Route 3 Bridge (Hackensack River)

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Route 3 over the Hackensack 2014-05-07 16 23 15 View of New York City, Secaucus, New Jersey, the Hackensack River, the New Jersey Turnpike Western Spur and New Jersey Route 3 from an airplane heading for Newark Liberty International Airport.JPG
Route 3 over the Hackensack

Route 3 Bridge refers to a pair of vehicular bridges over the Hackensack River in Secaucus and East Rutherford, New Jersey. Located in the immediate vicinity of the Meadowlands Sports Complex at milepost 8.50 of New Jersey Route 3, the downstream bridge carries eastbound traffic while the upstream bridge carries westbound traffic. [1] The bridges are often congested, due in part to the distance from other crossings of the river. [2]

Contents

Route 3 east

Route 3 (eastbound)
Rt 3 E bridge over Hackensack R jeh.jpg
Coordinates 40°47′59″N74°04′03″W / 40.79972°N 74.06750°W / 40.79972; -74.06750
Carries New Jersey Route 3
Crosses Hackensack River
Locale Secuacus and East Rutherford
Owner New Jersey Department of Transportation
Maintained byNJDOT
ID number 0204151
Characteristics
Design Pratt Truss
MaterialConcrete and steel
Total length1,552.2 feet (473.1 m)
Width60 feet (18 m) (deck)
Height17.2 feet (5.2 m)
Longest span185 feet (56 m)
No. of spans14
History
Opened1934
Location
Route 3 Bridge (Hackensack River)

The bridge (NJ ID number 0204152) [3] is camelback through truss with a total length of 1,552.2 feet (473.1 m) and a deck width of 60 feet (18 m). [4] It is 7.7 mies from the river's mouth. [5] It was built circa 1934 as a bascule bridge, raised with a fixed span in 1964, [6] and rehabilitated in 2011. [7] [8]

The bridge, using National Bridge Inventory standards, is 'structurally deficient' and is slated to be replaced. In 2022, state transportation commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti described the then-88-year-old bridge as being "in the worst condition of any in the state." Funding for the $143 million new span is in part funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The project will incorporate provision for a potential future expansion of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, ostensibly between Secaucus Junction rail hub and the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Announced in January 2022, construction is projected to begin in 2024. [9] [10]

Route 3 west

Route 3 westbound bridge Hackensack008.JPG
Route 3 westbound bridge

40°48′02″N74°04′01″W / 40.800678°N 74.067058°W / 40.800678; -74.067058 (Route 3 West)

The bridge (NJ ID number 0204151) [3] is also dedicated as the Medgar Evers Bridge. It was built in 1963 and rehabilitated in 2011. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

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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 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.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winant Avenue Bridge</span> Bridge in Little Ferry and Ridgefield Park

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).

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References

  1. "Route 3 straight line diagram" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  2. "Route 3". The New Yorker . 9 February 2004.
  3. 1 2 "NEW JERSEY HIGHWAY CARRYING BRIDGES Attachment # 2 – Structurally Deficient Bridges (All Bridges)" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT). September 30, 2007. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  4. "Hackensack River NJ 3 Bridge (EB)". Bridgehunter.com.
  5. United States Coast Pilot: Atlantic Coast. Cape Cod to Sandy Hook (U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey) (Report). U.S. Government Printing Office. 1933.
  6. "NEW JERSEY HISTORIC BRIDGE DATA" (PDF). NJDOT. 1994. p. 192. Retrieved January 27, 2022. The bridge carries a 4-lane one-directional highway over a major river in the Meadowlands. The viaduct is composed of a rivet-connected Pratt thru truss main span and 13 deck plate girder approach spans all supported on concrete piers. The entire superstructure was raised by concrete extensions to the piers in 1963. The truss span was constructed at that time to replace a double leaf bascule span.
  7. 1 2 "NJDOT to reconstruct Route 3 bridges over Hackensack River" (Press release). NJDOT. February 4, 2011.
  8. "Hackensack River Bridge". Bridgehunter.com.
  9. Wilson, Colleen (January 25, 2022). "Route 3 Bridge, one of the most dilapidated in NJ, will get $143M replacement". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  10. Maher, Jake (January 25, 2022). "Pols announce $143 million Route 3 bridge over Hackensack River and talk of light rail, too". The Jersey Journal. Retrieved January 27, 2022.