Walt Whitman Bridge

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**Walt Whitman Bridge**

Official name	Walt Whitman Bridge
Carries	7 lanes of I-76 and 2 sidewalks
Crosses	Delaware River
Locale	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Gloucester City, New Jersey
Maintained by	Delaware River Port Authority of Pennsylvania and New Jersey
ID number	4500010
Design	steel suspension bridge
Longest span	609.6 meters (2,000 feet)
Total length	3,651.81 meters (11,981 feet)
Width	28.04 meters (92 feet)
Clearance below	45.72 meters (150 feet)
Opening date	May 16, 1957
Toll	$3.00 (westbound) (E-ZPass)
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Philadelphia Portal

The Walt Whitman Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Delaware River from Philadelphia to Gloucester City, New Jersey. Named after the poet Walt Whitman, who resided in nearby Camden toward the end of his life, the Walt Whitman Bridge is one of the larger bridges on the east coast of the United States. The bridge is owned and operated by the Delaware River Port Authority.

Construction on the bridge began in 1953, and it opened to traffic on May 16, 1957. The bridge has a total length of 11,981 feet (3,651 meters), and a main span of 2,000 feet (610 meters). The bridge has seven lanes, three in each direction and a center lane that is shifted variably (via a zipper barrier) to accommodate heavy traffic.

The bridge is a part of Interstate 76 (which, between the river and the South Philadelphia interchange at Passyunk Avenue, is known as the "Walt Whitman Expressway"). Along with the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, Betsy Ross Bridge and Commodore Barry Bridge, the Walt Whitman Bridge is one of four freeway-standard bridges connecting the Philadelphia area with southern New Jersey.

[edit] Tolls

A $3.00 one-way toll is charged entering Pennsylvania for passenger vehicles (less than 7,000 lbs gross vehicle weight). An $18 credit will be given on a per tag basis for any DRPA-issued E-ZPass tag that crosses one of the four DRPA bridges 18 times in a calendar month. Trucks, Commercial vehicles, mobile homes and recreation vehicles (weighing at least 7,000 lbs. gross vehicle weight), pay $4.50 cash per axle. Seniors aged 65 and over can use a ticket program to pay $1.00 per trip (not integrated with E-ZPass).^[1]