The Upper Passaic River in New Jersey is the section of the Passaic River above the Dundee Dam, including the Great Falls. The entire river flows for 81 miles from its river's source in Mendham to the river mouth at Newark Bay in the northeastern part of the state. [1] The Passaic traverses 45 municipalities, and its watershed provides drinking water for more than 3.5 million people in the region. [2] [3] The midpoint of the upper river generally delineates the Passaic-Bergen, Passaic-Essex, Essex-Morris, Morris-Union and sections of the Morris-Somerset county lines.
There are over 110 crossings along the lower and upper river [4] [5] [6] [7] including vehicular [8] [9] and rail bridges. [8] [10] The upper reaches are also crossed by footbridges, dams, culverts, and a pre-colonial weir. In the colonial era the first bridge along the lower reaches was at Bridge Street in Newark [11] and the first over the upper river was Totowa Bridge, constructed before 1737. [12] The creation of Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures in 1791 [13] [14] began a period of development of cities and industries along the river. The emergence of the early railroads in the state led to further industrialization and urbanization and many rail bridges. [15] The flood of 1903 caused damage or destruction of most bridges in the vicinity of Paterson. [16] [17] The advent of the automobile age and suburbanization in the early and mid-20th century saw the construction of highway bridges in northern New Jersey. [15] [18]
Existing crossings of the Lower Passaic are PD Draw, Lincoln Highway Passaic River Bridge, Pulaski Skyway, Point-No-Point Bridge, Chaplain Washington Bridge, Harry Laderman Bridge, Jackson Street Bridge, Dock Bridge, Bridge Street Bridge, Newark Drawbridge, William A. Stickel Memorial Bridge, Clay Street Bridge, NX Bridge, WR Draw, Belleville Turnpike Bridge, Avondale Bridge, Lyndhurst Draw, Route 3 Passaic River Crossing, Union Avenue Bridge, Gregory Avenue Bridge, Market Street Bridge, Eighth Street Bridge, Passaic Street Bridge, Monroe Street Bridge and Veterans Bridge. [19] [9] [10]
Power transmission lines pass over the river several times. The Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) Northern Inner Ring Transmission Line runs from Metuchen Substation to Athenia Substation in Clifton via Roseland Substation and also includes right of way from Roseland Substation to West Orange Substation. The Pennsylvania-New Jersey Interconnection (PJM Interconnection) Bushkill to Roseland Transmission Line extends from Roseland to Hardwick Township in Warren County. [20] Jersey Central Power and Light also has lines across the river.
Route 3 is a state highway in the northeastern part of New Jersey. The route runs 10.84 miles (17.45 km) from U.S. Route 46 (US 46) in Clifton, Passaic County, to US 1/9 in North Bergen, Hudson County. The route intersects many major roads, including US 46, which takes travelers to Interstate 80 (I-80) west for commuting out of the city-area, the Garden State Parkway and Route 21 in Clifton, Route 17 and the Western Spur of the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95) in East Rutherford, the Eastern Spur of the New Jersey Turnpike in Secaucus, and Route 495 in North Bergen, for traffic going to the Lincoln Tunnel into New York City. Route 3 serves as the main artery to the Lincoln Tunnel from I-80, in conjunction with a portion of US 46 and Route 495. Portions of the route are not up to freeway standards; with driveways serving businesses and bus stops. Despite this, many construction projects have been underway over the years to alleviate this issue. Route 3 also provided access to Hoffmann La Roche's former American headquarters in Nutley, the Meadowlands Sports Complex and American Dream Meadowlands in East Rutherford. The road inspired a story in The New Yorker in 2004 by Ian Frazier due to its views of the Manhattan skyline. Route 3 was originally the Lincoln Tunnel Approach and ended at the state line in the Hudson River, though it was scaled back following the construction of I-495; which is now Route 495 due to also not meeting interstate highway standards.
Route 7 is a state highway in the northern part of New Jersey in the United States. It has two sections, an east–west alignment running from U.S. Route 1/9 Truck in Jersey City to Route 21 in Belleville, and a north–south alignment running from the Newark/Belleville to the Nutley/Clifton border. The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) lists Route 7 as a single north–south highway with a small gap between the alignments. The entire highway has a combined length of 9.46 mi (15.22 km).
Route 139 is a state highway in Jersey City, New Jersey in the United States that heads east from the Pulaski Skyway over Tonnele Circle to the state line with New Jersey and New York in the Holland Tunnel, which is under the Hudson River, to New York City. The western portion of the route is a two level highway that is charted by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) as two separate roadways: The 1.45-mile (2.33 km) lower roadway (Route 139) between U.S. Route 1/9 (US 1/9) over Tonnele Circle and Interstate 78 (I-78) at Jersey Avenue, and the 0.83-mile (1.34 km) upper roadway running from County Route 501 and ending where it joins the lower highway as part of the 12th Street Viaduct, which ends at Jersey Avenue. The lower roadway is listed on the federal and NJ state registers of historic places since 2005. The eastern 1.32 miles (2.12 km) of the route includes the Holland Tunnel approach that runs concurrent with Interstate 78 on the one-way pair of 12th Street eastbound and 14th Street westbound. Including the concurrency, the total length of Route 139 is 2.77 miles (4.46 km).
