Delair Bridge
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| Delair Bridge | |
|---|---|
 The Delair Bridge from Pennsauken, NJ |
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| Carries | New Jersey Transit Atlantic City Line and Conrail |
| Crosses | Delaware River |
| Locale | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Pennsauken Township, NJ |
| Design | Steel lift bridge |
| Longest span | 165.2 meters (542 feet) |
| Total length | 1,339.9 meters (4,396 feet) |
| Opening date | 1896 |
| Maps and aerial photos | |
The Delair Bridge is a lift bridge carrying the New Jersey Transit Atlantic City Line and a Conrail line across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Pennsauken Township, New Jersey. The bridge's southern track is reserved for freight traffic, and the northern track for the Atlantic City Line. The bridge is located immediately south of the Betsy Ross Bridge.
[edit] History
The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) constructed this bridge in 1895–1896. The Delair Bridge was the first bridge of any sort from Philadelphia into New Jersey. The world-renowned steel span connected PRR tracks in North Philadelphia to Southern New Jersey. It consisted of three fixed Pennsylvania truss spans and a through truss swing drawbridge totaling 1,932 feet. Its total length is 4,400 feet.
Starting in 1958, the PRR converted the bridge into a vertical lift span to increase clearance for river traffic. The 542-foot movable link was floated into place in one piece to facilitate installation and minimize delay. Work was completed in 1960. The Delair Bridge was the longest and heaviest double-track lift bridge in the world at the time. It was also electrified in the 1930s, allowing freight lines hauled by electric locomotives to access the Pavonia Yard in Camden from the Northeast Corridor. It has since been removed.
Passenger traffic over the bridge ceased by the 1970s, but was restored in 1990.
[edit] See also
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