Portal:Bridges/Selected article/October 2007
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The General Pulaski Skyway is a series of cantilever truss bridges in the northeast part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway carries four lanes of U.S. Route 1/9 for 3.5 miles (5.6 km) between the far east side of Newark and Tonnelle Circle in Jersey City, passing over Kearny. It is known as a "skyway" because it travels high above the meadows to avoid drawbridges across the Passaic and Hackensack Rivers, bridging each at a height of 135 feet (41.1 m). It also crosses over the New Jersey Turnpike, many local roads, and several rail lines. The skyway is named for General Kazimierz Pułaski, the Polish military leader who assisted in training and commanding Continental Army troops in the American Revolutionary War.
Trucks are prohibited from the Pulaski Skyway for the "safety and welfare of the public",[1] due to its outdated design. They must use an alternate route known as U.S. Route 1/9 Truck, a series of local roads through Jersey City, Kearny and Newark that carried traffic before the Skyway was built. Pedestrians and bicycles are also banned, as the road is a freeway with no sidewalks.
The Pulaski Skyway opened in 1932 as the last part of the Route 1 Extension, one of the first superhighways in the United States.[2] The structure has undergone only minor changes, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places (as part of the Route 1 Extension) on August 12, 2005.[3] The construction of the skyway was also notable for a labor conflict involving Jersey City mayor Frank Hague, which ended up turning him against unions.
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