The Pulaski Skyway is a four-lane bridge-causeway in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey, carrying an expressway designated U.S. Route 1/9 (US 1/9) for most of its length. The structure has a total length of 3.502 miles (5.636 km). Its longest bridge spans 550 feet (168 m). Traveling between Newark and Jersey City, the roadway crosses the Passaic and Hackensack rivers, Kearny Point, the peninsula between them, and the New Jersey Meadowlands.
Interstate 80 (I-80) is a major Interstate Highway in the United States, running from San Francisco, California, eastward to the New York metropolitan area. In New Jersey, I-80 runs for 68.35 miles (110.00 km) from the Delaware Water Gap Toll Bridge at the Pennsylvania state line to its eastern terminus at I-95 in Teaneck, Bergen County. I-95 continues from the end of I-80 to the George Washington Bridge for access to New York City. The highway runs parallel to U.S. Route 46 (US 46) through rural areas of Warren and Sussex counties before heading into more suburban surroundings in Morris County. As the road continues into Passaic and Bergen counties, it heads into more urban areas. The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) identifies I-80 within the state as the Christopher Columbus Highway.
The Passaic–Bergen–Hudson Transit Project is a project under study by NJ Transit to reintroduce passenger service on a portion of the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYSW) right-of-way (ROW) in Passaic, Bergen and Hudson counties using newly built, FRA-compliant diesel multiple unit rail cars. Plans call for service to run from Hawthorne south through Paterson, east to Hackensack and then southeast to North Bergen, where it would join the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (HBLR).
The Elizabeth River runs through Essex and Union counties, New Jersey in the United States for 11.9 miles (19.2 km) before draining into the Arthur Kill.
Bridge Street Bridge is a swing bridge over the Passaic River connecting Newark and Harrison, New Jersey. It is the 10th bridge from the river's mouth at Newark Bay and is 5.7 miles (9.2 km) upstream from it. Carrying vehicular traffic, the roadway is designated County Route 508.
The Belleville Turnpike Bridge is a vehicular moveable bridge spanning the Passaic River in northeastern New Jersey 8.9 miles (14.3 km) from its river mouth at Newark Bay. Also known as Rutgers Street Bridge and Route 7 Bridge, it is the fourth fixed crossing to be built at the location, today the tripoint of the municipal and county lines of Belleville in Essex, Kearny in Hudson, and North Arlington in Bergen. Commissioned by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, which owns and operates it, the vertical lift bridge opened in 2002.
The Winant Avenue Bridge is a vehicular movable bridge spanning the Hackensack River in Bergen County, New Jersey 14 miles (23 km) from its mouth at Newark Bay. Built in 1934, it is also known as the Route 46 Hackensack River Bridge and S46 Bridge, it carries U.S. Route 46 (US 46) in Little Ferry and Ridgefield Park. Owned and operated by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), the double leaf bascule bridge is located on a navigable reach. While there have been no requests since 1978, the Code of Federal Regulations last amended in 1999 requires 24-hour notice to be opened. The bridge has been minimally altered since its construction and is eligible for individual listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
The Lincoln Highway Passaic River Bridge is a vehicular moveable bridge crossing the Passaic River at a point 1.8 mi (2.9 km) from the river mouth at Newark Bay in northeastern New Jersey, United States. The vertical lift bridge, along the route of the Lincoln Highway, carries U.S. Route 1/9 Truck and the East Coast Greenway between the Ironbound section of Newark and Kearny Point in Kearny. Opened in 1941, it is owned by and operated by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) and required by the Code of Federal Regulations to open on 4-hour notice for maritime traffic.
Union Avenue Bridge is a vehicular bridge over the Passaic River in northeastern New Jersey, crossing the county line at the town of Rutherford in Bergen County and the city of Passaic in Passaic County. It takes its name from Union Avenue in Rutherford which connects to River Drive in Passaic. The two-lane, four-span fixed bridge which opened in 2002 is 13.2 miles (21.2 km) from the river's mouth at Newark Bay. There is another Union Avenue Bridge traversing the Passaic at Little Falls
The Straight Street Bridge is a vehicular bridge over the Passaic River in Paterson, New Jersey, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Route 46 Passaic River Bridge can refer to a number of bridges that carry U.S. Route 46 (US 46) over the Passaic River in Northern New Jersey. US 46 was originally developed as Route 6 under the direction of Morris Goodkind who was chief engineer of the New Jersey Highway Department from 1922 until 1955.
The West Broadway Bridge, aka West Street Bridge and the Concrete-Metal Bridge, is a vehicular bridge over the Passaic River in Paterson, New Jersey. It carries West Broadway, traditionally the Paterson-Hamburg Turnpike, and connects to County Route 509 at its west end.
