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Delaware Memorial Bridge | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 39°41′21″N75°31′08″W / 39.68927°N 75.51897°W |
Carries | 8 lanes of I-295 / US 40 |
Crosses | Delaware River |
Locale | New Castle County, Delaware, [1] and Pennsville Township, New Jersey |
Maintained by | Delaware River and Bay Authority |
ID number | 1737 |
Website | www |
Characteristics | |
Design | steel suspension bridge |
Total length | 10,765 feet (3,281 m) (eastbound) 10,796 feet (3,291 m) (westbound) |
Width | 59.1 feet (18 m) (eastbound) 58.7 feet (18 m) (westbound) |
Longest span | 2,150 feet (655 m) |
Clearance above | 17.9 feet (5 m) |
Clearance below | 174 feet (53 m) |
History | |
Opened | August 15, 1951 (eastbound) September 12, 1968 (westbound) |
Statistics | |
Daily traffic | 100,000 |
Toll | Cars $5.00 cash, $4.75 E-ZPass, tractor-trailers $28.00 (Delaware side; westbound only) |
Location | |
The Delaware Memorial Bridge is a dual-span suspension bridge crossing the Delaware River. The toll bridges carry Interstate 295 and U.S. Route 40 and is also the link between Delaware and New Jersey. The bridge was designed by the firm of Howard, Needles, Tammen & Bergendoff with consulting help from engineer Othmar Ammann, whose other designs include the George Washington Bridge and the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
The bridges provide a regional connection for long-distance travelers. While not a part of Interstate 95, they connect two parts of the highway: the Delaware Turnpike (Interstate 95 in Delaware) on the south side with the New Jersey Turnpike (later Interstate 95 in New Jersey) on the north. They also connect Interstate 495, U.S. Route 13, and Route 9 in unincorporated New Castle County, Delaware, near New Castle, [1] with U.S. Route 130 in Pennsville Township, New Jersey (at the settlement of Deepwater, New Jersey). The Delaware Memorial and Benjamin Franklin Bridge are the only crossings of the Delaware River with both U.S. Highway and Interstate Highway designations.
The bridges are dedicated to those from both New Jersey and Delaware who died in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Persian Gulf War. On the Delaware side of the bridge is a War Memorial, visible from the northbound-side lanes. The toll facility is operated by the Delaware River and Bay Authority.
The Delaware Memorial Bridge is the southernmost and the largest fixed vehicular crossing of the Delaware River. It is also the only fixed vehicular crossing between Delaware and New Jersey. However, at Fort Mott, New Jersey, there is a small amount of land on the New Jersey side of the river that is part of the State of Delaware, and thus there are pedestrian crossings in between those states, but not spanning the river. The Cape May–Lewes Ferry provides an alternate route between travelers from New Jersey and the Northeastern states to southern Delaware.
On clear days, the skyline of Philadelphia is visible in the distance on the left going to New Jersey and on the right leaving New Jersey. Wilmington, Delaware, only a few miles away from the bridge, is also visible. Other landmarks that can be seen from the bridge includes the cooling tower for PSEG's Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station near Salem, New Jersey, the Delaware City Refinery in Delaware City, Delaware, the Reedy Point Bridge, also in Delaware City, both the St. Georges Bridge and the Senator William V. Roth Jr. Bridge in St. Georges, Delaware, and the Commodore Barry Bridge in Chester, Pennsylvania.
As of 2024 [update] , more than 100,000 vehicles cross the twin spans on their combined total of eight lanes daily. [2] The largest single day of traffic had 79,488 private and commercial vehicles cross the bridge one-way on November 29, 2009. The largest single weekend for traffic totals had 211,685 vehicles cross the bridge one-way, August 16–18, 2019. [3]
Following the opening of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia, residents of Delaware and New Jersey began to advocate a crossing of the river in the area of Wilmington, Delaware. As commercial pressures mounted, a ferry service began, as an interim measure, to run in 1926, near the bridge's current location. Advocates of a bridge crossing between Delaware and New Jersey faced strong opposition from the Philadelphia Port Authorities, which claimed that the bridge would be a menace to navigation. The U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard were also concerned that the bridge would be vulnerable to an enemy attack. If the bridge were to collapse into the river, it could render the Philadelphia Navy Yard unusable.
