John A. Lynch Sr. Memorial Bridge | |
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Coordinates | 40°30′29″N74°27′30″W / 40.5081°N 74.4583°W |
Carries | Route 18 |
Crosses | Raritan River |
Locale | New Brunswick and Piscataway, Middlesex County, New Jersey |
Other name(s) | Raritan River Bridge |
Named for | John A. Lynch Sr. |
Maintained by | NJDOT |
History | |
Construction start | Late 1960s |
Opened | 1983 |
Location | |
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 on the north with New Brunswick on the south.
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. [1]
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.
Route 18 is a 47.9-mile-long (77.1 km) state highway in the central part of the US state of New Jersey. It begins at an intersection with Route 138 in Wall Township, Monmouth County, and ends at I-287 in Piscataway, Middlesex County. Route 18 is a major route through Central New Jersey that connects the Jersey Shore to the Raritan Valley Region, connecting the seats of Monmouth County (Freehold) and Middlesex County respectively. The route runs through Ocean Township, Marlboro, East Brunswick, and is the main thoroughfare for Rutgers University. Much of the route is a freeway. The remainder of the route is an arterial road with traffic lights in the East Brunswick and Old Bridge areas, and a boulevard in the remainder of Piscataway. Route 18 was designated in 1939 as a proposed freeway from Old Bridge to Eatontown. The section west of Old Bridge was formerly designated as part Route S28, a prefixed spur of State Highway Route 28 from Middlesex to Matawan. The designation, assigned in the 1927 renumbering, remained until a second renumbering in 1953. At that point, Route S28 was redesignated as Route 18, though the section from Old Bridge to Matawan was signed as TEMP 18, as this section would be decommissioned when the Route 18 freeway was built.
Route 35 is a state highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey, primarily traveling through the easternmost parts of Middlesex, Monmouth, and Ocean counties. It runs 58.1 mi (93.5 km) from the entrance to Island Beach State Park in Berkeley Township, Ocean County, to an intersection with Lincoln Highway/St. Georges Avenue (Route 27) in Rahway, Union County. Between Seaside Park and Mantoloking, Route 35 follows the right-of-way of the former Pennsylvania Railroad along the Jersey Shore. The route heads through Point Pleasant Beach and crosses the Manasquan River on the Brielle Bridge, meeting the intersection of Route 34 and Route 70 at the former Brielle Circle in Wall Township. From there, Route 35 heads north and interchanges with Route 138, an extension of I-195, continuing north through Monmouth County before crossing the Victory Bridge over the Raritan River into Perth Amboy, where the route continues north to Rahway.
Middlesex County is a county located in the north-central part of the U.S. state of New Jersey, extending inland from the Raritan Valley region to the northern portion of the Jersey Shore. As of the 2020 United States census, the county was the state's third-most populous county with a population of 863,162, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 53,304 (+6.6%) from the 2010 census count of 809,858, which in turn reflected an increase of 59,696 (8.0%) from the 750,162 counted in the 2000 census. Middlesex is part of the New York metropolitan area. Many communities within the county serve as commuter towns to and from New York City and other points north. The county is part of the Central Jersey region of the state.
Route 29 is a state highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Signed north-south, it runs 34.76 miles (55.94 km) from an interchange with Interstate 295 (I-295) in Hamilton Township in Mercer County, where the road continues east as I-195, northwest to Route 12 in Frenchtown, Hunterdon County. Between the southern terminus and I-295 in Ewing Township, the route is a mix of expressway and boulevard that runs along the Delaware River through Trenton. This section includes a truck-restricted tunnel that was built along the river near historic houses and Riverview Cemetery. North of I-295, Route 29 turns into a scenic and mostly two-lane highway. North of the South Trenton Tunnel, it is designated the Delaware River Scenic Byway, a New Jersey Scenic Byway and National Scenic Byway, that follows the Delaware River in mostly rural sections of Mercer County and Hunterdon County. The obsolete Delaware & Raritan Canal usually stands between the river and the highway. Most sections of this portion of Route 29 are completely shaded due to the tree canopy. Route 29 also has a spur, Route 129, which connects Route 29 to U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Trenton.
Route 31 is a state highway in New Jersey, United States. It runs 48.93 miles (78.75 km) from US 206/US 1 Bus. in Trenton, Mercer County, north to an intersection with US 46 in the Buttzville section of White Township, Warren County. Along the way, Route 31 heads through the communities of Flemington, Clinton, and Washington. Most of the highway is state-maintained; however, the section within the city limits of Trenton is maintained by the city. Much of Route 31 is a two-lane highway that passes through farmland, woodland, and mountainous areas. Two portions of the route—from Trenton to Pennington and from Ringoes to Clinton—consist of more development.
