Outerbridge Crossing

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Outerbridge Crossing

The Outerbridge Crossing, seen from Tottenville, Staten Island. Perth Amboy, New Jersey is on the left; Staten Island, New York is on the right
Carries 4 lanes of Route 440/ NY 440
Crosses Arthur Kill
Locale Perth Amboy, New Jersey and southwestern Staten Island, New York City, New York
Maintained by Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Design Steel Cantilever bridge
Total length 10,140 feet (3,091 m)[1]
Width 62 feet (18.9 m)
Longest span 750 feet (229 m)
Vertical clearance 14 feet (4.3 m)
Clearance below 143 feet (43.6 m)[2]
Opened June 29, 1928 (June 29, 1928)
Toll (eastbound only) As of 1 December 2013 (2013-12-01); Cars $13.00 for cash, $11.00 for Peak (E-ZPass), $9.00 for off-peak (E-ZPass)
Daily traffic 81,597 (2010)[3]

The Outerbridge Crossing is a cantilever bridge which spans the Arthur Kill. The "Outerbridge", as it is commonly known, connects Perth Amboy, New Jersey, with the New York City borough of Staten Island and carries NY 440 and NJ 440, each road ending at the respective state border. The Outerbridge Crossing is one of three bridges connecting New Jersey with Staten Island, with the Bayonne Bridge (which also carries NJ 440 and NY 440) in Bayonne and the Goethals Bridge in Elizabeth being the other two.

Name

The bridge was named for Eugenius Harvey Outerbridge, the first chairman of the then-Port of New York Authority and a resident of Staten Island.[1][4][5] Rather than call it the "Outerbridge Bridge", the span was labeled a "crossing", but many New Yorkers and others mistakenly assume the name comes from the fact that it is the most remote bridge in New York City and the southernmost crossing in New York state.[5][6]

Construction

View from top of tower through truss work

It is a steel cantilever construction, designed by John Alexander Low Waddell and built under the auspices of the Port of New York Authority, now the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which currently operates it.[5]

It opened simultaneously with the Goethals Bridge on June 29, 1928.[7] Both spans have similar designs. Neither bridge saw high traffic counts until the opening of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in 1964. Traffic counts on both bridges were also depressed due to the effects of the Great Depression and World War II.

Current use

The Outerbridge Crossing carried 32,438,000 vehicles (both directions) in 2006, or approximately 90,000 each day. Tolls are collected in the eastbound direction only.

As of December 1, 2013, the cash tolls going from New Jersey to New York are $13 for both of cars and motorcycles; there is no toll for passenger vehicles going from New York to New Jersey. E-ZPass users are charged $9.00 for cars and $8.00 for motorcycles during off-peak hours (outside of 6–10 a.m. and 4–8 p.m. on the weekdays; and outside of 11 a.m.–9 p.m. on the weekends) and $11.00 for cars and $10.00 for motorcycles during peak hours (6–10 a.m. and 4–8 p.m. on the weekdays; and 11 a.m.–9 p.m. on the weekends).[8]

In 2003, the Port Authority raised the speed limit for the three inner E-ZPass lanes at the toll plaza from 15 miles per hour (20 km/h) to 25 miles per hour (40 km/h), separating these lanes from the rest of the eight-lane toll plaza by a barrier.[9] Two years later, the tollbooths adjacent to the 25 mph E-ZPass lanes were removed and overhead gantries were installed with electronic tag readers to permit E-ZPass vehicles to travel at 45 miles per hour (70 km/h) in special high-speed lanes.[10] Motorists using the high-speed E-ZPass lanes cannot use the Page Avenue exit, which is located immediately after the toll plaza.

In recent years, the bridge has undergone numerous repair jobs as a result of the high volume of traffic that crosses the bridge each day. On October 11, 2013, the Port Authority announced the completion of the bridge's repavement project.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Jackson, Kenneth T.; New-York Historical Society (1995). The Encyclopedia of New York City. New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 870. ISBN 0-300-05536-6. 
  2. ↑ "Facts & Info - Outerbridge Crossing - The Port Authority of NY & NJ:". http://www.panynj.gov. Retrieved 19 January 2014. 
  3. ↑ "2010 Traffic Data Report for New York State" (PDF). New York State Department of Transportation. Appendix C. Retrieved February 27, 2010. 
  4. ↑ "E. H. Outerbridge, Port Expert, Dies. Head Of Export And Import Firm And Ex-Chairman Of Port Of New York Authority.". The New York Times. November 11, 1932. Retrieved March 9, 2008.  (note: his daughter was responsible for bringing lawn tennis to he US).
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Richman, Steven M. (2005). The Bridges of New Jersey: Portraits of Garden State Crossings. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press. pp. 103–104. ISBN 0-8135-3510-7. 
  6. ↑ Yates, Maura (June 27, 2008). "Happy Bridge Birthday". Staten Island Advance. Retrieved May 28, 2009. 
  7. ↑ "Two Bridges Open Over Arthur Kill". The New York Times. June 30, 1928. p. 35. Retrieved July 9, 2010. 
  8. ↑ "New Toll Fare Rates for the Bridges & Tunnels Effective December 1, 2013 at 3:00 AM". Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. Retrieved 2013-11-29. 
  9. ↑ "E-ZPass Speed Limit Increased to 25-mph at Outerbridge Crossing" (Press release). Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. June 19, 2003. Retrieved August 8, 2009. 
  10. ↑ "Express E-ZPass Arrives Tomorrow at the Outerbridge Crossing" (Press release). Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. June 27, 2005. Retrieved August 8, 2009. 
  11. ↑ "PORT AUTHORITY COMPLETES OUTERBRIDGE CROSSING REPAVEMENT PROJECT THREE WEEKS EARLY". Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. October 11, 2013. 

External links

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Coordinates: 40°31′30″N 74°14′48″W / 40.524914°N 74.246635°W / 40.524914; -74.246635

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