As traffic by cars and truck increased rapidly, the benefits of a bridge in this area became evident, and its construction was authorized by the highway departments of Delaware and New Jersey in 1945. Originally, a two-lane highway tunnel was considered, but the costs for a four-lane bridge was found to be equivalent in price, therefore being the reason a four-lane bridge was chosen. Congress approved the bridge project on July 13, 1946, and its construction began on February 1, 1949.
The project cost $44 million, and it took two years to complete the 175 feet (53 m) high span with towers reaching 440 feet (134 m) above water level. The first span opened to traffic on August 16, 1951, and at the time was the sixth-longest main suspension span in the world. [4] The Governor of Delaware, Elbert N. Carvel, and the Governor of New Jersey, Alfred E. Driscoll, dedicated the bridge to each state's war dead from World War II.
The bridge quickly proved a popular travel route when the New Jersey Turnpike connection was completed at its north end. By 1955, nearly eight million vehicles were crossing the bridge each year, nearly twice the original projection. By 1960, the bridge was carrying more than 15 million cars and trucks per year, and this increased even more when the bridge was linked to the new Delaware Turnpike, Interstate 95, in November 1963.
Construction of the second span began in mid-1964, 250 feet (76 m) north of the original span. It was completed at a cost of $77 million and opened on September 12, 1968, dedicated to those soldiers from Delaware and New Jersey killed in the Korean War and Vietnam War. The original span was closed down for fifteen months for refurbishment: its suspenders were replaced and its deck and median barrier were removed and replaced with a single deck to allow four undivided lanes of traffic. Finally, on December 29, 1969, all eight lanes of the Delaware Memorial Bridge Twin Span opened to traffic, making it the world's second longest twin suspension bridge. [5]
While they are similar in basic appearance, major differences exist between the original and second spans. The original was constructed of riveted steel plates, and has an open-grate shoulder access walk. The second span was constructed mostly of welded steel plates (with heavy riveted joints in crucial areas) like with most contemporary steel bridges, and also has concrete access walks. [6]
The original suspension span carries northbound traffic for Interstate 295, the newer southbound. Crossover lanes on each side of the bridge can allow two-way traffic on one span if the other must be closed for an extensive period of time.
The bridge had a close call with disaster when on July 9, 1969, the oil tanker Regent Liverpool struck the fender system protecting the tower piers. The bridge itself was spared damage, but the fender suffered about $1.0 million in damage.
The Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) began a $13 million project in 2003 to resurface the bridge, refurbish the expansion joints, upgrade the electrical system, and replace the elevators in the four towers. This work was completed in 2008.
In 2022 the DRBA began a project to apply ultra-high performance concrete to the driving surface of the eastbound span. [7]
The Delaware Memorial Bridge Protection System began in July 2023. The $93 million ship collision protection system project consists of the installation of eight stone filled “dolphin” cylinders, each measuring eighty feet in diameter. Four cells are being installed at the piers supporting both eastern and western towers and will be located a minimum of 443 feet from the edge of the Delaware River’s 800 foot wide channel. Construction is expected to be completed in September 2025. [8]
One-way tolls for traffic entering Delaware (westbound) were instituted in 1992. [9] As of May 1,2019 [update] , the toll is $5.00 for passenger vehicles using cash and $4.75 using a Delaware or New Jersey issued E-ZPass. [9] Frequent Traveler discounts are available. About $270,000 in tolls are collected daily. [10] The DRBA has originally proposed to raise the toll from $4.00 to $5.00 on March 1, 2019, [11] however New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy vetoed this plan on January 3, 2019. [12] In February, the DRBA and the governors of Delaware and New Jersey reached an agreement which postponed the toll hike to May 1, as well as providing a 25 cent E-ZPass discount for passenger vehicles. The frequent traveler rate increased from $1.25 to $1.75. [13]
Prior to the introduction of E-ZPass, both tokens and frequent traveler tickets were used, with special, discounted ticket books for local residents. They were phased out upon the introduction of the new system, and the tokens are no longer valid.[ citation needed ]
When the bridge opened in 1951, DRBA officials noticed that some motorists expressed fear of crossing the bridge due to gephyrophobia or acrophobia. As a result, the DRBA Police offers an "acrophobia support" service whereby a motorist can call ahead to arrange for an officer to drive them over the bridge. One officer drives the motorist's vehicle while another officer follows in an escort vehicle. The DRBA responds to about 450 escort requests per year, with 60% of calls coming from repeat customers. [14] [15] [16] [17]