Highland Park is a borough in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, in the New York City metropolitan area. The borough is located on the northern banks of the Raritan River, in the Raritan Valley region. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 15,072, an increase of 1,090 (+7.8%) from the 2010 census count of 13,982, which in turn reflected a decline of 17 (−0.1%) from the 13,999 counted in the 2000 census.
Piscataway is a township in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of the New York metropolitan area, in the Raritan Valley. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 60,804, an increase of 4,760 (+8.5%) from the 2010 census count of 56,044, which in turn reflected an increase of 5,562 (+11.0%) from 50,482 at the 2000 census.
The Raritan River is a river of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its watershed drains much of the mountainous areas in the northern and central sections of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay near Staten Island on the Atlantic Ocean.
The Delaware and Raritan Canal is a canal in central New Jersey, built in the 1830s, that connects the Delaware River to the Raritan River. It was an efficient and reliable means of transportation of freight between Philadelphia and New York City, transporting anthracite coal from eastern Pennsylvania during much of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The canal allowed shippers to cut many miles off the existing route from the Pennsylvania Coal Region down the Delaware, around Cape May, and up the occasionally treacherous Atlantic Ocean coast to New York City.
Route 172 is a short state highway in New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States. The designation runs along the southernmost leg of George Street, which is county and city-maintained the rest of the way. Route 172 is 0.69 miles (1.11 km) long, serving as a connector from an intersection with County Route 527 (CR 527) and Paul Robeson Boulevard to an interchange with Route 18. The highway was assigned in the 1950s, when nearby Route 18 was realigned onto a new freeway over Burnet Street in New Brunswick. Route 172 underwent a major upgrade during the reconstruction of Route 18, including a roundabout at an intersection with CR 617, and a brand-new interchange with the local lanes of Route 18.
U.S. Route 340 is a spur route of US 40, and runs from Greenville, Virginia, to Frederick, Maryland. In Virginia, it runs north–south, parallel and east of US 11, from US 11 north of Greenville via Waynesboro, Grottoes, Elkton, Luray, Front Royal, and Berryville to the West Virginia state line. A short separate piece crosses northern Loudoun County on its way from West Virginia to Maryland.
Central Jersey, or Central New Jersey, is the middle region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The designation Central Jersey is a distinct administrative toponym. While New Jersey is often divided into North Jersey and South Jersey, many residents recognize Central Jersey as a distinct third entity. As of the 2020 census, Central Jersey has a population of 3,580,999.
The Metlar House, also known as the Knapp House, the Bodine House, or the Metlar–Bodine House, is an historic house, now museum, located along River Road in Piscataway, New Jersey. It is also believed to be haunted. In 2003 a fire badly damaged the house. The museum has undergone major renovations over the past decade and, as of Summer 2014, is once again open to the public.
Raritan Landing is a historical unincorporated community located within Piscataway Township in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, which was once an inland port, the farthest upstream point ocean-going ships could reach along the Raritan River, across from New Brunswick. Begun in the early 18th century it remained vital until the mid 19th century, when most of the port was abandoned.
County Route 535 is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway extends 32.3 miles (52.0 km) from North Logan Avenue/South Logan Avenue, at the boundary between Trenton and Hamilton in Mercer County to an interchange with US 9 / Route 35 in South Amboy, Middlesex County.
Landing Lane Bridge is part of County Route 609 and spans the Raritan River and the Delaware and Raritan Canal in New Jersey. The two lane bridge connects Piscataway to the north with New Brunswick to the south. The approaching roadways on both sides are known as "Landing Lane." The Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park and towpath is accessible from the bridge.
Route 74 was a proposed limited-access state highway in Middlesex County and Monmouth County of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The route was to be a four-lane divided highway from Route 18 in East Brunswick eastward to an interchange with Route 35 in the Laurence Harbor section of Old Bridge Township. The freeway would have provided a much needed east–west connection between U.S. Route 9 and Route 18. Tentatively named the "Industrial Freeway", Route 74 was to be a 10.60-mile (17.06 km) long four-lane freeway, with eight exits. Also included in the proposal was a U.S. Route 9 expressway to Route 35 in South Amboy and a connector spur from Route 74 back to Route 35 near Morgan.
John A. Lynch Sr. was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served in the New Jersey Senate for 22 years, where he represented the 17th legislative District, and as mayor of New Brunswick, New Jersey from 1951 to 1955.
The Old Stone Arch Bridge is a bridge located in Bound Brook, New Jersey, United States. It is the second-oldest extant bridge in the US, after the Frankford Avenue Bridge over Pennypack Creek in North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Built in 1731, it is the oldest bridge in New Jersey. It spans the Green Brook and connects Bound Brook with Middlesex Borough in northern central New Jersey.
Fieldville is a historical unincorporated community located within Piscataway Township in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The location is sometimes described as being on River Road south of Bound Brook. The community was named after John Field and his descendants who settled the area.