Victory Bridge (New Jersey)

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The Victory Bridge as seen from the Edison Bridge.

The Victory Bridge is a highway bridge in the U.S. state of New Jersey that carries Route 35 over the Raritan River, connecting the Middlesex County communities of Perth Amboy on the north and Sayreville to the south. The bridge is operated and maintained by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT).

The new bridge replaced the old Victory Bridge, dedicated to the U.S. troops who served in World War I and opened in 1926. At the time of its construction, the original 360-foot bridge was the longest such structure in New Jersey.^[1]

The new bridge consists of twin structures (northbound and southbound) each carrying two 12-foot travel lanes, a 10-foot bike lane / outside shoulder and a three-foot shoulder. The southbound bridge also has a six-foot wide sidewalk. The bridge was designed with a record-setting 134-meter (440-foot) main span-the longest precast cantilever segmental construction in the United States. To reduce the construction time, the NJDOT selected the segmental precast concrete construction method for both the superstructure and substructure. The department estimated that by using this type of approach, it would reduce the duration of construction by at least one year and save millions of dollars in life cycle costs.

Construction on the first half of the new high level fixed bridge across the Raritan River was completed on June 8, 2004. The old Victory Bridge was then demolished and the new northbound parallel bridge was constructed in its place. The new, northbound section of the bridge opened to traffic on September 2, 2005. The new high-level fixed bridge eliminates traffic delays caused when opening the former low-level swing bridge to allow boat traffic to pass through.

At each end of the new bridge are concrete stanchions, containing the original bridge's dedication plaque on one side and the new one's on the other. On the bridge's light poles, a feature arriving with the new bridge, are plaques honoring various battles in which American troops participated.

On May 3, 2006, the new bridge claimed its first suicide victim. A man (whose name is as of yet unknown) murdered his estranged wife, 36-year-old Donna Palladino of Barnegat Township, and her 65-year-old mother Mary Jane Beckmann in South Amboy. The man then leaped off the southbound span on the Perth Amboy side of the bridge to his death but missed the water and landed in the Hess oil facility.^[2]

[edit] See also

List of crossings of the Raritan River

[edit] References

^ Lettiere announces completion of Route 35 Victory Bridge and Victory Circle Project, New Jersey Department of Transportation press release dated October 27, 2005. "The original Route 35 Victory Bridge was built in 1926, connecting the municipalities of Perth Amboy City and Sayreville Borough in Middlesex County. The 360-foot structure was the longest swing span bridge in New Jersey at the time it was built. The original bridge was commemorated to World War I veterans of New Jersey."
^ Apparent murder-suicide under investigation, WABC-TV Channel 7 in New York City, May 3, 2006