Since opening of the first bridge in 1951, annual ceremonies are held at the bridge's war memorial on Memorial Day and Veterans Day to honor the sacrifices of American war veterans. [18] The memorial is located in Veterans Memorial Park in New Castle, Delaware, and it features a reflecting pool, a statue of a soldier, and a wall containing the names of 15,000 men and women from Delaware and New Jersey who were killed in World War II, the Korean War, the War in Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf War. [19]
The administrative headquarters of DRBA are in the Delaware Memorial Bridge Plaza, on the Delaware side, in New Castle County. [20]
The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highways in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. The 117.2-mile (188.6 km) mainline's southern terminus is at the Delaware Memorial Bridge on I-295 in Pennsville. Its northern terminus is at an interchange with I-80 and US 46 in Ridgefield Park. Construction of the mainline, from concept to completion, took a total of 22 months between 1950 and 1951. It was opened to traffic on November 5, 1951, between its southern terminus and exit 10.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike, sometimes shortened to Penna Turnpike or PA Turnpike, is a controlled-access toll road that is operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the United States. It runs for 360 miles (580 km) across the state, connecting Pittsburgh in Western Pennsylvania with Philadelphia in eastern Pennsylvania, and passes through four tunnels as it crosses the Appalachian Mountains in central Pennsylvania.
E-ZPass is an electronic toll collection system used on toll roads, toll bridges, and toll tunnels in the Eastern United States, Midwestern United States, and Southern United States. The E-ZPass Interagency Group (IAG) consists of member agencies in several states, which use the same technology and allow travelers to use the same transponder on toll roads throughout the network.
The Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) is a bi-state government agency of the U.S. states of Delaware and New Jersey established by an interstate compact in 1962.
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The Thousand Islands International Bridge is an American-maintained international bridge system over the Saint Lawrence River connecting northern New York in the United States with southeastern Ontario in Canada. Constructed in 1937, with additions in 1959, the bridges span the Canada–US border in the middle of the Thousand Islands region. All bridges in the system carry two lanes of traffic, one in each direction, with pedestrian sidewalks.
The Commodore Barry Bridge is a cantilever bridge that spans the Delaware River from Chester, Pennsylvania to Bridgeport, New Jersey, in Logan Township. It is named after John Barry, an American Revolutionary War hero and Philadelphia resident.
The Scudder Falls Bridge is a toll bridge that carries Interstate 295 (I-295) over the Delaware River, connecting Lower Makefield Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with the Scudders Falls section of Ewing Township in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is maintained by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC). The original bridge was a plate girder bridge constructed from 1958 to 1961, and the current structure is a box-girder bridge that partially opened in 2019 and was substantially complete in 2021. Previously, the bridge was a toll-free crossing. However, this changed on July 14, 2019, when an all-electronic toll was levied for Pennsylvania-bound traffic; the toll can be paid using E-ZPass or Toll-by-Plate.
The Gov. William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge is a major dual-span bridge in the U.S. state of Maryland. Spanning the Chesapeake Bay, it connects the state's rural Eastern Shore region with its urban and suburban Western Shore, running between Stevensville and Sandy Point State Park near the capital city of Annapolis. The original span, opened in 1952 and with a length of 4 miles (6.4 km), was the world's longest continuous over-water steel structure. The parallel span was added in 1973. The bridge is named for William Preston Lane Jr., who as the 52nd Governor of Maryland launched its construction in the late 1940s after decades of political indecision and public controversy.
Interstate 295 (I-295) in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania is an auxiliary Interstate Highway, designated as a bypass around Philadelphia, and a partial beltway of Trenton.
The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC) is a bistate, public agency that maintains and operates river crossings connecting the U.S. states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The agency's jurisdiction stretches roughly 140 miles (230 km) along the Delaware River from Philadelphia and Bucks County in southeast Pennsylvania and then north through the Lehigh Valley and to Pennsylvania-New York state border.
