nevius Street Bridge, Driscoll Bridge, Basilone Memorial Bridge, Raritan Bay Drawbridge, Donald and Morris Goodkind | ||
The John A. Lynch Sr. Memorial Bridge is a bridge on Route 18 in the U.S. state of New Jersey spanning the Raritan River. The bridge connects Piscataway Township on the north with New Brunswick on the south.
History
Construction on the bridge had begun back in the late 1960s with the announcement of Route 18's upgrade to a freeway between New Brunswick and Middlesex, and by 1970, the bridge piers were in place. However, environmental concerns stalled the construction of the Route 18 freeway for almost a decade, and the piers stood unfinished until 1983 when the freeway and bridge were finally completed as far as River Road in Piscataway.
The bridge was originally known as the Raritan River Bridge, but was renamed in honor of John A. Lynch Sr., the former State Senator from the district that included New Brunswick and Piscataway, a former mayor of New Brunswick, and the father and namesake of John A. Lynch Jr., who held those positions at the time of the bridge's completion.