Arch Street Bridge is Parker truss bridge over the Passaic River in Paterson, New Jersey. It was built in 1907 and rehabilitated in 1997. It was the third structure built at the location within a few years; the prior bridges were destroyed by floods in 1902 and 1903.
Sixth Avenue Bridge, aka the North Sixth Street Bridge, is a pony truss vehicular bridge over the Passaic River in northeastern New Jersey. It connects the Bunker Hill neighbourhood of Paterson and Prospect Park at the border with Hawthorne via North Sixth Street. It was originally constructed 1907 as a steel structure supported on stone masonry piers and abutments and is one of several bridges built after the Passaic Flood of 1903. The older span opened was abruptly closed in 1986 after the Passaic County engineer at the time, Gaetano Fabrina, found that some steel beams had rusted and were "banging and clanging."
Market Street Bridge, also known as the Second Street Bridge, is a vehicular bridge over the Passaic River crossing the Passaic-Bergen county line in Passaic and Wallington in northeastern New Jersey. The double-leaf bascule bridge was built in 1930 and fixed in the closed position in 1977. It was reconstructed in 2002. It carries a two-lane street and sidewalks in a late-19th and early-20th century industrial area along the river. An earlier structure built at the crossing in 1894 was damaged during the Passaic floods of 1902 and 1903 but survived.
The source of the Passaic River begins near Mendham Township where small streams come together to form a brook running along the edge of Mendham High School's athletic field. It continues through open farm land and eventually collects water from eight counties in New Jersey and two in New York. Forty-five municipalities line its banks as it flows into Newark Bay and the whole watershed contains 118 municipalities. The river is about 81 miles long; the 935-square mile watershed is the primary water supply for over three and a half million people and major industries.
Within the epoch of New Jersey's transportation history from the 17th century to 1945, two periods stand out as extraordinary for their rapid pace of change and growth. The first, running from about 1800 to 1860, saw internal improvements and technological advances such as turnpikes, canals, and railroads. They were all aimed at greater capacity, speed, directness, flexibility, and regularity of service than could be achieved by earlier modes of river navigation and overland travel. Historian George Rogers Taylor has quite correctly called 1800-1860 the "transportation revolution." The second extraordinary period of transportation growth occurred from 1919 to 1936, and was, in terms of historian Bruce Seely, "the golden age of highway building." During this period, New Jersey's road and highway bridges were substantially modernized to handle modern load requirements and increased volume of vehicular traffic. The result was to shift emphasis from railroads to highways.
The bridges crossing Passaic River in Passaic, Essex, and Bergen counties were almost completely destroyed, and the damage amounted to $654,811. Within the limits of Paterson, below Great Falls, all of the highway bridges except two were either severely damaged or completely carried away. West street bridge, the first below the falls, was a Melan concrete, steel-arch structure, built in 1897, and costing $65,000. It was composed of three spans, each about 90 feet long. The flood practically split two spans longitudinally, the upstream side of each, equal to about one-third of the width of the bridge, being carried away. This structure was built to conform to the established grades of streets on both sides of the river and was completely inundated, forming a barrier for floating débris and practically making a dam in the river. Main street bridge is a 3-span, steel-arch structure, which was completely covered during the flood, but was only slightly injured. Arch street bridge, built in 1902 to take the place of a structure carried away by the March flood, was a concrete-arch bridge of three spans. It was undermined at the north pier and collapsed, being practically destroyed. The original cost of this bridge was $34,000. Its piers presented a serious obstruction to the flow of the stream, especially as the channel is very narrow at this point. In addition to this, the bridge was of low grade and admirably adapted for deterring flood flow. Below Arch street bridge all the other structures crossing the Passaic were of iron and were carried away, with the exception of Sixth avenue and Wesel bridges. Those destroyed were designated as follows: Straight street, Hillman street, Moffat, Wagaraw, Fifth avenue, East Thirty-third street, and Broadway bridges. All these structures were built too low, and were inundated during the early stages of the flood.
Reflecting the need for additional river crossings as the area grew in the late 19th century, the contract for the original bridge was awarded in July 1890 to Riverside Bridge and Iron Works of Paterson, N.J. for $8,895. This original bridge was washed away on October 10 during the disastrous Passaic river flood of 1903. The flood destroyed practically all the bridges over the Passaic River in Bergen, Passaic, and Essex counties. In 1904, a contract for the second bridge was awarded to Cyclopean Iron Works of Jersey City, N.J. for $27,890. The second bridge, which remained in use from 1904 to 2008, was a through grider [sic] bridge with three 82' spans supported on stone abutments and concrete piers. In 2008, construction began on the third bridge which was placed in service February 2009.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires |journal=
(help){{cite magazine}}
: Cite magazine requires |magazine=
(help){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires |journal=
(help)When recording and coding for this item and following items, any structure or structures with a closed median should be considered as one structure, not two. Closed medians may have either mountable or non-mountable curbs or barriers.
State highways are measured west to east or south to north from the (1) state line or (2) origination of the route. Milepoints (referred to as mileposts on railroads) are measured to the nearest hundredth of a mile.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)