Interstate 476 (I-476) is a 132.1-mile (212.6 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway of I-76 in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The highway runs from I-95 near Chester north to I-81 near Scranton, serving as the primary north–south Interstate corridor through eastern Pennsylvania. It consists of both the 20-mile (32 km) Mid-County Expressway, locally referred to as the "Blue Route", through Delaware and Montgomery counties in the suburban Philadelphia area, and the tolled, 110.6-mile (178.0 km) Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which connects the Delaware Valley with the Lehigh Valley, the Pocono Mountains, and the Wyoming Valley to the north.
The Claiborne Pell Bridge, commonly known as the Newport Bridge, is a suspension bridge operated by the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority that spans the East Passage of the Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island. The bridge, part of RI 138, connects the city of Newport on Aquidneck Island and the Town of Jamestown on Conanicut Island, and is named for longtime Rhode Island U.S. senator Claiborne Pell who lived in Newport. The Pell Bridge is in turn connected to the mainland by the Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project is an ongoing road construction project to built an interchange between Interstate 95 (I-95) and the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Bristol Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The $553 million first stage is complete: a pair of flyover ramps–one connecting I-95 northbound with the eastbound turnpike and the other connecting the westbound turnpike with I-95 southbound—that opened in 2018, with some cleanups to connecting roads completed in 2021. Construction of the remaining ramps is expected to begin when funding is available.
The Delaware River–Turnpike Toll Bridge is a four-lane, steel through arch bridge crossing the Delaware River between Burlington Township, Burlington County, New Jersey and Bristol Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. As a part of Interstate 95 (I-95), it is a major highway link between Philadelphia and New York City. The bridge also connects the Pennsylvania Turnpike's east-west mainline with the main trunk of the New Jersey Turnpike, via the Pearl Harbor Memorial Turnpike Extension. Tolls are collected only in the west/southbound direction via electronic toll collection.
Interstate 95 (I-95) is an Interstate Highway running along the East Coast of the United States from Miami, Florida, north to the Canadian border in Houlton, Maine. In the state of Delaware, the route runs for 23.43 miles (37.71 km) across the Wilmington area in northern New Castle County from the Maryland state line near Newark northeast to the Pennsylvania state line in Claymont. I-95 is the only primary Interstate Highway that enters Delaware, although it also has two auxiliary routes within the state. Between the Maryland state line and Newport, I-95 follows the Delaware Turnpike, a toll road with a mainline toll plaza near the state line. Near Newport, the Interstate has a large interchange with Delaware Route 141 (DE 141) and the southern termini of I-295 and I-495. I-95 becomes the Wilmington Expressway from here to the Pennsylvania state line and heads north through Wilmington concurrently with U.S. Route 202 (US 202). Past Wilmington, I-95 continues northeast to Claymont, where I-495 rejoins the route right before the Pennsylvania state line.
U.S. Route 40 (US 40) is a US highway running from Silver Summit, Utah, east to Atlantic City, New Jersey. In the US state of Delaware, it serves as a major east–west highway in northern New Castle County, just south of Wilmington. It runs from the Maryland state line west of Glasgow east to the Delaware Memorial Bridge over the Delaware River to New Jersey, at which point it is concurrent with Interstate 295 (I-295). Along the way, US 40 passes through suburban areas in Glasgow and Bear before running concurrent with US 13 and I-295 around New Castle. US 40 is a multilane divided highway the entire length across Delaware, with the section concurrent with I-295 a freeway.
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The Delaware State Route System consists of roads in the U.S. state of Delaware that are maintained by the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT). The system includes the portions of the Interstate Highway System and United States Numbered Highways system located in the state along with state routes and other roads maintained by DelDOT. All roads maintained by the state are assigned a maintenance road number that is only marked on little white markers at intersections and on auxiliary plates below warning signs approaching intersections. These numbers are only unique in a specific county; some roads can be designated with multiple road numbers, and numbers do not necessarily correspond to the signed Interstate, U.S., or state route numbers. DelDOT maintains a total of 5,386.14 miles (8,668.15 km) of roads, comprising 89 percent of the roads within the state. Some large bridges in the state are maintained by other agencies including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Delaware River and Bay Authority. Roads in the system include multilane freeways, multilane surface divided highways, and two-lane undivided roads serving urban, suburban, and rural areas. Some of the roads maintained by DelDOT are toll roads, in which motorists must pay to use.
Physical Address Delaware Memorial Bridge Plaza 2162 New Castle Ave., New Castle, DE 19720- Despite the "New Castle, DE" address, it is not in the New Castle city limits, Compare to county map